Hardware design
your AI can drive.

Schematics, PCB, SPICE on bundled ngspice, and magnetic and thermal FEA in one desktop project. Every operation is a CLI command and an MCP tool, so the AI client you already use does the work and you review it. No built-in AI. No tokens to buy.

Get early access See how it connects

Made for the AI app you already use

Claude CodeClaude DesktopCodexGemini CLICursorWindsurfGitHub CopilotAny MCP client

The toolkit

Schematic to board to fields. One project.

A desktop engineering workbench whose operations are also exposed through a CLI and an MCP server, so your AI works in the same project you do.

Schematic capture

Parts, pins, nets and hierarchy. Your agent edits the same schematic you do, and its changes land in your undo history.

transact
schematic-layout-query
set-parameter

SPICE simulation

Bundled ngspice for transient, AC and operating-point runs, measured and checked against your requirements.

run
measure
check

PCB layout

A native board linked to the schematic, with routing, rule checks and KiCad interchange.

project-pcb-sync-proposal
pcb-route-start
pcb-check-start

Magnetic and thermal FEA

Mesh a core and its winding, solve the fields, and apply the extracted inductance back to the schematic after review.

fields-magnetic-submit
fields-thermal-submit
fields-inductor-apply

3D board view

See the populated board in 3D on the desktop, built from pinned STEP models. A part without a model shows as an outline, never a guess.

pcb-model-list
pcb-model-start

One API surface

350+

engineering operations, callable from the CLI and MCP. Call describe to list them all.

Bring your own AI

We sell the workbench.
Not the tokens.

Bolt Studio contains no language model. The AI client you already use calls Bolt’s operations over MCP or the CLI, and its usage stays on the plan you have with your provider.

Bolt doesn’t choose your model or edit your client’s settings. Prefer no AI at all? Bolt Studio is fully usable by hand. See setup →

Your AI provider

Anthropic, OpenAI, Google… on the plan you already pay for

prompts, and the tool results your agent reads

Your machine

Your AI client

Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor…

tool calls over MCP or the CLI, checked against the revision

Bolt Studio

Your project files and solvers. No language model inside.

What you pay for
Your Bolt subscription pays for the software. Your AI provider bills the AI usage, including the tool calls your agent makes, on the plan you already have. Bolt adds no credits and no surcharge.
What your agent can touch
Only Bolt’s published operations, through local access you can switch off in File › Settings › Automation. Running without the desktop app is a separate opt-in, off by default. Every edit is checked against the current revision, so a stale one is refused instead of overwriting yours.
What leaves your machine
Projects and solvers stay on your machine, and Bolt has no AI service, so it never sees your prompts. What your agent reads from a design goes to your AI provider under your agreement with them, so use the client and plan your company approves.

One linked project

Change one thing.
See exactly what it touched.

A winding change reaches the inductance, the circuit and the checks. Bolt knows which results came from the old design and marks them stale, so nothing downstream changes behind your back. Re-run them yourself or let your agent do it. A value you have locked is never overwritten.

Magnetics
L1 winding turns
from6to5
edited by you
FEA
Inductance L1
from15 µHto10.4 µH
re-solved, applied after review
Magnetics
Winding DCR, estimate
from18 mΩto12.5 mΩ
recalculated
SPICE
Output ripple
from12 mVto17 mV
re-run
Requirements
Ripple ≤ 20 mV
frompass at r8topass at r9
re-checked

Illustrative values for the 24 V → 12 V buck above.

Setup

Add one server. Then ask.

Open Bolt Studio, register its MCP server with your AI client, and have your agent call describe first.

1Install Bolt Studio for Windows and open it.
2Local agent access is on by default. You can switch it off in File › Settings › Automation.
3Add Bolt to your AI client with the snippet below. Bolt never edits your client’s settings.
4Ask: “Call describe, then open buck-24v-12v.bolt and check that output ripple stays under 20 mV.”

Preview: the bolt command ships with the first release. Until then, these show the exact shape of the setup.

terminal

$ claude mcp add --scope user bolt -- bolt mcp

Still a real workbench

You and your agent, on the same bench.

Your agent works in the project you have open, alongside you. You see its edits as they land, and it can never quietly overwrite yours.

buck-24v-12v.boltone agent attached

r8
Agent
Built the buck from a recipe
accepted
r9
You
L1 winding 6 → 5 turns
accepted
—
Agent
Edit based on r8 refused as stale. Your r9 stands.
refused
r10
Agent
Read r9 again, then added C7, 22 µF
accepted
r11
You
Undid r10 in the app. 17 mV already meets spec.
accepted

Illustrative sequence.

One undo stack
Your agent edits the project you have open, not a copy. Its changes land in the same history as yours: undo one in the app, redo it from the agent.
Stale edits are refused
Every edit names the revision it was based on. If the project has moved on, the edit is refused, not merged, and the agent has to read it again.
Honest results
A successful tool call is not a passing design. Missing models, solver errors and cancelled jobs are reported as failures, never as results.

FAQ

Questions engineers ask first.

Do I pay Bolt for AI usage?

No. Bolt contains no language model and sells no tokens or credits. Your AI usage, tool calls included, stays on your plan with your provider.

Which AI apps work, and how well?

Any app that can start a local MCP server, such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Gemini CLI or Cursor, plus your own scripts through the CLI. Honest status: we test with our own MCP client and have not yet qualified any third-party app.

Can I use it without AI?

Yes. Bolt Studio is a desktop workbench first, and working by hand is a first-class use. Local agent access can be switched off in File › Settings › Automation.

Which platforms does it run on?

Windows x64, with ngspice built in. macOS and Linux are not supported yet.

What file formats does it use? Does it work with KiCad?

Projects are local files, with .bsch schematics and .bpcb boards. Boards import from and export to KiCad (a documented subset of the 2024 format) with a report of anything that does not carry over, and footprints export as .kicad_mod. Fabrication output covers Gerber, drill, BOM and pick-and-place files.

Does it need to be online?

The plan: you sign in once with your Bolt account, and the app keeps working offline for up to seven days on a signed pass it checks on your machine. If our servers are down, nothing locks before that pass expires.

What does Bolt see of my data?

Your account email and subscription status. Projects and solver runs stay on your machine, and the app sends no data about your agent’s tool calls. What your agent reads from a design goes to your AI provider under your agreement with them.

What does it cost, and when can I get it?

Pricing is not set yet. It will be a subscription for the software itself; your AI usage stays with your provider. Access is invite-only for now, so join the early-access list below.

What happens if I cancel?

Your subscription stops renewing, and you keep access until the end of the period you have paid for. There are no partial refunds. Your projects are ordinary files on your disk either way.

Does a passing check mean my design is safe?

No. Bolt reports modeled results against the requirements you set and shows its assumptions. Physical validation, compliance and safety review are yours.

Give your AI a soldering iron.

Bolt Studio is in private early access, letting hardware engineers in a few at a time. Leave your email and we will write when there is a seat for you.

We only use your email to contact you about Bolt Studio access. Privacy

First release: Windows. macOS and Linux to follow.

Hardware design your AI can drive.