autonomous-circuit
Chat-to-PCB AI agent: describe a gadget and get back a verified board with schematic, layout, 3D, BOM and a fab packet, built from known-good golden blocks instead of invented circuitry.
What it does and how it connects
Autonomous Circuit is a chat-to-PCB AI agent: describe a gadget and get back a verified board with schematic, layout, 3D, BOM and a fab packet. It is a web app with chat on the left and the board on the right. Type what is wanted, Circuit asks a few questions, shows a plan, and after approval designs the board and hands over the files a factory needs: the copper layers, the parts list with part numbers that can actually be bought, and where each part goes. Upload those to JLCPCB and the boards show up in about two weeks, per the README.
Two things make it work, per the README. Boards are built out of nine circuits already known to be right (golden blocks), rather than made up from datasheets each time. And every board is checked twice, by two programs that share no code, before anyone is told it is ready. Five agents have one job each, and four loops each fix a different thing. The catch is stated up front: nine blocks is not many. Circuit designs the kind of board those blocks cover (USB-C power, 3.3V logic, an RP2040 chip, I2C sensors, buttons, LEDs), and refuses a motor driver instead of guessing.
Requirements are Python 3.10 or later (3.12 recommended), Node 22.12 or later, a claude CLI on PATH, and KiCad for the DRC gate: without it every board carries a blocking unverified_gerbers warning. A three-block board takes about 90 seconds to build; a 400-trace keyboard at maximum router effort takes about 20 minutes, per the README. The app defaults to the Claude arm; the Codex arm needs Codex.app and a ChatGPT team login.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- tscircuit
The tscircuit design system in TypeScript and React, rather than a chat-to-PCB agent that designs from a description.
- kicad-mcp (blwfish)
An MCP server that lets an agent drive a full KiCad workflow from description to fab files, rather than a chat-to-PCB agent built on golden blocks.
- KiCadAI
A Go CLI toolkit that generates KiCad projects deterministically from behavioral requirements with a pass or refuse proof gate, rather than a chat-to-PCB agent.
- atopile
A code-first language and compiler for electronics, rather than a chat-to-PCB agent.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- Interactive routing creates unwanted micro-segments and awkward paths that take time to clean up.Error Index
- Grid snap and move commands can disconnect items or reposition them in unwanted ways.Error Index
- GUI lag, occasional freezes, and sluggish editor switching interrupt concentration.Error Index
- Wayland/NVIDIA users report graphical glitches, flicker, or instability.Error Index
- KiCAD-MCP-Server's export_gerber returns success: true and lists all 24 layers as exported, but writes no .gbr files: PlotLayer draws into a plot file that was never opened with OpenPlotfile, returns False unchecked, and only the drill files (from a separate kicad-cli call) land in the folder. An agent reading the response would report the fab package ready when the folder is empty.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- No independent user voice found: recent repo activity is maintainer pull requests.
- No GitHub releases exist, so latest release fields are null.
- The two-week JLCPCB turnaround and the 90-second and 20-minute build times are the README's own figures, not independently verified.
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.