Copperbrain
MCP server exposing schematic capture, netlist generation and BOM workflows to AI agents.
What it does and how it connects
Copperbrain is a local MCP server for KiCad 10 schematic and PCB work, built for safe analysis, deterministic JLCPCB and LCSC sourcing, controlled changes, ERC and DRC validation, typed PCB design rules, and component-only BOM estimates. It runs on Windows with Python 3.11 or newer, uv, and KiCad 10.x, exposes local stdio only, and never starts a public network listener.
Controlled PCB routing uses a managed KiCadRoutingTools runtime, and JLCImport and JLCPCB Tools are optional integrations for local component sourcing. The README documents a mutation-safety model: updates require a clean main worktree with the official GitHub origin and apply a Git fast-forward only, refusing dirty worktrees, detached branches, unexpected remotes, and divergent history.
The server is configured for Codex CLI through an mcp_servers.copperbrain entry that runs uv with the repository as its working directory. The README points to separate installation, demo, and docs pages for setup and the reproducible reference flow.
What engineers report
I wanted to ask how you recommend using copperbrain, specifically for schematic capture. I have a particular interest in just having a spec define that gets rendered into a schematic, but all the steps it takes to get there are rather complicated and I'm wondering how copperbrain does this.
2026-07-26Read the original
Alternatives
Compare side by side- pcb-lens
Reviews IPC-2581 and Cadence Allegro layouts through an MCP server, rather than analyzing and editing KiCad 10 projects.
- kicad-mcp
A FastMCP server for KiCad with a web dashboard and board marketplace, rather than a Windows-only server with a mutation-safety model and JLCPCB sourcing.
- kicad-mcp-pro
A KiCad MCP server with profile-gated build and release modes and a desktop app, rather than a Windows-only server focused on safe analysis and controlled changes.
- kicad-mcp-rs
A Rust MCP server that talks to KiCad through the official Protobuf-over-NNG IPC API with dry-run mutations, rather than a Python server with a managed routing runtime.
- kicad-happy
Agent skills that review KiCad projects, rather than an MCP server that analyzes and edits them.
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
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- No GitHub releases exist, so latest release fields are null.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle deadbringer17
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.