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Documentation / Projects and Collaboration

Opening Existing Projects

Open a saved design locally, inspect its files, and choose whether to add a cloud copy.

Opening KiCad Projects

  1. Keep a backup of the original project and its dependencies.
  2. Use the desktop's Open Project action and select the saved .kicad_pro. In a Full interface this may be under File.
  3. Open the schematic and PCB, if present. Check hierarchical sheets, symbols, footprints and library links.
  4. Review conversion or missing-file findings before saving changes.

Opening a local project is not an Add to Workspaces. Current native Trace designs use .trace_sch / .trace_pcb with paired .xo drawings and placement data. Keep them together; do not rename them to KiCad extensions or delete them as temporary files. See Projects.

Add to Workspaces

To create a cloud copy, save intended editor changes and follow Add a saved project. Review the source, destination, included files and .traceignore exclusions.

Preparation and required conversion use separate copies, preserving the source. Missing required dependencies block addition; a legitimate schematic-only project does not need an invented PCB.

Project added and local Open project are separate outcomes. If opening fails, retry that same cloud project's Open, not another Add. If publication is unknown, continue the original operation rather than create a duplicate.

See Workspaces for availability. Advanced installed-GUI Add/Open/Pull acceptance remains pending; API support alone does not establish it.

What You Can Do With Existing Designs

AI Design Review

Start in Ask mode with a bounded request:

Explain this power-supply section and identify assumptions I should verify.
Do not change the design.

Run the available checks and explain the reported ERC or DRC findings.

Tool availability depends on the active editor and host. An explanation or clean check does not certify electrical performance, mechanical fit or manufacturing.

Get Explanations

What does R5 do in this saved schematic? Explain its connections and rationale.

Optimize Placement

Before requesting placement, review the actual board outline, rules, fixed poses and mechanical requirements. Trace's advanced placement and routing is an explicit layout task, not an automatic consequence of opening a design. See PCB layout for prerequisites and review limits.

Modify and Extend

Use Agent for an intended edit, specifying the existing section and constraints:

Add a programming connector for this MCU's documented interface.
Keep the existing power and signal connections unchanged.
Ask if the pinout or connector choice is ambiguous.

Review actual references, hierarchical net names and pin numbers. Do not assume similar spelling resolves to the intended connection. Save and rerun relevant checks after the edit.

Manufacturing Files

Export supported outputs using Exporting. Inspect the generated files and active variant before handing them to a manufacturer; creating a ZIP is not manufacturing approval.

Supported File Formats

Use .kicad_pro to open the project, native .trace_sch / .trace_pcb with their paired .xo for Trace designs, and supported KiCad import/export for .kicad_sch / .kicad_pcb. Format and conversion support depend on the tool and version; see Importing formats.

Tips

  • Start with Ask before authorizing changes.
  • Keep native design/drawing pairs and required libraries in your backup.
  • Make small edits and inspect the saved result.
  • Check available history before a risky change; failed or missing snapshots cannot guarantee rollback.
  • Local opening is not cloud publication, but hosted AI can transmit design context. Review the relevant data-handling policy for confidential work.