KiCad AI LoRA
LoRA fine-tuning dataset and plugin concept that converts plain English into KiCad Python scripts for PCB design review.
What it does and how it connects
KiCad AI LoRA is a fine-tuning dataset and plugin concept for turning plain English into KiCad Python scripts. The README frames it as a co-pilot, not an autopilot: the model drafts the script, the engineer reviews it, and KiCad runs it.
The stated domain focus is grounding, decoupling, stackup, DRC, thermal relief, signal integrity, mixed-signal layout, connector routing, and BOM sourcing. The stack is a Llama 3.1 8B base model fine-tuned with LoRA and QLoRA through Unsloth, trained on Google Colab with a T4 GPU, on JSONL chat-format data.
The repository ships dataset generation scripts and train and validation JSONL files. The KiCad AI Console app and the test suite are both marked as coming in the repo layout, so the shipped artifact is the dataset and the concept, not a finished plugin.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-happy
A set of agent skills that reviews existing KiCad projects for schematic, PCB, EMC, BOM, and fab readiness instead of generating designs.
- KiStack
Human-written agent skills that guide KiCad schematic, layout, BOM, export, and Gerber review, rather than a server with a fixed tool list.
- kicad-tools
An agent skill that automates KiCad review, repair, and manufacturing export through the kct command line, with no MCP server.
- KiCad Copilot
An MCP server that generates and modifies KiCad schematics and PCBs from natural language, with local routing and recoverable checkpoints.
- KiCadAI
A Go CLI that generates KiCad projects deterministically from behavioral requirements and refuses when it cannot prove the design.
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
- An engineer running Claude Code against KiCad found the agent kept repeating a stale claim of 19 DRC violations that lived on in prose docs. MCP tool summaries cannot be treated as live numbers; only DRC message text and actual exports are authoritative.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- No GitHub releases exist, so latest release fields are null.
- No independent user voice found: the repository has no public issues.
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- The planned KiCad plugin and console app (both marked as coming in the repository layout).
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle muhammadmapkar
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.