Run a PCB design review from a link

Published September 22, 2026 · Updated October 6, 2026

A board review usually starts with busywork. Export the schematic to PDF, plot the layers, zip the project, email it, then wait while the reviewer finds a machine with the right version of the CAD tool. Every round repeats it, and by the third round nobody is sure which zip a comment was about.

A review can start from a link instead. This is the routine we suggest on BoardRepo.

1. Publish the revision you want reviewed

Save the project through upload, GitHub import, the KiCad plugin, or an assistant with separately approved personal save permission where available. Confirm the version was published and the views needed for the review processed successfully. Include the required libraries and 3D models, and check which source files the upload retains.

For a team-owned board, save through the web workspace or KiCad plugin with publishing access. Organization assistant reads, checks and reviews follow separately approved access and the person's current board permissions; team saving through MCP is planned.

Choose Public, an Unlisted token-bearing link, Password, or Private with authorized access for the audience. Share a board privately explains the access proof each option needs, including organization board grants and password links.

2. Run the checks before you send it

Open the Checks tab and, when available for that board and your access, run DRC and ERC against the design's rules and the supported fab profile relevant to the order. Review the results and their version before sharing. Converted Altium views are not a basis for fabrication outputs; verify the original design in Altium.

Running a check needs a signed-in account; reading a result does not. A signed-out reviewer who finds an empty Checks tab has no way to fill it, which is why this step comes before the link goes out. Check a board before you order it covers what the checks catch and what they skip.

3. Send the link

Send a version-specific link: copy the complete Share link, then append the selected version's v parameter, preserving any access-token query. Share alone opens the latest version even if you are viewing history. The sharing guide gives the exact URL recipe. Public boards need no account; other sharing modes require their access proof. Available schematic, PCB, 3D and BOM views open in the browser, with retained source files downloadable for inspection in the EDA tool.

On a public board, signed-in readers can comment on the page. Select a part in the viewer and choose Comment to pin the comment to that part. The owner is notified of new comments, and a commenter is notified of replies. Comments are not shown on unlisted, password or private boards, so for those keep the discussion in the channel you already use and quote reference designators.

4. Compare the next round

After the fixes, publish a changed version and ask the reviewer to compare it with the exact baseline they last reviewed. Version history, then Compare versions, pairs published versions with compatible, available comparison data. The change list and drawings help inspect parts, routing, outline and stackup. Selecting a change highlights it. Comparing needs a signed-in account and board access; missing renders must not be treated as no changes.

The comparison has its own address, so you can send the reviewer straight to it. How to compare two PCB revisions explains which pairs can be compared and why some cannot.

5. Keep the history honest

If a change turns out to be wrong, restore the earlier version as the latest from the same Version history dialog. The restore is a new version, so the revision you backed out stays in the history and can still be compared. When the board is approved, the version number is what you give the fab and the assembler, and it is still there when someone asks which revision they built.