@ajb2k3 Argh great! I submitted a reply and the forum just discarded it without an error. I will type a quick recap: First of all - what device are you using? I'm using several devices on v1.7.x with thonny. It's not a smooth experience but it works. The procedure is not exactly the same for the different devices.
On the M5StickC not all of my usb-c cables work. Also on that device, after F5 to upload and start, I need to use an extra CTRL+C to stop the uiflow interface on the device, before my code finally runs.
I hope this helps you and if things can be done easier then I'd love to hear the suggestions / solutions as well!

@ajb2k3 Which device are you using? I'm using 1.7.x with Thonny on several devices but there are some differences (the m5stickc does not work with every usb-c cable I have for instance). The device needs to be in USB mode but you probably know that.
Also it does not always work smoothly but it does work. Sometimes I need to restart the device after several times running my code. After resetting I need to use CTRL-C to get to REPL before I can upload and run my code. On the M5StickC, after pushing (uploading and starting, with F5) I need to CTRL-C again to stop the get standard interface and get my code running.
I hope this helps for you. If there are simpler ways then please let me know!