PCB design review checklist for AI outputs

Review the circuit before the artwork

Check the power tree, exact part variants, interface levels and operating modes. Verify programming, reset and boot requirements against the chosen devices. A readable layout can conceal a schematic-level omission that no amount of routing cleanup will fix.

Follow critical paths through the board

Inspect connector pin assignments, return paths, current loops, mechanical constraints and assembly orientation. Use DRC as supporting evidence while recognizing the requirements it does not encode. Cross-probe between schematic and PCB when the intended function is unclear.

Make findings actionable and bounded

Identify the reference, pin or net and explain the failure mechanism. Separate confirmed defects, questions and optional improvements. For an evaluation, include clean controls so a reviewer that flags every possible concern does not score well merely by producing a long list.

Practical checklist

1. Review the original requirements.
2. Check power and device variants.
3. Trace critical interfaces end to end.
4. Reconcile native files and exports.
5. Record evidence for each finding.

A concrete example

Ask an AI reviewer to inspect a board with one seeded interface error.

Evidence to accept

It identifies the affected nets and explains the violated requirement without inventing unrelated defects.

Evidence that is insufficient

It returns a generic checklist that never locates the actual error.

Common questions

Primary references and further reading

Use the matching device documentation and project configuration when applying this checklist. These references explain the underlying tools and evaluation approaches.

• KiCad schematic editor documentation
• KiCad PCB editor documentation