Service API

What the platform exposes

Seven small, single-purpose HTTP micro-services drive the end-to-end RTL-to-GDS flow. Each wraps a tool script (Synopsys Design Compiler or Cadence Innovus) and listens on its own port.

Stage Service Script(s) Port(s)
Synthesis setup_server.py, compile_server.py 3333, 3334
Physical Implementation floorplan_server.py, powerplan_server.py, placement_server.py, cts_server.py, route_server.py, save_server.py 3335 – 3340

Common request fields

Every endpoint understands these three fields:

  • design – logical design name (e.g. “des”). Required.
  • tech – target technology directory under scripts/; default FreePDK45.
  • force – true forces the stage to re-run even if artefacts already exist.

Each stage adds its own optional parameters, listed below. All parameters travel to the underlying TCL scripts via environment variables, so you can extend them freely without touching the Python wrappers.

Endpoint responsibilities & accepted parameters

/setup/run (3333) – “DC setup”

Initialises Synopsys Design Compiler, loads libraries and applies constraints.

Field Type Description
clock_period float Target clock period in ns
compile_effort string Design Compiler compile mode (“compile” / “compile_ultra” / “incremental”)
lint_only bool Run lint & constraint checks only, skip mapping

/compile/run (3334) – “DC compile”

Maps RTL to gates and produces timing / area / power reports. Returns syn_ver, an auto-generated synthesis version string.

Field Type Description
clock_period float Overrides period from setup (optional)
max_fanout int Maximum net fan-out
max_transition float Maximum cell output transition (ns)
power_effort string low / medium / high

/floorplan/run (3335) – “Innovus floorplan”

Creates die outline, IO ring and macro rows. Generates a unique impl_ver reused by later stages.

Field Type Description
syn_ver string Synthesis version coming from compile stage
target_util float Core utilisation (0-1)
aspect_ratio float Die aspect ratio (Y/X)
flow_effort string express / standard

/power/run (3336)

Builds power grid (rings, stripes, vias).

Field Type Description
impl_ver string Implementation version from floorplan stage
stripe_width float Power stripe width (µm)
stripe_pitch float Centre-to-centre spacing (µm)
metal_layers string Comma-separated list e.g. “M4,M5”

/place/run (3337)

Standard-cell placement plus pre-CTS optimisation.

Field Type Description
impl_ver string Implementation version
timing_effort string none / low / medium / high
congestion_effort string low / medium / high
max_density float Legaliser density threshold (0-1)

/cts/run (3338)

Clock-tree synthesis and post-CTS optimisation.

Field Type Description
impl_ver string Implementation version
buffer_cells string Whitespace-separated list of clock buffer cells
clock_gate_cells string Whitespace-separated list of CG cells
cell_density float CTS cell density target

/route/run (3339)

Global + detailed routing, then timing/DRC clean-up.

Field Type Description
impl_ver string Implementation version
timing_driven bool Enable timing-driven routing
fix_clock_nets bool Keep clock nets fixed
si_aware bool Enable SI-aware delay calculation
drc_limit int Stop verify_drc after this many violations
top_module string Override top verilog module (optional)

/save/run (3340)

Writes {impl_ver}.gds, .def, .sdf to the implementation directory.

Field Type Description
impl_ver string Implementation version
compress_gds bool Gzip the GDS output

Response contract (all services)

Every endpoint returns the same JSON envelope:

{
  "status"   : "ok" | "error: <msg>",
  "log_path" : "/abs/path/to/tool.log",
  "reports"  : {
       "some_report.rpt" : "full text …",
       "timing.rpt.gz"   : "…inflated text…"
  }
}

The HTTP status code is always 200 so that CI pipelines rely on the status field instead of transport exceptions.

Typical end-to-end run

A helper script stitches the stages together:

./run_pipeline.sh \
  --design des \
  --tech   FreePDK45 \
  --clock_period 2.5   \   # any parameter accepted by /setup/run
  --target_util 0.65    \   # propagated down to floorplan
  --stripe_width 2.0    \   # picked up by /power/run
  --timing_driven true

Troubleshooting quick tips

  • Directory not found → stale impl_ver; rerun earlier stage or add "force": true.
  • Tool licence / crash → open the file pointed to by log_path.
  • Malformed JSON → FastAPI replies with 400.

Contact

Author: Andy Lu • yl996@duke.edu
Repo: https://github.com/AndyLu666/MCP-EDA-Server