boardreadyops
Local-first, policy-as-code hardware release pipeline for KiCad: generates and validates manufacturing outputs, explains what changed in every PR and why it matters for fabrication, and packages auditable release evidence with checksums.
What it does and how it connects
BoardReadyOps is a local-first, policy-as-code hardware review gate for KiCad PCB teams, described as the trust layer between KiCad commits and manufacturing release. It checks KiCad projects, can generate manufacturing artifacts, and packages findings and checksums into a release evidence bundle. Manifests can be signed and verified when a signing key is configured.
The pipeline runs generate, validate, decide, package, optional attestation, review, handoff. It uses native kicad-cli DRC and ERC checks alongside BOM lifecycle, footprint consistency, pinmap contracts and vendor preflights, and explains what changed in every PR and why it matters for fabrication. It does not replace KiCad DRC/ERC, and it works standalone or alongside KiBot and artifact automation tools.
The CLI and GitHub Action support JSON, SARIF, Markdown, HTML, JUnit and workflow annotation output. KiCad CLI compatibility is CI-tested on KiCad 10.0, with 10.0.8 as the latest verified patch; KiCad 9.0 remains the minimum supported line but is upstream end of life and no longer CI-tested. Install is npm i -g boardreadyops, and Node.js 24 LTS only is supported. The README is explicit that checksums and self-reported source fingerprints do not independently prove exported Gerbers came from the reviewed commit.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server by the same builder that exposes KiCad schematic, PCB, ERC/DRC, DFM, BOM and manufacturing export workflows to AI agents, rather than a release pipeline with policy gates and signed evidence.
- kicad-evaltor
A Python test-suite library for validating KiCad designs programmatically, rather than a release pipeline with policy gates and signed evidence.
- kicad-happy
A suite of AI agent skills that analyze and review KiCad schematics, PCBs and Gerbers, rather than a release pipeline with policy gates and signed evidence.
- KonnectX
A native KiCad 10 plugin that lets AI assistants design schematics and PCBs through MCP, rather than a release pipeline that gates manufacturing handoff.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- a KiCad manufacturing release gate's review preview silently accepted fields the schema forbids, including private source evidence.Error Index
- a KiCad manufacturing release gate checked the CLI version in a preflight (1.37.0) and then accepted a green readiness result from 1.68.3 and approved the manufacturing evidence anyway; a regression test proved it, and now a version mismatch fails closed.Error Index
- Interactive routing creates unwanted micro-segments and awkward paths that take time to clean up.Error Index
- GUI lag, occasional freezes, and sluggish editor switching interrupt concentration.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: the repo has no public non-PR issues listed via the API.
- License: the catalog says open-source, but the LICENSE file is the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0, which is source-available, not open source. The catalog license was wrong.
- Version: the README says the repository-prepared package version is boardreadyops@1.70.0 and warns it is not evidence of publication; the latest GitHub release is v1.68.3.
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.