Arcas OnlineEDA MCP Server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for interacting with Arcas OnlineEDA platform - a comprehensive web-based Electronic Design Automation tool suite for formal verification, equivalence checking, power analysis, security verification, and FPGA design.

Overview

This MCP server provides programmatic access to Arcas OnlineEDA platform through web automation, enabling AI assistants and automated workflows to:

Create and manage EDA projects with intelligent project type detection
Upload design files with automatic format recognition
Execute various verification types with customizable parameters
Navigate the platform seamlessly
Process natural language queries with extensive example matching
Access platform resources through well-defined URIs

Features

Core Capabilities

Formal Verification: Verify design properties, assertions, and safety requirements
Equivalence Checking: Compare functional equivalence between RTL and gate-level designs
Power Analysis: Analyze and optimize dynamic and static power consumption
Security Verification: Detect vulnerabilities, side-channels, and information leakage
FPGA Verification: Platform-specific verification for Xilinx, Intel/Altera designs

Available Tools

arcas_onlineeda_navigate - Navigate platform sections
- Actions: home, projects, new-project, documentation, settings
- Smart navigation with session state preservation
arcas_onlineeda_project - Comprehensive project management
- Actions: create, open, list, delete
- Project types: formal, equivalence, power, security, fpga
- Automatic project type detection from context
arcas_onlineeda_upload_file - Intelligent file upload
- Supported formats: Verilog (.v), SystemVerilog (.sv), VHDL (.vhd/.vhdl)
- Constraint files: SDC, XDC for timing and placement
- Automatic file type detection
arcas_onlineeda_run_verification - Advanced verification execution
- Types: formal, equivalence, power, security, fpga
- Configurable parameters: timeout, depth, specific properties
- Real-time progress monitoring
arcas_onlineeda_natural_language - AI-powered natural language interface
- Extensive example database for high-confidence matching
- Workflow suggestions and multi-step guidance
- Context-aware recommendations

Available Resources

Access platform data through these URIs:

arcas://projects - List all projects in JSON format
arcas://verification-results - Latest verification results
arcas://platform-status - Current platform and connection status
arcas://documentation - Platform documentation in Markdown

Installation

# Clone the repository git clone <repository-url> cd arcas-onlineeda-mcp # Install dependencies npm install # Build the server npm run build # Optional: Run setup script for browser dependencies npm run setup

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Arcas OnlineEDA credentials (optional - will prompt if not set) ONLINEEDA_USERNAME=your_username ONLINEEDA_PASSWORD=your_password # Browser settings ONLINEEDA_HEADLESS=true # Set to false to see browser actions ONLINEEDA_TIMEOUT=30000 # Page load timeout in ms # Logging LOG_LEVEL=info # Options: error, warn, info, debug LOG_FILE=arcas-onlineeda.log # Log file location

MCP Configuration

Add to your MCP settings file (e.g., ~/.mcp/settings.json):

{ "mcpServers": { "arcas-onlineeda": { "command": "node", "args": ["/path/to/arcas-onlineeda-mcp/dist/index.js"], "env": { "ONLINEEDA_USERNAME": "your_username", "ONLINEEDA_PASSWORD": "your_password" } } } }

Usage Examples

Basic Tool Usage

Create a Formal Verification Project

{ "tool": "arcas_onlineeda_project", "arguments": { "action": "create", "projectName": "risc_v_core_verification", "projectType": "formal" } }

Upload Multiple Design Files

{ "tool": "arcas_onlineeda_upload_file", "arguments": { "projectId": "proj_123", "filePath": "./rtl/cpu_core.v", "fileType": "verilog" } }

Run Security Verification

{ "tool": "arcas_onlineeda_run_verification", "arguments": { "projectId": "proj_123", "verificationType": "security", "options": { "timeout": 600, "properties": ["information_leakage", "timing_attacks", "power_analysis"] } } }

Natural Language Examples

The natural language interface understands a wide variety of queries:

Project Creation Queries

"I want to create a new formal verification project for my CPU design"
"Let's start a power analysis project for the GPU controller"
"Set up equivalence checking between RTL and gate-level netlist"
"Create a security verification project for my AES encryption module"

Verification Queries

"Check if my RISC-V core meets all safety properties"
"Verify that the optimized design is functionally equivalent to the original"
"Analyze power consumption during different operating modes"
"Find security vulnerabilities in my crypto module"
"Run formal verification with 20 cycle depth"

File Operation Queries

"Upload my Verilog files for the memory controller"
"Add the SystemVerilog testbench to the project"
"Import SDC timing constraints"
"Load all RTL files from the design directory"

"Show me all my verification projects"
"Go to the documentation"
"What's the status of my current verification?"
"Navigate to project settings"

Complex Workflow Queries

"I need to verify my AES encryption module meets FIPS standards"
"Compare power consumption before and after optimization"
"Set up a complete verification flow for my SoC design"
"Help me debug failing assertions in my formal verification"

Accessing Resources

// List all projects { "action": "read_resource", "uri": "arcas://projects" } // Check platform status { "action": "read_resource", "uri": "arcas://platform-status" } // Get documentation { "action": "read_resource", "uri": "arcas://documentation" }

Advanced Usage

Workflow Automation

Create complex workflows by chaining tools:

// Complete verification workflow const workflow = [ { tool: "arcas_onlineeda_project", args: { action: "create", projectType: "formal", projectName: "soc_verification" } }, { tool: "arcas_onlineeda_upload_file", args: { filePath: "./rtl/soc_top.v", fileType: "verilog" } }, { tool: "arcas_onlineeda_upload_file", args: { filePath: "./constraints/timing.sdc", fileType: "constraints" } }, { tool: "arcas_onlineeda_run_verification", args: { verificationType: "formal", options: { depth: 30, timeout: 1200 } } } ];

Custom Verification Properties

Define specific properties for targeted verification:

{ "tool": "arcas_onlineeda_run_verification", "arguments": { "projectId": "proj_456", "verificationType": "formal", "options": { "properties": [ "assert property (@(posedge clk) req |-> ##[1:3] ack);", "assert property (@(posedge clk) !overflow);" ], "depth": 50 } } }

Architecture

The server implements a modular architecture:

arcas-onlineeda-mcp/ ├── src/ │ ├── index.ts # Main server entry point │ ├── tools/ # Tool implementations │ │ ├── base.ts # Abstract tool class │ │ ├── navigate.ts # Navigation tool │ │ ├── project.ts # Project management │ │ ├── upload-file.ts # File upload handling │ │ ├── run-verification.ts # Verification execution │ │ └── natural-language.ts # NLP interface │ ├── utils/ # Utility modules │ │ ├── browser.ts # Puppeteer browser management │ │ └── logger.ts # Winston logging │ └── types/ # TypeScript type definitions ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json └── README.md

Key Components

Browser Manager: Handles Puppeteer lifecycle, authentication, and page navigation
Tool Base Class: Provides consistent validation and error handling
Natural Language Processor: Extensive example matching and intent detection
Resource Provider: Serves platform data through MCP resources
Session Manager: Maintains login state and project context

Development

# Run in development mode with hot reload npm run dev # Run tests npm test # Run tests with coverage npm run test:coverage # Lint code npm run lint # Format code npm run format # Type check npm run typecheck # Build for production npm run build

Adding New Tools

Create a new tool class extending AbstractTool
Implement required methods: getName(), getDescription(), execute()
Add tool to the server's tool map
Update natural language examples

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Browser Connection

Error: Failed to launch browser

Solution: Install Chrome/Chromium or run npm run setup

Authentication Failures

Error: Login failed

Solutions:

Verify credentials in environment variables
Check if account is active on OnlineEDA
Try manual login with ONLINEEDA_HEADLESS=false

Element Not Found

Error: Waiting for selector failed

Solutions:

Platform UI may have changed
Check internet connectivity
Increase timeout values

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging:

LOG_LEVEL=debug npm run dev

View browser actions:

ONLINEEDA_HEADLESS=false npm run dev

Performance Tips

Reuse project sessions when possible
Batch file uploads for better performance
Use appropriate timeouts for long-running verifications
Enable caching for frequently accessed resources

Security Considerations

Credentials: Stored securely in environment variables
Browser Isolation: Runs in sandboxed Chromium instance
Audit Logging: All operations logged with timestamps
Session Management: Automatic logout on shutdown
Data Privacy: No data stored locally except logs

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please follow these steps:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

Write tests for new features
Update documentation
Follow TypeScript best practices
Add natural language examples for new capabilities
Ensure backward compatibility

Support

Issues: Report bugs via GitHub Issues
Documentation: Access via arcas://documentation
Examples: See natural language tool for extensive examples
Community: Join our Discord server

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

Arcas Microelectronics for the OnlineEDA platform
Model Context Protocol team for the MCP framework
Puppeteer team for browser automation tools