What it does and how it connects
Trace is a modified fork of KiCad, built by the Trace team as an AI-native PCB design suite. It keeps KiCad's schematic and PCB editors and file formats and adds an AI circuit assistant that takes natural language design requests, intelligent component search and automated routing, plus cloud sync for team designs. The README states Trace is not affiliated with or endorsed by the KiCad project.
The core is released under GPL-3.0, the same license as KiCad, and the repository holds the complete source. The trace/ directory of proprietary AI-native modules is the exception: it is all rights reserved and provided for reference only, so the AI modules are not open source even though the KiCad base is.
Users download installers from buildwithtrace.com, sign in to a free account for AI features, and design in the Trace app. The README's getting started says to ask the assistant for a circuit in plain language, for example adding a 555 timer circuit, and to request component suggestions or auto-routing.
What engineers report
Trace GUI/search can find Device:R, but the converter/backend fails with: Library file not found in any search path: Device.kicad_sym
2026-04-17Read the original
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server that drives KiCad schematic, PCB, ERC and DRC and manufacturing export workflows, rather than a modified KiCad app with a built-in AI assistant.
- kicad-happy
Agent skills that review KiCad schematics, PCBs and Gerbers, rather than a full KiCad fork with AI features built in.
- KiCadAI
A Go CLI toolkit that generates KiCad projects deterministically from behavioral requirements with a pass or refuse gate, rather than a KiCad fork.
- MCP-KiCad
An MCP server that drives KiCad PCB design through pcbnew, rather than a modified KiCad application.
- kicad-mcp (blwfish)
A community MCP server for KiCad PCB workflows with autorouting and LCSC part lookup, rather than a KiCad fork.
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 (no price stated for the app or its AI features beyond a free account for sign-in)
- A named individual builder (the repository names the Trace team, not a person)
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.