eda-review

eda-review

AI-assisted EDA review for PCB teams that need more than a chat bot looking at screenshots.

eda-review gives an agent structured access to the schematic, PCB layout, BOM, design rules, stackup, rendered board views, and manufacturing outputs. It started as a fork of lamaalrajih/kicad-mcp, then grew into a review-first toolchain for KiCad and Altium boards.

The goal is practical: catch electrical, layout, BOM, and fabrication problems before an order goes to the manufacturer.

What eda-review can do

• Understand schematics and layouts together. Inspect projects, export netlists, compare schematic-to-PCB parity, run ERC/DRC, and render schematic, board, copper, and 3D views for visual review.
• Manage BOM risk. Extract MPNs from designs, group references, flag missing or placeholder part data, check JLCPCB/LCSC and DigiKey availability, and search JLCPCB alternatives.
• Review for manufacturing. Check board geometry, configured rules, stackup, via limits, and copper constraints against JLCPCB-focused capabilities. Run fab readiness checks before handoff.
• Generate handoff files. Export Gerbers, drill files, pick-and-place/CPL data, and STEP from KiCad through official KiCad export paths.
• Support KiCad and Altium workflows. KiCad support is direct through kicad-cli and project files. Altium support uses the eda-agent bridge to turn live Altium data into the same shared review pipeline.
• Keep edits guarded. Deterministic edits use dry-run diffs first, require explicit --apply, and re-check loadability or rules where the backend supports it.

Why this exists

LLMs are useful reviewers when they have evidence. They are risky when they guess.

eda-review puts deterministic tooling in front of the agent:

• KiCad CLI output for ERC, DRC, rendering, netlists, BOMs, and fab exports.
• Parsed schematic and PCB facts for rule checks and layout reasoning.
• Distributor data for live sourcing and stock validation.
• EDA-neutral manufacturing facts that both KiCad and Altium backends can feed.
• Rendered images the agent can actually inspect before commenting on placement, routing, copper pours, silkscreen, assembly orientation, or 3D seating.

The result is a review workflow that can talk about the board from both sides: what the schematic intends and what the physical layout will send to a fab.

Backend support

Backend	Status	What it covers
KiCad	Primary path	.kicad_pro, .kicad_sch, .kicad_pcb, ERC/DRC, netlist, rendered review, BOM checks, JLCPCB DFM checks, guarded edits, fab exports
Altium	Experimental bridge	Live Altium data through eda-agent, BOM sourcing, rule/stackup/geometry normalization, JLCPCB manufacturability grading
Shared core	Stable foundation	Distributor stock checks, BOM sourcing sweeps, JLCPCB capability grading, EDA-neutral board facts

Altium support depends on a running Altium session and the third-party eda-agent MCP bridge. Before trusting an Altium review, run the setup spike in docs/altium_eda_agent_setup.md so the bridge output is confirmed against your Altium version.

Quick start

Install KiCad 9 or newer, then install the Python dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/JonathanLiu1401/eda-review.git
cd eda-review
py -m pip install -r requirements.txt

KiCad ships kicad-cli. If it is not on your PATH, set KICAD_CLI_PATH to the full executable path.

Run a review:

py lib\kicad_review_cli.py inspect C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py review  C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro --scope all
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py erc     C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py drc     C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py render  C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro --what all

Run BOM and manufacturing checks:

py lib\kicad_review_cli.py check-bom     C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py check-stock   RC0603FR-0710KL
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py search-parts  "10k 0603 resistor"
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py jlcpcb-check  C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py fab-check     C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro
py lib\kicad_review_cli.py fab-export    C:\path\to\board\board.kicad_pro --out C:\path\to\fab

review writes an evidence package under the board's .kicad-review/ directory, including a Markdown report, JSON facts, and render paths for the agent to inspect.

Main CLI commands

Command	Purpose
inspect	Summarize project files, board layers, track widths, vias, footprints, and net classes
review	Run the full evidence-building review workflow
erc / drc	Run KiCad electrical and design rule checks and summarize violations
render	Export schematic, board, copper, and 3D views
netlist	Export a KiCad netlist
check-bom	Check every MPN in the schematic BOM against JLCPCB/LCSC and DigiKey
check-stock	Check one part number or LCSC code for live availability
search-parts	Search JLCPCB/LCSC for stock-ranked candidate parts
jlcpcb-check	Compare the board against JLCPCB-focused capability and stackup checks
jlcpcb-apply-rules	Dry-run or apply JLCPCB minimum design rules to a KiCad project
jlcpcb-apply-stackup	Dry-run or apply a JLCPCB reference stackup to a KiCad PCB
fab-check	Check fabrication readiness and produce a fab package for inspection
fab-export	Export Gerbers, drill, pick-and-place, and STEP files
set-property	Dry-run or apply a targeted component property change, such as an MPN update

Use as an MCP server

The CLI is the most reliable path for automated review, but the repo still includes the upstream MCP server interface. Register it with an MCP-capable client:

claude mcp add kicad -- py C:\path\to\eda-review\main.py

This exposes KiCad project, schematic, PCB, DRC, BOM, rendering, and review tools through MCP.

Repository layout

eda-review/
  eda_core/       Shared BOM, stock, JLCPCB, and board-fact logic
  kicad_mcp/      KiCad backend, MCP server, parsing, review, edit, and fab code
  altium_review/  Altium adapter and shared review entry points
  lib/            CLI entry point used by agents and CI
  skills/         Agent workflow instructions for KiCad and Altium design review
  commands/       Claude Code command wrappers
  docs/           Setup notes, design notes, and Altium bridge guidance
  tests/          Unit and integration coverage for review, BOM, DFM, fab, and edits

Development

Install the test dependency, then run the suite:

py -m pip install pytest
py -m pytest -q

Some integration tests need KiCad and a real project path. The unit tests cover the shared manufacturing logic, distributor normalization, Altium adapter, report model, and guarded edits without requiring KiCad or Altium.

Safety model

eda-review is intentionally conservative:

• Use official EDA export/check functions when they exist.
• Treat KiCad and Altium project files as the ground truth.
• Prefer dry-run diffs before edits.
• Keep routing and placement as review guidance unless a deterministic backend operation is explicitly requested.
• Verify generated fab files before treating them as manufacturing-ready.

License

MIT. This project builds on the MIT-licensed KiCad MCP work by lamaalrajih/kicad-mcp.