When the via-swap fallback runs out of options it skips updateDRNet, so the checker keeps a stale copy of the net from the last via it tried and writes DRC markers for a via that is not in the design. In the last batch, 21 of 21 nets with a Metal Spacing marker went through that fallback.
Recurring agent failure issue in OpenROAD (The-OpenROAD-Project)
What engineers report
A recurring agent failure problem in OpenROAD (The-OpenROAD-Project) that mostly hits the electrical engineer.
Failure pattern: agent / failure
Analyst note
From the Grok pain-radar digests, Nov 9-10 2026 (Nov 9 7:41 AM ET through Nov 10 7:41 AM ET digests plus the Haitch editions). Verified live 2026-11-10: issue/PR read; title and state confirmed.
What it costs a team
Modeled annual cost
$30,000
For a team of 5
Prototype delay
3 days
Modeled schedule slip per occurrence
Time lost
240 min
Per engineer per month, about 1 incidents
How the cost is modeled
240 min/month × 5 engineers × 12 months = 240 hours × $125/hour = $30,000
A modeled estimate with medium confidence. Swap in your own team size and loaded rate to size it for your team.
Engineering tools that address it
No engineering tool profile lists this error yet. Browse tools that connect to OpenROAD (The-OpenROAD-Project).
Evidence
More recurring errors in OpenROAD (The-OpenROAD-Project)
- MINLENGTH TWOSIDES end-of-line rule is checked one-sided because the wrong flag is passed.Verification · impact 66
- On a chip process with backside power layers, the router counts layers two different ways in one function, so it can pull track spacing from a never-enabled layer and compute the wrong tile size with no error.ECAD · impact 66
- Since a change merged Oct 24, detailed_route starts at iteration 3 when DRC markers exist, skipping iterations 0-2 that route nets with guides but no wires; in an ECO flow after repair_design or repair_antennas, ripped-up nets are never routed while the command "reports 0 violations and returns normally".ECAD · impact 66
- Two LEF58 end-of-line DRC rule variants are enforced as a plain rule with no warning: the router never reads the TOCONCAVECORNER and TONOTCHLENGTH flags and checks them as an ordinary end-of-line rule with WITHIN 0. Other unmodelled options get a warning, but these two are neither modelled nor warned about.Verification · impact 66
Sourced from public community reports. Costs and delays are modeled estimates, not measurements. Know a better source or a fix? Tell us at hello@productflo.io.