KiCad Plugin Installation Guide

The PCB Auto Router KiCad plugin allows you to perform automatic routing directly in KiCad. This guide will help you complete the installation process.

Requires KiCad 9.0 or higher.

How It Works

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flowchart LR
    subgraph EDA["KiCad"]
        P("PCB Auto Router plugin")
    end
    subgraph APP["PcbAutoRouter app"]
        R("GPU-accelerated autorouting")
    end
    P <-- "TCP loopback<br/>127.0.0.1" --> R
  • The plugin lives inside KiCad. It only hands the board to the main program and writes the routing result back to your PCB.
  • The main program runs on your computer and does the actual routing on your GPU. The plugin launches it automatically when you start routing.
  • That is why you need both: the plugin alone cannot route, and the main program alone means exporting and importing files by hand.

What if the versions don't match? You'll be prompted to update when the plugin and main program versions differ. It usually doesn't affect anything; just update both to the latest version when convenient.

Step 1: Install PcbAutoRouter Main Program

Windows Installation

  1. Visit the official website homepage and download the Windows version .exe installer.
  2. Double-click the downloaded .exe file.
  3. If the system shows "Windows protected your PC", click "More info" → "Run anyway".
  4. Follow the installation wizard to complete the installation (default path is recommended).
  5. PcbAutoRouter will start automatically after installation is complete.

Browser blocking the download? Click the "Downloads" icon in the top-right corner of the browser, then click "Keep" or "Allow" on the blocked file.

Linux Installation

Run the following commands in the terminal:

sudo dpkg -i pcbautorouter_*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f
sudo dpkg -i pcbautorouter_*.deb

Alternatively, you can double-click the .deb package in the file manager and install through the software center.

Step 2: Install Plugin in KiCad

  1. Open KiCad.
  2. Click Tools → Plugin and Content Manager.
  3. Add the PCB Auto Router plugin repository URL:
https://download.pcbautorouter.top/pcm/repository.json
  1. Return to the Plugin and Content Manager and refresh the repository list.
  2. Search for PCB Auto Router, then click install.
  3. Restart KiCad after installation is complete.

When installed via PCM, future plugin updates can also be installed from KiCad's Plugin and Content Manager.

Fallback: Manual Plugin Installation

  1. Visit the official website and download the KiCad plugin ZIP file.
  2. Open KiCad, click menu: Tools → Extension and Plugin Manager.
  3. In the opened window, select Install from File....
  4. Select the downloaded ZIP file and click "Open".
  5. Wait for installation to complete, then restart KiCad.

After installation, the PCB Auto Router shortcut icons will automatically appear in the toolbar.

Step 3: Verify Plugin Installation

  1. Restart KiCad.
  2. Open or create a new PCB project.
  3. You should see the PCB Auto Router shortcut icons in the KiCad PCB editor toolbar.
  4. There are four icons in the toolbar:
  5. First icon: Auto-set rules
  6. Second icon: Full board routing
  7. Third icon: Single net routing
  8. Fourth icon: Plugin settings

Once installed, see KiCad Autorouting to get started.

Get Help

  • Check the help documentation for the PcbAutoRouter main program.
  • Visit the official website forums or community for support.
  • Make sure both KiCad and PcbAutoRouter are updated to the latest version.