autodesign

name	autodesign
description	Drive an autonomous spec-to-board PCB design with the eda-agent MCP server (Altium). Apply when the user asks to design a board/schematic from a requirement, wants an end-to-end autonomous design run, or mentions the design harness, design_next_action, design sessions, or spec-to-board. Requires the eda-agent MCP server connected to a running Altium Designer.

Autonomous PCB design (eda-agent)

Drive a full spec-to-board design by looping the server-side state machine. The server owns sequencing, gates, and durable state, so you never memorize the workflow — you call design_next_action, do what it says, log the result, and repeat. A weaker model produces a plainer board, never a broken pipeline, because the integrity lives server-side.

Before you start

• Confirm the eda-agent MCP server is connected and Altium is running (app_get_status). If not, tell the user how to start it; don't guess.
• Read design_get_discipline once — the hard rules and the DesignPlan schema. Or call design_autonomy_guide for the full protocol + the 13 stages with their tools and exit gates.

The loop

1. design_session_start(requirement) — opens the durable journal. Keep the returned session_id; every later call takes it.
2. If a project is open or will be modified, app_checkpoint("before autonomous run") so the whole run is revertible in one step.
3. Loop: design_next_action(session_id) and act on status:
   • proceed / retry — do the stage using its suggested_tools until the exit_gate is met, then design_session_log(event="stage_result", stage=<stage>, status="ok"). If you cannot finish without the user, log status="blocked" with a question and stop.
   • blocked — put open_question to the user; when answered, design_session_log(event="resolved", text=<answer>) and continue.
   • complete — the 13 stages are done; review outputs with the user.
4. Checkpoint again before each high-risk mutating stage: sch_to_pcb, routing, pours_tuning.
5. Long engine runs (routing a dense board) can exceed the tool timeout — start them with design_job_start and poll design_job_status / design_job_result.

Bounded retries: a stage that fails 3 times escalates to a human question automatically. Don't loop past it — surface it.

Resuming

A run survives context loss. In a fresh session, call design_session_resume(session_id) (or design_next_action) and pick up from recorded state — the journal, not the chat history, is the source of truth.

Hard constraints (non-negotiable)

• Datasheet-first: every device fact fetched and cited from the manufacturer datasheet; never fabricated. Use WebSearch/WebFetch.
• NDA isolation: never mine or reference other client designs.
• No third-party routing engines or account-gated APIs in the design loop — the in-house router is the only routing engine.
• Verify render-and-look, not by score alone; the visual rubric is the shipping bar.
• No unverifiable safety tables — ship only sourced/verified values.

Discovering tools

The surface is 350+ tools. Use tool_catalog(category=, maturity=, interaction=, query=) to find the right one without loading every schema; interaction="modal" and "partial" flag tools that need a human or leave work incomplete. Run a discovered tool by name with tool_invoke.