Project Structure
A Trace project keeps its configuration, designs and dependencies together:
.kicad_pro: project configuration..trace_schand.trace_pcb: native schematic and board files..trace_sch.xoand.trace_pcb.xo: paired drawing and placement data.- Child-sheet directories,
.kicad_symlibraries,.pretty/footprint libraries and local assets: include these when the design depends on them. .kicad_schand.kicad_pcb: KiCad import/export formats..trace/context.md: project design notebook, shared when included in a Workspaces publication..trace/rules.md: personal project preferences, not shared by native Workspaces..trace/firmware/: reviewed firmware handoff notes where that workflow is used; eligible for deliberate Workspaces publication..history/: local incremental history when enabled.
Native files and KiCad compatibility
Current Trace desktop reads and writes native .trace_sch / .trace_pcb files
and their .xo sidecars directly. These are project data, not disposable
intermediates. The sidecars can contain authored drawing and placement details.
Keep each design/sidecar pair when moving, backing up or reviewing the project.
Import/conversion support depends on format and version. Opening locally and adding a Workspaces copy are separate tasks; see Opening existing projects.
Local Version History
With incremental backup enabled, native local history stores successful
snapshots in .history/. It can work offline. Snapshot failure, disabled
history, missing files or cleanup can leave gaps; not every edit is guaranteed
recoverable. Keep the history directory if you need those snapshots.
AI-edit rollback, editor Undo and Workspaces publication history are different. See Version History & Rollback.
Backups
Review the backup format and retention configured in your desktop. Incremental snapshots, project archives and save-time backup files are not interchangeable, and their existence does not prove a complete current copy. Verify that a backup contains native files, paired drawings and required dependencies before relying on it.
Cloud conversation versions and Workspaces revisions cover their own saved content. They are not a promise that every local file, private note or unsaved buffer has been backed up.
Creating Projects
Use the desktop's New Project action, choose a location and name, then check the created project in the tree. Full interface builds may expose it under File. Choose a local or offered cloud workflow deliberately; do not assume a new local project was published.
Project Settings
Project settings and editor controls manage netclasses, text variables, stackup and design rules. An outline or component placement is authored design content, not merely a preference. Natural-language TraceRules do not replace machine-checked rules.
Syncing
Workspaces distinguishes On this device, Personal Cloud (only you) and Team. Adding a saved project prepares a separate cloud copy, without deleting the original or silently sharing its earlier private conversations/history.
Save writes local files; Commit records local Workspaces history; Push publishes; Pull retrieves the checked-out branch's published changes. Browsing another project does not switch the editor's open working copy.
Design data and confidentiality
Local opening is not Workspaces publication. It also does not mean all later features are offline. Hosted AI can receive selected design context, rules, tool results and attachments. Basic routing and advanced layout process the submitted board; Artifacts and Workspaces upload the selected content.
Personal Cloud means account-scoped cloud storage, not offline-only storage.
Personal rules are excluded from native Workspaces sharing but can still be
sent as hosted AI context. Shared .trace/context.md should contain only
requirements and notes appropriate for the project's audience.
Review the current service privacy policy and your organization's requirements before using online features with confidential designs. Do not put credentials in rules, notebooks, attachments or design files.