coppermind
AI PCB-design copilot for KiCad built as an IPC-first, transactional, verified MCP server with routing and native DRC and ERC.
What it does and how it connects
Coppermind is a Python MCP server for electronic design in KiCad. Its main schematic path is semantic: the agent works with Component, Pin, Net, and Constraint while Coppermind turns that intent into a real .kicad_sch using symbols from the installed KiCad libraries, instead of drawing wires by coordinates. It runs over stdio or Streamable HTTP on a loopback-only endpoint, and the README states it must not be published directly on the internet because it holds one design session per process and has no multi-user authentication.
The schematic flow runs five phases: Circuit IR with real symbols, semantic tools such as find_symbol and component_add, a semantic composer that writes the schematic and runs real ERC through kicad-cli, a visual reviewer over real SVG and PDF output, and a visual auto-fix with typed layout actions, copy-on-write, safety gates, ERC before and after, and rollback when a candidate gets worse. Changes are only confirmed after the safety gates pass. Routing runs through Freerouting, with native DRC and ERC, JLCPCB and LCSC part search, and a citable EE design-intelligence engine based on IPC-2221, per the repository description.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- copper-mcp
A local-first MCP platform where generated work stays an immutable candidate until applied, rather than an IPC-first transactional server with a semantic schematic flow.
- kicad-mcp (antonmadto)
An MCP server whose differentiator is a Hartley and Phil's Lab design-review engine, rather than a semantic composer with a visual reviewer.
- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server with profile-gated tools for KiCad workflows, rather than a semantic, transactional server with a five-phase schematic flow.
- kicad-agent
A Pydantic AI agent that edits a real KiCad board with a live review UI, rather than an MCP server with a semantic composer.
- kicad-claude-mcp
An MCP server with 105 tools that edits KiCad files directly, rather than a semantic server where the agent works in Component, Pin, Net, and Constraint terms.
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 maintainer feature pull requests.
- No GitHub releases exist, so latest release fields are null.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle charlesmmorais
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.