Frequently asked questions

BoardRepo is a workspace for sharing hardware projects and reviewing saved versions. Save project files, inspect a published version, and continue in KiCad or share it with your team. Bring files through upload, GitHub import, the KiCad plugin, or an assistant with the separately approved save permission where available. The project page keeps version history and source downloads together with the schematic, PCB, 3D, BOM and generated outputs that have successfully processed. Saving files does not establish that a circuit works or is ready to manufacture.

No. BoardRepo can store, version and share project files from other electronics design tools within its upload limits. KiCad and supported converted Altium projects can have rendered previews, extracted design data and comparison; availability depends on the files and successful processing. BoardRepo generates fabrication outputs for supported KiCad boards, never from converted Altium boards. Storing another format does not give it rendered previews, checks or visual comparison.

How to share an Altium project

KiCad 6 or newer has the most complete support: schematic, PCB, 3D, BOM, Gerbers, checks, and compare. Altium projects are supported, but BoardRepo converts them before drawing the board. Because that conversion is for viewing, keep the original and verify the result in Altium. Older KiCad, EAGLE, and other formats can be stored, versioned, and downloaded. Check the processed project for available views and checks; storing files alone does not establish preview support.

For most projects, upload a zip of the full project folder, including its libraries, 3D models, notes, and existing fabrication files. The upload form shows the current size limit. A public GitHub repo can be imported by URL; a private one needs the BoardRepo GitHub App and access to a repo you selected. Enable Keep up to date to import changes from that repository's default branch. Saving a changed design on BoardRepo does not automatically commit those design files back to GitHub.

README linking is separate from importing or saving a design. The GitHub App can add a View on BoardRepo link using the delivery option you approve. Where the reviewed linking flow is available, you inspect the exact README change and choose a direct commit, a pull request, or no link. A direct commit can change the default branch; BoardRepo does not force-push or bypass its rules. A README link does not grant access to a private board. Check the review screen and your board's source settings before approving.

BoardRepo and GitHub workflows

Depending on the project, BoardRepo can generate schematic and PCB previews, a 3D view, a BOM, Gerbers, and drill files. A project can have a valid schematic and a broken 3D model, so one failed stage does not erase everything else. Generated files are kept separate from the source you uploaded.

Public boards open without an account. Unlisted boards need the complete sharing link, and password-protected boards also need the password. Private boards require an authorized identity, except for a separately issued organization password link. Browser inspection needs no CAD installation, but previews depend on supported files and successful processing. Comparing versions requires sign-in and access to the board.

Open a PCB design without installing the CAD tool

Public boards can be discovered and opened by anyone. Unlisted boards are excluded from listings and carry noindex; the server requires the token-bearing sharing link to open the board and its files. Password adds a password to that link. Private uses the owner's identity or authorized organization access; organization sharing can also issue a password link. Unlisted and password links can be forwarded. Choose the access proof your audience needs; search-engine exclusion is a separate property.

Share a board privately

Yes. An organization is a shared workspace for a company or team. Its admins manage members, decide which boards each person can reach, and control how organization-owned boards are shared outside the team. Boards stay with the organization when a member leaves. Organizations are part of the Team plan with custom pricing and setup through contact. After setup, current membership and board permissions govern access; joining a team does not automatically grant access to every board.

Published versions record the retained project files and stay in the history. Changed files can arrive through upload, import, the KiCad plugin, or an approved personal assistant save. An unchanged plugin push or tracked GitHub import does not create another version. The main link shows the latest published version; select a historical version to inspect or download its files, or restore one as the latest. Publication and successful rendering are separate states.

Version control for PCB designs

Open Version history and choose two published versions with compatible, available comparison data. Compare highlights schematic and PCB differences with a change list. It needs a signed-in account and access to the board. Processing failures or unsupported formats can make comparison unavailable even when the source files are downloadable. A visual difference is evidence to inspect, not an electrical sign-off.

How to compare two PCB revisions

BoardRepo for KiCad pushes a board to BoardRepo and pulls it back from inside KiCad, so publishing a new version is one action instead of a zip. Download the available package from the KiCad page. PCB Editor support requires KiCad 9.0.1 or newer; Schematic Editor support requires KiCad 10. The download page shows available platforms and sign-in requirements.

Download BoardRepo for KiCad

KiCad Web is upcoming: KiCad running in the browser, integrated with BoardRepo's team workspace. Browser editing with versions and branches is the direction. Today, inspect saved designs in BoardRepo and continue editing in desktop KiCad, using a source download or the KiCad plugin.

The KiCad Web direction

GitHub provides Git history, branches, pull requests, issues and CI. BoardRepo provides a hardware workspace for saved project versions, available browser views and comparison, structured assistant context, and continuation through the KiCad plugin. These help engineers who already use KiCad as well as recipients who need a browser view. An installed GitHub App with Keep up to date enabled can import default-branch changes. Saving a design version on BoardRepo does not automatically commit the design files back to GitHub; approved README linking is a separate operation.

How BoardRepo compares to GitHub

Yes. Share the board URL; it carries a preview image for chat apps and social networks, and public boards are also served as markdown for assistants and crawlers. For an imported GitHub repo, the BoardRepo GitHub App can add a View on BoardRepo link using the delivery option you approve. Where offered, the reviewed flow lets you inspect the exact change and choose a direct commit or pull request. Linking a private board never grants readers access; they still need its existing access proof.

Review generated manufacturing files before ordering. Open the source in its EDA tool, check the stackup and plots, run DRC and ERC, and have a person review the result. BoardRepo does not generate manufacturing files from converted Altium designs; use the original Altium project and its reviewed fabrication outputs.

Check a board before you order it

BoardRepo Ask answers questions about one board by sending your question and the relevant board context to an AI service provider. Connect AI lets an outside assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor use BoardRepo's tools with the permissions you approve on its consent screen: public boards, your own boards, and separately approved organization access. Source saving requires separate explicit permission where offered; see the saving and team questions below for current capabilities. We may change providers over time.

Connect your AI

Connecting grants access; it does not start a design task. In Claude, enable BoardRepo for the current conversation under + > Connectors, then ask a specific question such as: Use BoardRepo to open rbaron/b-parasite and explain its available schematic and BOM, citing the board. Claude's Tool access setting determines when connectors load. If no tools appear, check the connector status and tool permissions. For your own design, first upload or import the project and approve access to your own boards. Saving also requires separate save permission and a client that can prepare and upload files.

Setup and first questions for each assistant

BoardRepo's terms do not grant model-training rights over your project. Ask sends the context needed for a particular answer to an AI service provider, and an outside assistant receives whatever its approved tools read. Those companies handle the data under their agreements with us or their own terms, depending on the feature. Public projects can also be read from the open web, subject to the license you put on them.

Only with the separately approved save permission, where offered. Reading permission never grants source writes. The current personal-save workflow can create personal boards and add versions to personal boards you own; it cannot change visibility or delete boards. The assistant also needs a client that can prepare and upload project files. Organization saving through MCP is planned and is not authorized by personal save consent. Live tools and permissions determine what your connection can do, and you can revoke it in Settings.

Use KiCad with Claude or ChatGPT

Yes. Approve organization access when connecting, or reconnect an existing connector to add it. The assistant can read board context and source, and run checks or reviews where your current board permissions allow those actions. Membership alone does not grant access to every board. We are extending MCP saving to organization boards using explicit consent and the same publishing permissions as the web workspace and KiCad plugin. That saving workflow is planned; use the web workspace or plugin for team saves today. Existing connections keep their approved permissions.

Connect AI: access and saving

BoardRepo keeps usage and diagnostic records so we can operate, secure, and troubleshoot connected assistants. Those records may include content returned from boards the connection was allowed to read, including private boards if you approved that access. Access credentials are not included in analytics.

Yes. Use personal Private boards, authorized organization access, or an unlisted or password link appropriate to your audience. BoardRepo's terms grant no model-training rights over your project. Ask and connected assistants disclose the context their approved access allows, under the relevant provider terms. Link recipients can forward a link or retain downloaded files. Review the access settings and assistant consent before sharing private work.

Yes. Published versions retain their accepted source files, downloadable as a zip alongside available generated outputs. Check the upload review and any file-exclusion policy: excluded files are not stored, and the downloaded archive need not be identical to the zip you submitted. Keep your own backups and verify the selected version before continuing locally.

The project disappears from the active service first. Residual copies may remain for a limited time in backups or where they are needed for security, legal, or recovery purposes. Deleting a project cannot erase a copy somebody downloaded while they had access.

Personal core features are free, including public and private repositories, browser viewing, version history, KiCad sync, and AI connections. Team organizations have custom pricing and setup through contact. Enterprise deployment and integration services are agreed separately.

Email security@boardrepo.com to report a vulnerability. For requests to copy, correct, export, or delete personal data, email privacy@boardrepo.com.