fab_pcb
Headless browser-based UI for KiCad built entirely on the KiCad IPC API: board and schematic render in the browser from live server data, edits commit back through KiCad's own commit API, with DRC/ERC, exports and a 3D view. 152 of 167 IPC commands run headless.
What it does and how it connects
FabPlane PCB is a headless, browser-based UI for KiCad 10.99 and later, built entirely on the KiCad IPC API (kicad-cli api-server). TypeScript end to end; KiCad runs as a server process and never opens a window. The board and schematic render in the browser from live server data, edits commit back through KiCad's own commit API with undo, and DRC, ERC, exports and a 3D view run from the UI.
IPC API coverage stated in the README is 152 of 167 commands headless (91.0 percent), with 15 GUI-only and 0 unregistered, against KiCad 8cc9377988. The 15 GUI-only commands are selection, visible layers and appearance state, which a web page owns itself; every headless command passes the conformance suite against a live server. Milestones M0 to M4 are done: kicad-cli builds from the fork, the board and schematic render from live server data, edits commit back, and DRC, ERC, exports and a 3D view run.
Prebuilt kicad-cli nightlies come from the fork (TensorFleet/kicad), published every night for Linux x86_64, macOS arm64 and x86_64, and Windows x86_64, with a rolling nightly tag and pinnable nightly-date-sha builds. The fork's main branch carries 21 API commits that closed every P0 gap and most P1 gaps.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server that exposes KiCad schematic, PCB, ERC/DRC, DFM, BOM and manufacturing export workflows to AI agents, rather than a headless browser UI over the IPC API.
- kicad-mcp (draganito)
A compact Rust MCP server that drives a running KiCad 10 PCB editor over the official IPC API, rather than a headless browser UI over the same API.
- kicad-claude-mcp
An MCP server that edits KiCad files directly with 105 tools and Freerouting autorouting, rather than a headless browser UI over the IPC API.
- KonnectX
A native KiCad 10 plugin that lets AI assistants design schematics and PCBs through MCP, rather than a headless browser UI over the IPC API.
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 independent user voice found: recent repo activity is maintainer pull requests.
- License: no LICENSE file exists in the repo root and the README states no license, so no license is recorded rather than copying the catalog label.
- The latest release tag is backend-5ad3d75ba1, a build tag rather than a version number.
- Thin source: 0 stars and no user issues; the entry rests on the README and the repo record.
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.