This application note complements the information in the STM8TL53xx datasheets by describing the minimum hardware and software environment required to build an application around an STM8TL53xx 8-bit microcontroller device. A brief description of the principal hardware components is given. The power supply, reset control and ProxSense lines are described in some detail. In addition, some hardware recommendations are given. This application note also contains detailed reference design schematics with descriptions of the main components. The STM8 development tools and software toolchain are common to STM8TL53xx, STM8L, STM8S and STM8A and are presented in Section 9, and 10. Section 11 describes how to set up the STM8 development environment. Finally, Section 12 provides a list of relevant documentation and online support resources.