copper-mcp
Local-first PCB automation for KiCad with safe MCP tools and deterministic autorouting research.
What it does and how it connects
CopperMCP is a local-first, open-source PCB automation platform for deterministic routing, MCP-based tools, and optional AI policy plugins. An AI client reads a KiCad board as typed, exact-integer geometry, proposes routes and placements, and validates them against authoritative KiCad DRC, without ever letting the model write copper. Every generated result is an immutable candidate bound to an exact board revision until a human explicitly applies it.
The README marks the project MVP-alpha and states the boundary plainly: AI may interpret constraints and propose net ordering, corridors, cost weights, and repairs, while deterministic code owns geometry, connectivity, DRC, provenance, and file mutation. Exactly two operations write to a board file, apply_candidate and apply_placement_candidate, and both are off by default behind an operator environment flag plus an operation-scoped single-use token that no model can mint. Everything else reads. Python 3.11 or newer is required, and the server runs over standard MCP stdio.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- coppermind
An IPC-first transactional MCP server with a semantic schematic flow and a design-intelligence engine, rather than a local-first platform that never lets the model write copper.
- kicad-agent
A Pydantic AI agent that edits a real KiCad board with a live review UI, rather than a platform where generated work stays an immutable candidate until applied.
- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server with profile-gated tools for KiCad schematic, PCB, DRC, and manufacturing export, rather than a deterministic routing research platform.
- kicad-mcp (blwfish)
A community MCP server that drives a full KiCad workflow from a plain-language description, rather than a local-first platform with a no-model-writes boundary.
- zap-mcp
A hosted autorouter reached through MCP, HTTP, and CLI, rather than a local-first platform where routing candidates stay immutable until applied.
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
- A KiCad MCP bridge normalizes DRC, connectivity, and geometry into its own output format, and that normalized output can silently disagree with the native KiCad engine. The maintainer had to build seeded false-PASS and false-FAIL tests because the bridge layer cannot be trusted as engineering truth on its own.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- Real user voices: no real linked post read for this page; open issues are dependency updates and maintainer fixes.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle seunghyukchoe
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.