PlatformIO fails to connect to ESP32

[DanMan32]

Anyone come up with problems having PlatformIO consistently connect to M5StickC+?

If I only select one type of task, such as upload, I don't have a problem. But if do something else, say upload the filesystem, I get an Access Denied error. The reverse is also true.
It definitely has to do with the COM port appearing to be in use but I made sure I don't have any applications running.
As a test I was able to use the Arduino IDE to upload a sketch to the M5 with no issues.
Sometimes restarting PlatformIO will solve the problem, but other times I have to reboot my PC or just put the project aside and come back to it hours later.

I might have had a similar problem with the Heltec and TTGo but not to the same extent.

Initially I had some other serious upload problems with the M5, something about pack problem, especially after a complete erase as if there was a bootloader flash serial speed mismatch or bootloader flash code not initializing properly to accept a new program.

[DanMan32]

I think I may be leading to something. Looks like the M5C+ has an FTDI chip for the UART and PIO may need additional environment variables in the INI, mainly:
debug_tool = ftdi
upload_protocol = ftdi

I found this in section [env:wrover-demo]
But neither [env:wrover-demo] nor [env:m5plusdemo] compile with those two lines.