fabrication-output

name	fabrication-output
description	KiCad MCP manufacturing release workflow for Gerbers, drill files, BOM, pick-and-place, DFM, release evidence, and final human review.

Fabrication Output Skill

Use this skill when an AI agent is asked to prepare, validate, or package KiCad manufacturing outputs through KiCad MCP Pro.

This skill is specific to oaslananka/kicad-mcp-pro and should be kept synchronized with docs/tools-reference.generated.md.

When to use

Use this skill for:

• Gerber and drill export
• BOM and pick-and-place export
• STEP/3D/PDF fabrication documentation
• DFM review
• Manufacturing quality gate review
• Release evidence and manifest generation
• Final manufacturing handoff preparation

Do not use this skill before ERC/DRC/DFM status is known.

Required context

Collect:

• Active KiCad project path
• Target manufacturer or generic fabrication constraints
• Board stackup and layer count
• Assembly requirement: PCB only, SMT assembly, through-hole, mixed assembly, or prototype
• Required output directory
• Whether variants/DNP/population options apply
• Human approval status for unresolved violations and waivers

Primary MCP tools

Pre-release gates

• kicad_get_project_info
• project_quality_gate
• project_quality_gate_report
• project_professional_release_gate
• project_release_readiness
• project_signoff_report
• run_erc
• run_drc
• check_design_for_manufacture
• manufacturing_quality_gate

Manufacturing and DFM tools

• dfm_load_manufacturer_profile
• dfm_run_manufacturer_check
• dfm_calculate_manufacturing_cost
• mfg_generate_test_plan
• mfg_create_release_evidence
• mfg_generate_release_manifest
• mfg_correct_cpl_rotations
• pcb_check_creepage_clearance
• pcb_check_test_coverage

Export tools

• export_manufacturing_package
• export_gerber
• export_drill
• export_bom
• export_pick_and_place
• export_netlist
• export_pcb_pdf
• export_sch_pdf
• export_step
• export_3d_render
• export_ipc2581
• export_odb
• export_ipc_d356
• jobset_list_templates
• jobset_validate
• jobset_export
• variant_export_manufacturing_package

Workflow

1. Confirm active project with kicad_get_project_info.
2. Run or retrieve project validation state using project_quality_gate or project_quality_gate_report.
3. Run run_erc and run_drc unless the user provides recent validated evidence.
4. Run DFM/manufacturing checks using check_design_for_manufacture and manufacturing_quality_gate.
5. If a manufacturer is specified, load and run the relevant DFM profile with dfm_load_manufacturer_profile and dfm_run_manufacturer_check.
6. Block release if there are unresolved critical ERC, DRC, DFM, stackup, or manufacturing-gate failures.
7. Export required artifacts with the smallest complete export set for the user's target.
8. Prefer export_manufacturing_package when a gated package is requested and supported.
9. Generate evidence and manifests with mfg_create_release_evidence and mfg_generate_release_manifest when available.
10. Report exact artifact types, output paths, gate results, known waivers, and human-review requirements.

Minimum artifact set

For a typical PCB fabrication handoff:

• Gerber files from export_gerber
• Drill files from export_drill
• Board PDF or fabrication drawing from export_pcb_pdf
• Schematic PDF from export_sch_pdf
• BOM from export_bom
• Pick-and-place file from export_pick_and_place when assembly is required
• STEP model from export_step when mechanical review is required
• Release evidence/manifest when a formal release package is requested

Quality checks

A manufacturing package response must include:

• ERC status
• DRC status
• DFM/manufacturing gate status
• Exported artifact list
• Output location
• Missing artifacts, if any
• Waivers and exclusions
• Human-review checklist

Failure modes

Stop and report clearly when:

• ERC/DRC has unresolved critical failures
• DFM constraints are missing for a manufacturer-specific release
• Export tools fail or output paths are not writable
• BOM or pick-and-place data is incomplete
• Variants/DNP requirements are ambiguous
• The user asks to fabricate without validation evidence

Output format

Return:

• Release target
• Gate status
• Artifact inventory
• Waivers/exclusions
• Blockers
• Human-review checklist
• Final verdict: blocked, draft package, or candidate package after human review

Safety rule

Never represent generated fabrication files as production-approved. Use candidate package after human review unless a qualified human explicitly approves the release outside the agent workflow.