kct (kicad-tools) MCP route_netECADConfidence: Medium

The MCP route_net tool has never been able to save a routed net: after routing succeeds it calls merge_routes_into_pcb with a nonexistent signature, raising TypeError on net_map, because the only real merge_routes_into_pcb takes PCB file text and an S-expression string. The broken call shape dates to the tool's introduction, and the existing MCP routing tests never exercise a successful route through to save.

Impact Analysis

Persona

Electrical Engineer

Team Size Impact

5x Multiplier

Prototype Delay

2 Days

Est. Annual Cost

$18,000

1 user · 1 month180 min
Rest of team720 min
Rest of year9,900 min

monthly_minutes × 12 × team_multiplier ÷ 60 × $75/hr = $18k/yr

$75/hr assumed rate.

Annual team-minutes decomposed from the reported monthly inputs.

Evidence & Sources

1 Sources

rjwalters/kicad-tools issue #7114: MCP route_net never saves a routed net: calls merge_routes_into_pcb with a nonexistent signature (TypeError on net_map)

github.com

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Analyst Notes

From the Grok ProductFlo pain-radar digest, Oct 18 2026. Verified live 2026-10-19: the curator confirmed the bad call against origin/main; the sibling route_net_auto persists copper correctly, so this is the one broken path. Cost model assumes an agent loop burns a routing pass that can never land.