Prototype · Design automation

Tracgen

Describe the board, approve the schematic, and get manufacturing files.

Hardware teams who spend more time on routine boards than on the interesting ones.

Run · g1-esp32-env-sensorsucceeded

I need a battery-powered WiFi environmental sensor board. ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2 module, BME280 over I2C, a 1S 500 mAh LiPo charged over USB-C, 3.3 V from an LDO, one LED and one button, 4× M2 holes. No bigger than 50 × 40 mm, 2 layers. Build quantity 100, everything in stock at Digi-Key or Mouser, unit BOM under $18.

00 Ingest ingest

Reads the prompt and any spec documents you uploaded.
01 Formalize formalizeQuick confirm

Turns the brief into a BoardSpec: env-sensor-rev-a, 2 layers, 50 × 40 mm at most, M2 holes. It can ask up to five questions.

Q1. Should the I2C bus also be exposed on an expansion connector (e.g. Qwiic/JST-SH)?

Suggested: “No - onboard sensor only for rev A.”
02 Architecture architecture

Splits the board into blocks: blk_usb, blk_charger, blk_battery, blk_power_reg, blk_mcu, blk_sensor, blk_led_ui. Rails go VBUS 5 V → VSYS 4.2 V → 3V3.
03 Component search component_search

Finds parts through Nexar, Digi-Key and Mouser, and drops anything without 5× the build quantity in stock: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2, BME280, MCP73831T-2ACI/OT, AP2112K-3.3TRG1, TYPE-C-31-M-12.
04 Circuit synthesis circuit_synthesis

Works out the supporting parts for each block, like the 5.1k pull-downs on CC1 and CC2.
05 Schematic schematic

Writes the KiCad schematic and runs kicad-cli sch erc --format json.
06 Schematic review schematic_reviewRequired review

Your review, with the BOM priced live, an explanation for each block, and risk flags like Low stock or Single source.

Comment

Request changes needs at least one comment. After approval, Tracgen carries on by itself. No further input is needed unless verification finds a critical issue.
07 Board setup board_setup

Footprints, board outline, stackup and netlist sync.
08 Placement placement

A hints agent suggests where parts go, then a deterministic annealer places them.
09 Routing routing

Writes a Specctra DSN and runs freerouting on it (-de board.dsn -do board.ses), then rips up and re-routes any nets that fail DRC.
10 Verification verification

kicad-cli pcb drc has to come back with zero errors. Then netlist equivalence, rail continuity, and an AI design review.
11 Outputs outputs

Gerbers, Excellon drill, BOM, pick-and-place, PDFs and renders, zipped as <project>-rev<r>-fab.zip.

All twelve stages, two clicks from you.

A walk-through of Tracgen’s pipeline on its G1 test brief (shortened here). The stage names, questions, parts and commands come from Tracgen’s repository. Nothing runs, and Tracgen is a prototype you can’t use yet.

What it does

Describe a circuit board and get back one you can manufacture.

It runs on its own from start to finish, with two places it stops for a person: a quick confirmation of the board spec near the start, and a required review of the schematic. After you approve the schematic, footprints, board setup, placement, routing, DRC and outputs all happen automatically. Everything it produces is a native KiCad file checked with kicad-cli, so you can open and edit the design in KiCad like any other project.

01
Schematic, layout, routing, DRC and manufacturing package, all automated
02
Native KiCad files throughout, checked with kicad-cli and routed with freerouting
03
Live part sourcing and pricing through Nexar, Digi-Key and Mouser
04
Two human checkpoints: confirm the spec, then approve the schematic

What you get back

A fab zip and a KiCad project.

The outputs stage writes everything a board house needs, plus the reports behind each decision. Anything it can’t produce gets skipped with a note in README.txt. BOM prices are the snapshot taken at schematic review, not a fresh quote.

<project>-rev<r>-fab.zip
├── gerbers/            # plus Excellon drill and drill map
├── bom.csv, bom.xlsx
├── pnp_top.csv, pnp_bottom.csv, cpl_jlc.csv
├── schematic.pdf
├── assembly_top.pdf, assembly_bottom.pdf
├── board_renders/top.png, bottom.png
├── kicad_project/      # .kicad_pro, schematic, routed .kicad_pcb
├── reports/            # erc, drc, placement, routing,
│                       # design_review, provenance (.json)
└── README.txt

Where it stands

A working prototype with rough edges.

The pipeline runs end to end, but it isn’t something you can use yet. freerouting needs Java 17 and a display, so headless hosts run it under xvfb-run. When it fails, the built-in fallback router finishes the job with poor traces. Only the first of the three test briefs has a fully mocked test path, and the routing report doesn’t record per-net lengths yet, so length-matched buses still need a manual check.

Specification

What it’s built with, and when.

Pulled from the repository each time this site is built.

State: Prototype
Discipline: Design automation
Shape: Developer tooling
Started: Jun 2026
Last change: Jun 2026
Commits: 22

Python
TypeScript
KiCad 10
Claude API
Nexar

Python 79%
TypeScript 21%

Related work

Built alongside Tracgen

Tracgen-CAD Tracgen for mechanical parts Stamp Puts 2D artwork onto 3D parts as actual geometry KiCad Libraries A shared KiCad library for in-house parts

Put Tracgen in your pipeline

Ask about hooking it up to the repositories and agents you already run.

Email dmoore@dwmmholdings.com How it works