Let your agent edit a KiCad board live through the KiCad API
A hardware builder turned on KiCad's API so a coding agent can work on the open board instead of on exported files. Through kicad-python the agent moves footprints, changes nets and adjusts copper in the running editor, and it runs electrical and design rule checks with kicad-cli.
Source
@observie on X · 2026-10-16
Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-21.
What they did
A hardware builder turned on KiCad's API so a coding agent can work on the open board instead of on exported files. Through kicad-python the agent moves footprints, changes nets and adjusts copper in the running editor, and it runs electrical and design rule checks with kicad-cli.
Result (as claimed)
He reports the agent can now edit PCB layout live; he notes agentic schematic work in KiCad is still harder than layout.
Tools they used
Cost: Claude Code: from $17/mo.
Set it up
Write a one-page brief
Describe the app in plain words: who it is for, the 3 core screens or actions, and what "done" looks like.
Start the project with your agent
Open Claude Code and paste the brief. Ask it to propose a stack and a file plan before writing code.
Build one slice at a time
Ship the smallest working flow first, run it, then add features one by one. Commit after each working step.
Test it like a user
Click through on desktop and phone. Ask the agent to add basic tests and fix anything that breaks.
Check security and ship
Keep keys in environment variables, check auth and database rules, then deploy and share the link.
Copy the full setup prompt
Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code. Goal: Let your agent edit a KiCad board live through the KiCad API What the original author did: A hardware builder turned on KiCad's API so a coding agent can work on the open board instead of on exported files. Through kicad-python the agent moves footprints, changes nets and adjusts copper in the running editor, and it runs electrical and design rule checks with kicad-cli. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He reports the agent can now edit PCB layout live; he notes agentic schematic work in KiCad is still harder than layout. Source: https://x.com/observie/status/2111131976040087601 Tools they used: Claude Code, KiCad, Python Category: Vibe coding & apps Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Codex. Goal: Let your agent edit a KiCad board live through the KiCad API What the original author did: A hardware builder turned on KiCad's API so a coding agent can work on the open board instead of on exported files. Through kicad-python the agent moves footprints, changes nets and adjusts copper in the running editor, and it runs electrical and design rule checks with kicad-cli. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He reports the agent can now edit PCB layout live; he notes agentic schematic work in KiCad is still harder than layout. Source: https://x.com/observie/status/2111131976040087601 Tools they used: Claude Code, KiCad, Python Category: Vibe coding & apps Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Grok Bot. Goal: Let your agent edit a KiCad board live through the KiCad API What the original author did: A hardware builder turned on KiCad's API so a coding agent can work on the open board instead of on exported files. Through kicad-python the agent moves footprints, changes nets and adjusts copper in the running editor, and it runs electrical and design rule checks with kicad-cli. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He reports the agent can now edit PCB layout live; he notes agentic schematic work in KiCad is still harder than layout. Source: https://x.com/observie/status/2111131976040087601 Tools they used: Claude Code, KiCad, Python Category: Vibe coding & apps Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
The Daily 5
Get five new use cases tomorrow morning
Free. Real sources. Unsubscribe any time.
Guides for this use case
How to design a PCB and electronics with AI · How to build hardware projects with AI agents · How to vibe code an app with Claude Code
Related use cases
Design a circuit board from a chat with the HeyPCB MCP server
HeyPCB is an MCP server that lets a coding agent design circuits, route the PCB, run checks, export a real KiCad project and generate an enclosure. It plugs into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, ChatGPT and other MCP clients, so you describe the board you want in chat.
Build your own AI assistant on Telegram as a first project
A hobbyist built a personal AI assistant on Telegram as his first Claude Code project.
Self-host an agent that builds mini apps from chat and edits its own UI
mobius from mobius-os is a self-hosted personal AI system: you chat with a coding agent through Claude Code or Codex and it builds mini apps on your server and modifies its own UI.
Rebuild Photoshop in the browser and let the agent test it like a user
He rebuilt a Photoshop-style editor in the browser with Claude. With an agent-browser skill, Claude Code got its own browser space and tested every build like a real user.