Copperhead – Cursor for circuit boards
Runs an eight-stage gated pipeline that turns a hardware brief into verified KiCad files.
Copperhead is an open-source CLI that takes a written brief and runs it through eight gated stages — spec, architecture, parts, schematic, layout, outputs, firmware, dev plan — where each stage has to leave a real, checked artifact on disk (BOM matched to datasheets, ERC/DRC-clean KiCad files) before the next one starts and before anything gets committed. The CLI itself is free and Apache-2.0 licensed, running on your own machine against your own git repo with your own Claude or GPT-5 key. Paid tiers ($49/user/month Cloud, plus $199/mo Team) add hosting, a web viewer, and CI/governance for teams on private repos.
What holds up
- +CLI is free forever, Apache-2.0 — the actual design work never requires a subscription
- +Every stage gates on a real check (ERC/DRC clean, BOM matched to datasheets) before it commits
- +Runs on your own KiCad files in your own git repo — plain markdown/JSON/KiCad, no lock-in
- +One public build (an ESP32-S3 Morse key) with every decision and file made public
Mind the limits
- −Cloud tier is $49/user/month just to avoid self-hosting, plus $199/mo more for Team features
- −Still needs your own Claude or GPT-5 API key on the free CLI — it's not bundled
- −Only one public reference build so far — the eight-stage pipeline is lightly proven
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