Still Have Questions?
Just ask us!
Ctrlk
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

Validation (DRC)

Run design rule checks (DRC) to validate your board, interpret results, and use the Board Review panel.

Goal

Learn how to run validation checks on your board, read the results, and use the Board Review panel to identify and navigate to issues.

What DRC checks

The Design Rule Check (DRC) engine evaluates every harness on your board and reports on connection health. It checks for:

  • Resource allocation: are internal resources properly assigned to interface functions?

  • Group constraints: are limits like GPIO current budgets respected?

  • Interface constraints: are bus sizes, voltage levels, and other parameters compatible?

  • Connection directionality: are roles complementary (e.g., output to input)?

  • Capacity limits: are parts within their maximum connection counts?

DRC statuses

Every harness on your board receives one of four statuses:

All connections are properly set up. Interface links, function links, and resource allocations are complete and valid.

No action needed. This harness is ready.

Some connections exist but the setup is incomplete. For example, interface links may exist but function links or resource allocations are missing.

Action needed. Open the harness in the Inspector and complete the remaining configuration.

No connections have been established within this harness. The harness exists (you drew it on the canvas) but no interface links have been created.

Action needed. Select the harness and add interface links in the Inspector.

A fundamental incompatibility was detected. The connected interfaces cannot work together due to protocol mismatch, role conflicts, or other hard constraints.

Action needed. Review the parts involved. You may need to change an interface role, swap a part, or add an adapter (like a level shifter or protocol converter).

The Board Review panel

clicking the shield icon to open the Board Review panel
Show the Board Review panel opening with a BLOCKED DRC issue after a click on the activity-bar shield icon.

The Board Review panel is your central hub for finding and fixing issues across your entire board.

1

Open Board Review

Click the shield icon in the left sidebar to open the Board Review panel.

2

Review DRC issues

Issues are grouped by severity:

  • BLOCKED: critical problems that must be resolved

  • PARTIAL: incomplete configurations that need attention

Each issue card shows:

  • The harness name

  • The affected parts

  • The reasons for the issue

3

Locate on board

Click the "Locate on board" button (crosshair icon) on any issue card. The canvas automatically pans and zooms to highlight the affected harness or part.

4

Fix and re-validate

Make your changes in the Inspector, then return to Board Review to confirm the issue is resolved. See Fixing Errors for common fix patterns.

ProtoBot Review

Click the "Run ProtoBot Review" button in the Board Review panel to get an AI-powered analysis of your board. ProtoBot examines your design holistically and provides actionable suggestions in the Review Comments section.

The Review Comments section in Board Review acts as a collaborative thread. Both you and ProtoBot can post comments, making it easy to discuss design decisions and track review feedback.

Visual feedback on the canvas

You do not need to open Board Review to see your validation status. The canvas provides real-time visual feedback:

Visual cue
What it means

Green harness line and handles

Fully configured and valid

Amber harness line and handles

Partially configured; needs more work

Red harness line and handles

Not configured or incompatible

This color coding updates automatically as you make changes, so you always know the current state of every connection.

Common failures

All my harnesses are red even though I connected parts

Drawing a harness on the canvas only creates the top-level connection. You still need to add interface links and function links inside each harness, then allocate resources. Select a harness and use the Inspector to complete the setup.

Board Review shows no issues but my harness is still amber

Amber means partially configured. The Board Review panel groups issues by severity; some partial configurations may appear under the PARTIAL group. Expand all groups to see every issue. Complete the missing function links or resource allocations to turn the harness green.

"Locate on board" does not seem to navigate anywhere

The affected element may already be in view. Try zooming out first, then clicking the locate button again. The canvas will center on the affected part or harness.

Related pages

PreviousConnections & Compatibility
NextFixing Errors

Last updated