PCBA Design Skills

Eight skills for Codex and Claude Code take an electronics project from schematic to a board order, checking each stage.

  • 53 ★ on the repository
  • Last commit
  • MIT
Skill

Extended access

Why this level

  • The JLCPCB skill works in a browser with your account: cart and address are reachable, while payment needs separate confirmation.
  • The skills read project files, write reports and record state in `program-state.json`.
All reasons and checks

keitark/pcba-design-skills

Install

In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI

npx skillfoxx add skills/pcba-design-skills

Detects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.

Other ways to install

Access and checks

How we review

Extended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.

  • The JLCPCB skill works in a browser with your account: cart and address are reachable, while payment needs separate confirmation.
  • The skills read project files, write reports and record state in `program-state.json`.

This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.

What it does

The set turns an idea, circuit description, netlist, PCB, BOM or manufacturing package into a chain of reviewable artifacts. The manager `manage-pcba-program` runs the project and records stages in `program-state.json`, while the other skills take individual jobs: `plan-electronic-product`, `qualify-pcba-sourcing`, `design-and-review-circuit`, `schematic-humanizer`, `pcb-layout-review`, `release-pcba-fabrication` and `operate-jlcpcb-order`. Each stage has rules for when its result goes stale. A clean drawing is not taken for a correct circuit, nor a successful JLCPCB upload for correct placement. Design, placement, final price and payment approvals are kept separate, and one never implies another.

Who it is for. Electronics engineers and makers who take a board to order and want step-by-step checks instead of a single pass.

Good fit when

  • You need to run a whole project, and `manage-pcba-program` stops at every unresolved gate.
  • A schematic is drawn tightly and `schematic-humanizer` lays it out across sheets with visible buses and compares connectivity before and after.
  • Before releasing a board you check placement, routing, power planes and DRC.
  • An order needs a BOM, CPL and a frozen manufacturing package with hash checks.
  • You need a JLCPCB quote with a stop right before order submission.

Not a fit when

  • You only want schematic generation without review: the skills build reviews rather than draw the project for you.
  • An installed skill expects your own EDA tool and KiCad, Altium or EasyEDA is not on the machine.
  • You want an order placed without manual confirmation of price, address and payment.

Example request

Use $manage-pcba-program to inspect the schematic and BOM in this folder, create the project state and stop at every unresolved gate.

Limitations

Installing the skills does not install KiCad, Altium, EasyEDA or other native EDA programs, which the task needs separately. Each skill installs as a folder with `SKILL.md`, and the repository root cannot be installed as one skill. For real projects pinning release `v1.0.0` is recommended. The JLCPCB skill works through a browser: upload, quote and cart are covered, while payment and address confirmation stay with a person. The last commit was in September 2026.

How to disable. Delete the skill folders from the Codex (`~/.codex/skills`) or Claude Code skills directory. Project files such as `program-state.json` remain; delete them by hand.

FAQ

How do I install a single skill?

Ask Codex: "Use $skill-installer to install schematic-humanizer from Keitark/pcba-design-skills at .agents/skills/schematic-humanizer, pinned to v1.0.0". Claude Code commands are in `docs/installation.md`.

Which eight skills are included?

`manage-pcba-program`, `plan-electronic-product`, `qualify-pcba-sourcing`, `design-and-review-circuit`, `schematic-humanizer`, `pcb-layout-review`, `release-pcba-fabrication`, `operate-jlcpcb-order`.

Does the skill order the board itself?

No. `operate-jlcpcb-order` prepares the quote and cart, but approvals for parts, placement, price with address and payment are separate and need your decision.

How do I run the whole workflow?

In Codex write `Use $manage-pcba-program ...`, in Claude Code call `/manage-pcba-program`. The manager picks the specialists and stops at unresolved gates.

What does a human-readable schematic mean?

`schematic-humanizer` splits a schematic into functional sheets with visible wires and buses and compares connectivity before and after in `schematic-connectivity-v1`.

Discussion

No questions or reviews yet.

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README in short

The repository holds eight independent skills and a manager for electronics projects. Review rules rest on evidence and how long it stays valid.

README badge

Original SKILL.md

---
name: manage-pcba-program
description: Coordinate an evidence-gated electronic product and PCBA workflow from an idea, circuit description, schematic, netlist, PCB, BOM, or fabrication package through a reviewed order. Use for end-to-end requests, multi-stage hardware projects, workflow recovery, gate tracking, change invalidation, or deciding which specialist skill is required next.
---

# PCBA Program Manager

Coordinate specialists; do not replace them. Default shared artifacts to
`.pcba-workflow/` and use only `PASS`, `BLOCKED`, or `USER_REVIEW` for gate
status.

## Start

1. Read repository instructions and inventory available descriptions, native
   EDA sources, generators, netlists, renders, PCB files, BOM/CPL files,
   manufacturing packages, test evidence, and approvals.
2. Read [references/stage-gates.md](references/stage-gates.md).
3. Identify which specialist skills are installed. If a required specialist is
   absent, report its exact name and stop that stage; never improvise its
   approval.
4. Initialize or validate `.pcba-workflow/program-state.json` with
   `scripts/program_state.py`.
5. When the user requests a timelapse, tutorial, case study, or recorded demo,
   read [references/recorded-workflow.md](references/recorded-workflow.md) and
   initialize the hash-chained event log before the first design action.

## Route the work

- Description or incomplete requirements: `$plan-electronic-product`.
- BOM, MPN, stock, package, CAD, lifecycle, or substitution: `$qualify-pcba-sourcing`.
- Electrical architecture, ratings, power, reset, timing, safe state, or circuit
  correctness: `$design-and-review-circuit`.
- Label-heavy, visually floating, overlapping, or netlist-like schematic:
  `$schematic-humanizer` after capturing a connectivity baseline.
- Placement, routing, layers, planes, DRC, SI/PI, RF, or DFM:
  `$pcb-layout-review`.
- Gerber, drill, BOM, CPL, render, and revision-consistent release:
  `$release-pcba-fabrication`.
- Live JLCPCB quote, matching, preview, price, cart, or order:
  `$operate-jlcpcb-order`.

Run the humanizer early when presentation blocks review, but never use its
readability result as circuit approval. Require sourcing and circuit gates
before placement freeze.

## Manage evidence and change

- Record every artifact path, revision, SHA-256, gate status, unresolved risk,
  and approval evidence in program state.
- Invalidate downstream gates after controlled data changes. Use

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