mcp-pcb-emcopilot

AI-powered PCB design review — EMC, signal integrity, power integrity, thermal, and DFM in one MCP server. Catch return-path breaks, decoupling gaps, and DDR/PCIe topology errors before fabrication, from your terminal or AI agent.

Quick start · Tools · Workflows · Documentation

What is mcp-pcb-emcopilot?

mcp-pcb-emcopilot is a Model Context Protocol server that provides 93 tools for AI-assisted PCB design review. It parses layouts from KiCad / ODB++ / Gerber / IPC-2581 / Altium / STEP, runs physics-based analyzers across eight engineering domains, and emits annotated DOCX reports with embedded board renders and per-finding severity.

Drive it from any MCP client. The orchestrator (pcb_run_design_review) walks parsers → classifiers → analyzers → reports in one call; each underlying step is also a standalone tool an agent can call directly when you want to debug one net or revalidate one DDR byte-lane.

What mcp-pcb-emcopilot does well:

• 🤖 AI-native via MCP. First-class Model Context Protocol server with 93 tools across parsing, calculation, analysis, and reporting. Any Claude / LLM agent can drive a full design review.

• 🧱 Multi-format layout parsing. KiCad .kicad_pcb, ODB++, Gerber RS-274X, IPC-2581, Altium .PcbDoc, 3D STEP — same downstream analyzers regardless of source.

• 📐 IPC-grounded impedance. Microstrip / stripline / differential / CPWG via IPC-2141 (Hammerstad-Jensen, Cohn, coupled-line). Plus IPC-2221 trace-width / current capacity.

• 🛰️ EMC + SI in one pass. Return-path analysis, decoupling effectiveness, current-loop radiation, FCC / CISPR / IEC compliance prediction, DDR / PCIe / USB topology validation.

• 📑 Audit-grade reports. DOCX + HTML with embedded board renders, net highlights, annotated findings, executive summary, and Go/No-Go recommendation.

• 🔒 AGPL-3.0-or-later.

Related MCP server: mcp-server-kicad

Quick start

Install

git clone https://github.com/RFingAdam/mcp-pcb-emcopilot.git
cd mcp-pcb-emcopilot
uv pip install -e .

Optional extras (PNG export, DOCX reports, enhanced PDF parsing):

pip install cairosvg python-docx pymupdf

Wire it into your MCP client

Claude Code:

claude mcp add pcb-emcopilot -- uv run --directory /path/to/mcp-pcb-emcopilot mcp-pcb-emcopilot

Codex CLI:

codex mcp add pcb-emcopilot -- uv run --directory /path/to/mcp-pcb-emcopilot mcp-pcb-emcopilot

Raw config (Claude Desktop):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcb-emcopilot": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/mcp-pcb-emcopilot", "mcp-pcb-emcopilot"]
    }
  }
}

Then ask your assistant:

"Parse design.kicad_pcb, run a comprehensive design review, and generate a DOCX report with annotated findings."

The agent walks pcb_parse_layout → pcb_classify_design → pcb_run_design_review → pcb_generate_docx_report and hands you a fabrication-grade document.

Tools

93 tools across 14 categories. Full table is below — full reference with arguments in docs/tools.md.

Parsers & data extraction (15)

Impedance calculators (7)

pcb_calc_microstrip_impedance, pcb_calc_stripline_impedance, pcb_calc_differential_impedance, pcb_calc_cpw_impedance, pcb_calc_trace_width, pcb_calc_via_stitching, pcb_calc_pdn_impedance.

Signal integrity (14)

pcb_analyze_timing, pcb_analyze_crosstalk, pcb_analyze_via, pcb_analyze_differential_pair, pcb_analyze_length_matching, pcb_analyze_mode_conversion, pcb_analyze_return_paths, pcb_analyze_return_current, pcb_analyze_return_current_density, pcb_calc_insertion_loss, pcb_calc_return_loss, pcb_calc_skin_effect, pcb_calc_dielectric_loss, pcb_calc_eye_diagram.

EMC / EMI analysis (14)

pcb_analyze_current_loop, pcb_analyze_clock_emi, pcb_analyze_smps_emi, pcb_analyze_emi_risk, pcb_analyze_shielding, pcb_analyze_grounding, pcb_analyze_ground_stitch, pcb_analyze_common_mode, pcb_analyze_cable_coupling, pcb_analyze_slot_antenna, pcb_analyze_trace_antenna, pcb_estimate_bandwidth, pcb_predict_emissions, pcb_predict_compliance.

Power integrity (5)

pcb_analyze_pdn, pcb_analyze_decoupling, pcb_analyze_vrm, pcb_analyze_copper_spreading, pcb_calc_plane_resonance.

High-speed digital (8)

pcb_analyze_ddr, pcb_analyze_ddr_timing_budget, pcb_validate_ddr_topology, pcb_analyze_usb, pcb_analyze_ethernet, pcb_analyze_pcie, pcb_validate_pcie_lanes, pcb_calc_pcie_link_budget.

Thermal (2), DFM / manufacturing (4), ESD (1)

pcb_analyze_thermal, pcb_analyze_thermal_via, pcb_analyze_placement, pcb_analyze_assembly, pcb_analyze_solder_paste, pcb_analyze_tolerance, pcb_analyze_esd.

Classification & detection (4)

pcb_classify_design, pcb_classify_nets, pcb_detect_interfaces, pcb_cross_reference_schematic.

Visualization (5)

pcb_render_board, pcb_render_net, pcb_render_stackup, pcb_annotate_board, pcb_get_emi_hotspots.

Export & reporting (7)

pcb_export_render_png, pcb_export_all_renders, pcb_generate_report, pcb_generate_docx_report, pcb_get_schematic_page, pcb_set_review_context, pcb_run_design_review (orchestrated full review).

3D & enclosure (3), utility (4)

pcb_get_3d_clearances, pcb_check_enclosure_fit, pcb_find_split_crossings, pcb_get_stackup_templates, pcb_get_material_properties, pcb_trace_return_path, pcb_optimize_ground_stitching.

Full per-tool argument reference in docs/tools.md.

What it solves

Material database

Built-in dielectric properties: FR4 (standard + high-Tg), Rogers RO4003C / RO4350B, Isola I-Speed / I-Tera, Panasonic Megtron 6, polyimide (flex). Query via pcb_get_material_properties.

Supported formats

Workflows

mcp-pcb-emcopilot fits in the following eng-mcp-suite workflow bundles:

• pcb-review — full layout intake, EMC + SI + PI + thermal + DFM analysis, audit-grade DOCX report.

• coexistence-review — multi-radio band selection (mcp-ltspice-qucs / mcp-emc-regulations) followed by layout-level shielding + return-path check (this server).

See the suite manifest for the full list of sibling MCPs and bundle definitions.

Documentation

• 📘 Quick Start — install through first call.

• 🛠️ Tool reference — every MCP tool, every argument.

• 📐 Usage examples — practical end-to-end walkthroughs.

• 🏗️ Architecture — how this MCP fits in eng-mcp-suite.

Common design targets

Part of eng-mcp-suite

This MCP server is part of

An open umbrella for engineering MCP servers across RF, EMC, PCB, signal integrity, EM simulation, and lab test. Same brand, same docs structure, designed to compose. See the full catalog or jump to a sibling:

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the contributor guide.

uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
uv run pytest -q

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later. Relicensed from Apache-2.0 in v0.3.0 to ensure modifications shared back when this MCP is wrapped in a network- accessible service. See the eng-mcp-suite LICENSE_SUMMARY for the toolkit-wide rationale.

Acknowledgments

• The KiCad project, ODB++, IPC — the open layout standards this server parses.

• IPC-2141A — controlled-impedance reference behind the trace calculators.

• The MCP working group — for the Model Context Protocol specification.

Part of eng-mcp-suite — built for PCB designers, EMC labs, and AI agents.