pcb-copilot (ee-in-a-box)
Companion MCP server that gives Claude full Q and A access to a PCB schematic snapshot exported from Altium, built for cross functional firmware, mechanical and test teams with no Altium license required
What it does and how it connects
pcb-copilot is a companion MCP server that gives Claude full question-and-answer access to a PCB schematic snapshot exported from Altium. It is built for cross-functional firmware, mechanical, and test teams that need to read a schematic without an Altium license and without waiting on the electrical engineer.
The workflow starts with the engineer exporting a snapshot with altium-copilot and sharing one .db file, which lives next to the .PrjPcb. The person asking questions opens that file and starts asking. Firmware engineers can trace a pin to its net and MCU pin, list everything on a bus, or find pull-ups and their values; mechanical engineers can get a connector pinout or find which connectors carry power; test engineers can find probe points, the parts on a net, or the full do-not-populate list for the active build variant.
The README states the server runs on Windows and macOS. It reads the exported snapshot only; it does not drive Altium itself.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- eda-agent
An MCP server that drives a live Altium Designer session through a DelphiScript bridge, rather than answering questions about an exported snapshot.
- altium-mcp (coffeenmusic)
An MCP server and Altium scripting bridge that lets an AI client query and manipulate Altium Designer projects directly.
- Altium Monkey
A Python toolkit for reading, writing, analyzing, and rendering Altium files directly from automation.
- SnapMagic Copilot
A commercial AI design copilot that auto-completes circuit board designs with recommendations and natural language interaction.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- An Altium agent tool reading saved PcbDoc files treated arc edges of copper pours as straight lines, so a point near a rounded pour edge counted as outside the pour, feeding via connectivity, DRC net lookups and the pour index.Error Index
- An Altium agent tool sized back drills the way Altium's help says (hole plus 2 times the oversize, giving 0.8 mm), while Altium's own Draftsman drill table and the board's hole list both say 0.5 mm (hole plus the oversize once).Error Index
- On their corpus, 50 PCB diff pairs had no pair directive behind them and the Class Generation switch was ignored once a PCB class existed, so schematic intent and board state drifted silently.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- No independent user voice found: the only pull request is the maintainer's own release PR.
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- Activity: last push May 2026, so the project looks quiet; no newer release was found.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle ee-in-a-box
- No standalone website: the repo homepage URL https://maisamp.github.io/ returns 404.
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.