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.
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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
Next step
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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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Claim this listing for $29Key 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
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
Limitations
Frequently Asked Questions
What is copperhead?
What problem does it actually solve?
What do I need installed?
Does it work on a design that already exists?
What will it refuse to do?
Will it rewrite my whole schematic?
Getting Started
- 1 Install prerequisites: Node 20 or newer and KiCad with kicad-cli on your PATH.
- 2 Install the CLI: npm i -g copperhead
- 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
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