Show HN: Copperhead – Hardware as Fast as Software

Sep 08, 2026 08:26 PM - 1 day ago 1

the Open Telegraph key, pinch ESP32-S3, USB-C and the copper switch, rendered from its KiCad files.

Nothing commits without its gate.

You constitute the brief. copperhead runs 8 stages against it, each 1 its ain supplier run, each 1 committing only erstwhile its gross finds the activity connected disk. A tally that goes incorrect stops alternatively of drifting.

brief.md

what you want, written successful your ain words

01
spec
docs/SPEC.md
gatea budgets section, really filled in
02
architecture
docs/SUBSYSTEMS.md
gatereal reasoning nether each subsystem
03
parts
docs/BOM.md
gatepart numbers chosen against datasheets
04
schematic
design.kicad_sch
gatesymbols placed, docs agree, ERC clean
05
layout
design.kicad_pcb
gatefootprints connected the board, DRC clean
06
outputs
gerbers / drill / STEP
gategerbers really connected disk
07
firmware
firmware/ / pins.h
gatesources connected disk, pins from the pinout
08
dev plan
docs/DEVPLAN.md
gatea written bring-up and trial plan

out

a creation package

gerbers, firmware, docs. One perpetrate per stage.

Every hop is simply a gate: no existent activity connected disk, nary commit.
Copper border: verified by KiCad itself, ERC and DRC clean.

Read the agelong version, 1 shape astatine a time

copperhead is unfastened core. The CLI is free and ever will be, and it does the existent activity connected its own. You salary to big it, to activity arsenic a squad aliases to springiness an auditor what they inquire for.

CLI
Free
Apache-2.0, forever
Design connected your own, connected your ain machine.
Get started
Includes:
- The afloat agent: do, create, init, check, watch
- Bring your ain Claude aliases GPT-5 key
- Runs connected your KiCad files, successful your ain git repo
- Plain markdown, JSON and KiCad output. No lock-in.
- Runs locally, ne'er metered
- Community support
Most popular
Cloud
$49per personification / month
Free for unfastened hardware repos
Hosted runs connected backstage repos, pinch a web viewer.
Let's talk
Everything successful CLI, plus:
- Hosted runs, nary section setup, from anywhere
- Private repositories
- Web viewer: chat, unrecorded schematic and committee render, ERC/DRC status
- Run history and shareable cheque reports
- One-click gerber, DXF/STEP, render and BOM export
- BYO key, aliases managed conclusion pinch 200 credits a seat
Team
$49per personification / month
+ $199 / mo platform
Cloud, pinch governance and CI for a full team.
Let's talk
Everything successful Cloud, plus:
- CI bot: tally cheque arsenic a required PR position check
- Shared, versioned constraint libraries crossed the org
- SSO / SAML, domiciled management, cardinal billing
- Managed credits pooled crossed the team
- Shared tally history
Enterprise
Customannual
Self-hosted, built for procurement, 1 value a year.
Talk to sales
Everything successful Team, plus:
- Self-hosted aliases VPC, truthful creation information ne'er leaves your network
- Altium support beyond KiCad
- RBAC, information review, dedicated support and an SLA
- An audit way your compliance squad tin manus over
- Flat yearly license, nary per-run metering

Questions, earlier you inquire them.

What is copperhead?

An unfastened root AI supplier that designs, documents and verifies printed circuit boards. You picture a alteration aliases manus it a merchandise brief, and it edits your existent KiCad files, updates each archive that references them, and runs KiCad's ain checks until they pass. Longer preamble here.

What problem does it really solve?

Drift. A hardware creation spreads 1 determination crossed a schematic, a measure of materials, a powerfulness fund and respective documents, and thing breaks erstwhile they autumn retired of sync. The inconsistency is recovered astatine bring-up, and a respin costs 5,000 to 50,000 dollars and six to 8 weeks. The afloat statement is here.

What do I request installed?

Node 20 aliases newer, KiCad pinch kicad-cli connected your way and a exemplary API cardinal of your own. Then npm one -g copperhead.

Does it activity connected a creation that already exists?

That is the main case. Point it astatine a KiCad repository, tally copperhead init and commencement asking for changes. It tin besides tally the afloat pipeline from a written little pinch copperhead create, but iterating connected existent designs is what it is champion at.

What will it garbage to do?

It refuses to tally connected a soiled git tree, refuses to edit immoderate creation record earlier a validated alteration connection exists and refuses changes that break a fund aliases constraint you person documented, citing the statement it would violate. It besides ne'er invents a portion number it cannot warrant from a datasheet.

Will it rewrite my full schematic?

No. Edits are surgical changes to the KiCad s-expression source, truthful your diffs enactment mini and reviewable and untouched parts of the record enactment byte-identical. A instrumentality that regenerates the record to move 1 nett has made its ain activity intolerable to review.

9 much questions

Never vessel a committee your docs nary longer describe.

copperhead is unfastened root and free to use. Install once, picture the committee you want successful a short brief.md and tally create.

npm one -g copperhead export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=<api-key> copperhead create --brief brief.md

brief.md# Pocket Bluetooth speaker A palm-size Bluetooth speaker that plays for a time connected 1 charge. - ESP32, Bluetooth audio (A2DP sink) - 3 W class-D amp into a 4 Ω driver - Li-Po cell, USB-C charging - Standby existent budget: 100 µA