Coding agent · CLI (KiCad / hardware)

Copperhead

Copperhead is a CLI (KiCad / hardware) in the 2026 agents.dancingteeth catalog. Hardware teams that want a coding-agent-style CLI on real KiCad repos — brief→board with ERC/DRC gates and docs/BOM kept in sync.

Last updated

Verified

Best for

Hardware teams that want a coding-agent-style CLI on real KiCad repos — brief→board with ERC/DRC gates and docs/BOM kept in sync.

Skip if

You need software repo coding, Altium-first on the free tier, or you will not install KiCad + a model backend.

Who it fits

  • Hardware teams that want a coding-agent-style CLI on real KiCad repos — brief→board with ERC/DRC gates and docs/BOM kept in sync.
  • Terminal-first engineers who live in the shell and git
  • Builders who start in the browser without a local IDE setup
Experimental

Pros

Open-core "Cursor for circuit boards" — AI agent that edits real KiCad `.kicad_sch` / `.kicad_pcb` s-expressions, propagates changes across SPEC/BOM/docs, and verifies with `kicad-cli` ERC/DRC until clean; `copperhead create` runs an eight-stage gated pipeline from a brief; `copperhead do` iterates on existing repos; free CLI forever with BYOK / Codex / Cursor Agent / Claude Code logins; Cloud $49/user/mo (free for open-hardware repos; 200 managed credits/seat); Team adds platform fee on top of per-seat Cloud.

Cons

Hardware/EDA niche — not a software coding harness; early product (Phase 1 / pre-1.0 surface may move); needs Node 20+, KiCad ≥8 with `kicad-cli`, and a model backend; free CLI is KiCad-centric (Altium called out on Enterprise); catalog has not hands-on verified board spins.

Facts

Locality:
Local-first
Surfaces:
CLI, Web
Maturity:
Experimental
BYOK:
Bring your own API key
Free tier:
Free option available
Verified:
Oct 2026

Agent standards & memory

AGENTS.md: Supported (agent-install prompt + AGENTS-oriented workflow)SKILL.md: N/ARules / memory: Markdown design memory (SPEC, BOM, DECISIONS, CHANGELOG, etc.); KiCad schematic/PCB as source of truth; git commits per stage; refuses dirty trees and unvalidated proposals.CLI free forever (Apache-2.0, BYOK); Cloud $49/user/mo (free for open-hardware repos; 200 managed credits/seat); Team $49/user/mo + $199/mo platform; Enterprise custom annual.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Copperhead?

Copperhead is a CLI (KiCad / hardware) covered in the agents.dancingteeth 2026 catalog. Open-core "Cursor for circuit boards" — AI agent that edits real KiCad `.

Who is Copperhead best for?

Hardware teams that want a coding-agent-style CLI on real KiCad repos — brief→board with ERC/DRC gates and docs/BOM kept in sync.

When should I skip Copperhead?

You need software repo coding, Altium-first on the free tier, or you will not install KiCad + a model backend.

What are the main trade-offs of Copperhead?

Pros: Open-core "Cursor for circuit boards" — AI agent that edits real KiCad `. Cons: Hardware/EDA niche — not a software coding harness; early product (Phase 1 / pre-1.

Does Copperhead support AGENTS.md, SKILL.md, or MCP?

This card lists AGENTS.md as Supported (agent-install prompt + AGENTS-oriented workflow), SKILL.md as N/A, and rules/memory as Markdown design memory (SPEC, BOM, DECISIONS, CHANGELOG, etc.); KiCad schematic/PCB as source of truth; git commits per stage; refuses dirty trees and unvalidated proposals.. Free options: CLI free forever (Apache-2.0, BYOK); Cloud $49/user/mo (free for open-hardware repos; 200 managed credits/seat); Team $49/user/mo + $199/mo platform; Enterprise custom annual..

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