Copperhead

Copperhead

Copperhead is an open-source AI engineering platform and CLI that helps hardware teams design, verify, and ship printed circuit boards by editing KiCad files, running KiCad checks (ERC/DRC), and producing gerbers, firmware, and documentation in a gated, auditable pipeline.

Copperhead is developer tools software teams evaluate for creative & design. Use this page to review pricing, integration signals, and the best alternatives before you commit.

Freemium Enterprise
#115 in Developer Tools (115 tools)
Just launched
Data reviewed Sep 9, 2026

Profile facts come from the vendor source. AiMatch labels unknown pricing or API details instead of estimating them.

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Quick Overview

Best for: Creative & Design

What it does

Developer Tools software for decision-makers comparing workflow fit and alternatives.

Best fit

Creative & Design

Pricing snapshot

Freemium from Free

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Copperhead

Copperhead is an open-source AI engineering platform and CLI for hardware teams that automates PCB design workflows by editing real KiCad repositories, running KiCad checks (ERC/DRC), and producing final outputs such as gerbers, drill files, STEP and firmware. It runs a gated eight-stage pipeline (brief, spec, architecture, parts, schematic, layout, outputs, firmware, dev plan) where each stage must write artifacts to disk and pass gates before the next stage proceeds. The product targets teams and organizations that need reproducible, auditable PCB design workflows, and can run locally (CLI, BYO model key) or as hosted/cloud or self-hosted enterprise services.

An open-source AI agent that designs, documents and validates real PCBs from a prompt.

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Key Features

Gated, stage-based pipeline

Runs eight ordered stages (brief → spec → architecture → parts → schematic → layout → outputs → firmware → dev plan) where each stage must leave artifacts on disk and pass a gate before continuing.

KiCad-first verification

Integrates with KiCad and kicad-cli, runs ERC and DRC checks, and verifies that docs match schematics; 'Copper border: verified by KiCad itself, ERC and DRC clean.'

Surgical edits to real repositories

Edits KiCad s-expression source with small, reviewable diffs and commits; refuses to run on a dirty git tree and enforces validated change proposals.

Open-source CLI

Apache-2.0 licensed CLI that runs locally, supports plain markdown, JSON and KiCad output, and allows BYO model API keys (Claude/GPT-5).

Hosted & team offerings

Cloud web viewer with chat, live schematic/board render, ERC/DRC status, run history and shareable reports; CI bot, SSO/SAML, role management and central billing in team/enterprise plans.

Auditability and change recording

Records decisions and changelogs, produces an audit trail and per-stage commits suitable for audits and compliance.

Export and outputs

One-click gerber, DXF/STEP, render and BOM export; outputs gerbers, drill files, STEP and firmware on disk.

Managed or BYO inference

Option to bring your own Claude/GPT-5 API key or use managed inference credits in hosted plans.

Pricing

Free Tier Available

CLI is free and open-source (Apache-2.0); run locally with community support.

CLI (Free)

Free
  • Apache-2.0 licensed CLI
  • Runs locally in your machine and git repo
  • Community support

Cloud

$49 per user / month
  • Hosted runs on private repos
  • Web viewer: chat, live schematic and board render, ERC/DRC status
  • Run history and shareable check reports
  • One-click gerber, DXF/STEP, render and BOM export

Team

$49 per user / month + $199 / mo platform
  • Everything in Cloud, plus CI bot and shared, versioned constraint libraries
  • SSO / SAML, role management, central billing
  • Managed credits pooled across the team

Enterprise

Custom (annual)
  • Self-hosted or VPC deployment
  • Altium support beyond KiCad, RBAC, security review, dedicated support and an SLA
  • Flat annual license, no per-run metering

Use Cases

Iterating on existing KiCad designs

Point Copperhead at an existing KiCad repo, run copperhead init, and request surgical changes while keeping files and documentation in sync.

End-to-end design from a brief

Run the full pipeline from a short brief with copperhead create to produce schematics, board layout, outputs and firmware artifacts.

Team governance and CI

Use hosted or team plans to run checks as required PR status checks, share run histories, and enforce organization-wide constraint libraries.

Audits and compliance

Provide auditors with an auditable run history, per-stage commits, decision logs and exported reports for compliance and procurement.

Integrations

KiCad / kicad-cli

Runs on KiCad files and uses kicad-cli for ERC/DRC verification and board/schematic operations.

Claude / GPT-5 (model providers)

Supports BYO model API keys (Claude, GPT-5) or managed inference credits in hosted plans.

Git / CI

Operates against a git repository, supports CI bot for required PR status checks and run history in hosted plans.

Altium (Enterprise)

Enterprise plan includes Altium support beyond KiCad.

Benefits

Reduces design drift by keeping schematics, BOMs, power budgets and docs in sync, lowering the risk of costly respins.
Produces KiCad-verified outputs (ERC/DRC clean) and a traceable audit trail for decisions and changes.
Flexible deployment options: local CLI for no lock-in, hosted cloud for convenience, and self-hosted enterprise for data control.

Limitations

Refuses to run on a dirty git tree and requires validated change proposals before editing files.
Requires prerequisites (Node 20+, KiCad with kicad-cli) and a model API key for AI inference; hosted usage may consume managed inference credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is copperhead?
An open source AI agent that designs, documents and verifies printed circuit boards. You describe a change or hand it a product brief, and it edits your real KiCad files, updates every document that references them, and runs KiCad's own checks until they pass.
What problem does it actually solve?
It prevents drift between schematic, BOM, power budgets and documentation—drift that otherwise causes expensive respins during bring-up.
What do I need installed?
Node 20 or newer, KiCad with kicad-cli on your path and a model API key of your own. Then npm i -g copperhead.
Does it work on a design that already exists?
Yes — point it at a KiCad repository, run copperhead init and start asking for changes. It can also run the full pipeline from a written brief with copperhead create.
What will it refuse to do?
It refuses to run on a dirty git tree, refuses to edit any design file before a validated change proposal exists and refuses changes that break a budget or constraint you have documented; it also never invents a part number it cannot justify from a datasheet.
Will it rewrite my whole schematic?
No. Edits are surgical changes to the KiCad s-expression source, so diffs stay small and reviewable and untouched parts remain byte-identical.

Getting Started

  1. 1 Install prerequisites: Node 20 or newer and KiCad with kicad-cli on your PATH.
  2. 2 Install the CLI: npm i -g copperhead
  3. 3 Set a model API key and either run copperhead init against an existing KiCad repo or run copperhead create --brief brief.md to start a new pipeline.

Support

docs

Documentation is available via the Docs link on the site (Docs).

community

Community support is provided for the free CLI offering.

sales

Talk to sales for hosted, team and enterprise plans using the 'Talk to sales' link on the site.

API

Available: No

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