Virtuoso

Use the existing bridge for live Cadence operations. Python runs on the client; SKILL runs in the selected Virtuoso process. Local mode needs no SSH. Spectre execution is independent of this connection.

Choose the smallest interface

• One-off SKILL: virtuoso-bridge eval 'EXPR', eval --stdin, or load FILE.il.
• Common structured operations: client.schematic, client.symbol, client.layout, client.library and client.maestro.
• Uncovered operations: client.execute_skill(...) or client.load_il(...). Raw SKILL is a supported escape hatch; a new wrapper is not a prerequisite.

Keep one-host use simple. Multiple servers/accounts/processes are optional; do not require profile inventory or process metadata for ordinary work. For GUI-equivalent simulation, preserve the netlist, models, corner and solver options and refresh the applicable PDK/CDF callbacks.

Before a live operation

Use the existing project virtual environment and configuration. If the bridge is not connected or the target changes, read connection.md. Pure documentation work and offline tests do not require a live connection.

Verify SKILL function signatures against the target's installed Cadence docs and inspect actual library cells, symbol pins and CDF parameters before use. Read local-docs.md for the verification workflow. A miss in repository examples is not proof that a function does not exist. Check Python signatures against the active package, and confirm availability of version-specific commands with virtuoso-bridge --help.

When an installed skill is a symlink, resolve its directory before following repository-relative paths. References describe current supported behavior; an older client or daemon may lack the documented capabilities.

Editing and callback correctness

Use create() for a new or explicitly authorized replacement cellview and modify() for an existing design. Preserve unrelated instances and user edits. Read back connectivity and parameters, then check/save before netlisting. Creation is not permission to delete an existing cell first.

For PDK devices, use the parameter/callback helpers where they support the actual device; otherwise verify and invoke the required callbacks through SKILL. Editable names and derived fields are PDK-specific: nf and fingers are not universally interchangeable. Details: schematic-skill-api.md.

Shared CIW and uncertain outcomes

Before popup-prone operations or timeout recovery, read shared-ciw-dialogs.md. It is the authority for dialog ownership, opt-in guards, request receipts and explicitly reviewed informational close.

Inspect through SSH/X11 when SKILL is blocked. Leave unknown-origin dialogs to the user; never automatically press Enter/Cancel or close the current form. Preserve the original request handle/history after uncertain execution. Do not resubmit, purge sessions or restart a pending daemon to unblock a wait. On old clients without the documented protection, use manual coordination rather than assuming that newer instructions make legacy execution safe.

Maestro lifecycle helpers can close/purge sessions. Use them only within the authorized lifecycle scope; on a shared CIW resolve the exact existing session. For results, bind reads/exports to the acknowledged history and use unique artifact paths. A sent key or nonempty output is not proof of a successful save/run.

Task references

Read the branch needed for the operation; do not load the entire catalog.

When working in the repository, locate relevant examples with rg --files examples/01_virtuoso. Use the corresponding API reference rather than maintaining a second tutorial in this entrypoint.