Backend and client validation matrix¶
The suite reports runtime readiness separately from CI coverage. A backend can
be installed, launchable, validated, or unavailable; only validated
means its tiny known-answer simulation completed in the current environment.
Read capabilities://ltspice, capabilities://qucs-s, or
capabilities://rf-analysis, or call the corresponding probe_backend tool.
| Backend | Server | Declared analyses | Readiness validation | CI tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTspice | mcp-ltspice |
ac, transient, dc, noise |
Known-answer file run | Scheduled native Windows + Wine self-hosted |
| ngspice | mcp-ltspice |
ac, transient, dc, noise |
Known-answer netlist run | Required Linux per-commit |
| Qucsator-RF | mcp-qucs-s |
sparameters, noise |
Known-answer S-parameter run | Scheduled capability-labelled self-hosted |
| Xyce | mcp-qucs-s |
harmonic_balance |
Known-answer harmonic-balance run | Scheduled capability-labelled self-hosted |
| Python numerical stack | mcp-rf-analysis |
touchstone, network_operations, tdr, eye_diagram, equivalent_circuit_fit, coexistence, emc_estimation |
Known-answer matched-through cascade | Required Linux/Windows per-commit |
CI tiers¶
- CI is required per commit. It runs static checks, locked and minimum dependency contracts, real stdio initialize/list/call/error tests, isolated wheel installation, Windows discovery, and a real ngspice known answer.
- The extended simulator and MCP client matrix runs weekly and on demand from a private CI repository on the maintainer's own runner, never on pull requests to this public repository. It is the truthful execution tier for Qucsator-RF, Xyce, LTspice under Wine, current Codex, and current Claude Code.
- Release validation rebuilds documentation and contract snapshots, audits dependencies, builds all distributions, emits an SPDX SBOM, and attests artifact provenance.
An absent proprietary or specialist backend is not converted into a passing result.
Output confidence¶
Tool results identify their method and backend. Use these terms consistently:
- Simulator-validated: a named external simulator produced the artifact, and the output passed freshness and structural checks.
- Analytical: a closed-form or network-algebra result; no circuit simulator was invoked.
- Approximate: a bounded engineering estimate with assumptions stated in the result.
- Planned/unsupported: rejected explicitly; the suite does not silently substitute another method or topology.