automating-orcad-capture-tcl

name	automating-orcad-capture-tcl
description	Use when the user mentions OrCAD, OrCAD Capture, Cadence SPB, .DSN, .OLB, design cache, schematic part placement, PlacePart, PlaceWire, PlacePort, NetAlias, footprint write-back, CIS, ODBC parts database, library recovery, inherited design, or any schematic-side TCL automation request. Covers Cadence SPB 23.1+. Does NOT cover PCB-side / Allegro, PSpice, Constraint Manager, or netlist export.
author	redstone39 <[e-mail]>

OrCAD Capture Toolkit — Skill Entry Point

AI agents: read this file and references/ai-usage.md.

When to Trigger This Skill

Load and use this skill whenever a user request falls into any of the following scenarios:

• Writing, modifying, or debugging any OrCAD Capture TCL script
• Mentions of .DSN / .OLB / design cache / Capture automation
• Placing parts / wires / ports, editing properties, or reading schematic structure with PlacePart / PlaceWire / PlacePort
• Recovering a part from an inherited design into a standalone library
• Probing whether the CIS Tcl surface is available, or deciding between Unified CIS / Legacy CapCIS
• Any TCL-related question on the Cadence SPB schematic side

Out-of-Scope (Do Not Force This Skill)

• PCB-side / Allegro-side TCL (routing, constraints, shapes, padstacks) — that is a separate API set
• PSpice simulation — simulation commands, profile configuration, waveform analysis
• Constraint Manager rule editing
• Netlist export to other formats (Allegro / Verilog / Spice / EDIF)
• Project Manager file-level operations — e.g., archive, tar/zip project
• OrCAD X / Cloud API specifics (some surfaces may differ)
• Skill / library-level schematic editing (inherits / sub-circuit hierarchy editing)
• Batch merging multiple parts into one .OLB (this toolkit's design cache recovery handles only a single part)

When these topics arise, inform the user that this toolkit does not cover them and suggest they look for dedicated PCB / PSpice / Constraint Manager resources.

Workflow for AI Agents

1. Read references/ai-usage.md — decision tree + output specification + composable idiom building blocks (primary entry point)
2. Read the relevant references/ module — verify viable APIs, known pitfalls, and version dependencies
3. Check references/anti-patterns.md — confirm the APIs you intend to use are not on the DO NOT list
4. Build on the §5 idiom blocks in ai-usage.md — do not generate from scratch; do not omit $lStatus / _Resolve / iterator-delete conventions
5. Assemble using the user's specific refdes / paths / package names, and return a single self-contained .tcl tailored to this request
6. Include execution steps: which .DSN to open → which page to navigate to → which snippet to paste into the Command Window → expected log signals

AI does not need to run TCL itself. OrCAD Capture must be open on the user's machine; the user pastes the AI-generated script into View > Command Window and executes it.

Three Content Modules

Module	Document	Contents
API Reference	references/api-reference.md	Verified / pending / infeasible API quick-reference; common pitfalls
CIS Probe	references/cis-probe.md	Logic specs for 17 probes + Tcl example patterns + 5-step flow
Design Cache Recovery	references/design-cache-recovery.md	G1/G2/G3 three-stage canonical TCL chain (inline code skeleton)

Cross-cutting documents (should be consulted for any task):

• references/ai-usage.md — AI decision tree, output specification, composable idiom building blocks (setup / iter / property / placepart / save / alias / composition example)
• references/anti-patterns.md — centralized DO NOT list