etchwork
Turns a one-sentence circuit description into a routed, DRC-clean, fab-ready KiCad board.
What it does and how it connects
Etchwork is a PCB design toolkit for AI coding agents: write a sentence about what is needed, and the engine produces a routed, DRC-clean, fab-ready KiCad board with Gerbers. It runs as an MCP server in Docker on Linux, and the README's quick start wires it into Claude Code with an etchwork skill and pre-approved engine tools.
A run ends when the agent reports DONE, and the project folder holds board.kicad_pcb, a schematic drawn from board.py and checked to match it, a schematic PDF, Gerbers, the SKiDL script board.py with its netlist, and a README naming the board's parts and trace widths. The schematic is a reference drawing: the circuit is changed through the agent, not the schematic, and the README warns against running KiCad's Update PCB from Schematic on an Etchwork project.
The README states a run takes from minutes to about an hour. Nets the agent leaves undecided are reported as nets awaiting your decision in the agent's final answer.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-mcp
An MCP server that automates an existing KiCad project through FastMCP, rather than generating a whole board from one sentence.
- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server that drives KiCad schematic, PCB, and manufacturing workflows with profile-gated modes, rather than a sentence-to-board engine in Docker.
- circuit-agent
Synthesizes schematic, layout, and a 3D enclosure from one prompt through pre-verified blocks, rather than routing a KiCad board from a SKiDL script.
- fragua
An AI-native PCB tool with its own agent DSL and router, rather than a Docker MCP server that emits KiCad boards.
- CircuitPilot
A browser and desktop copilot that picks real JLCPCB parts and builds enclosures, rather than a Docker MCP server that emits KiCad boards from a sentence.
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.
- Real user voices: the repo's open issues are written by the project's Marv-Agent account, not independent users, and no independent user post was found.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle FlologixAI
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.