Next Everything has published a Model Context Protocol (MCP) service that lets an AI assistant check a bill of materials (BOM), price the build, suggest replacements, and prepare an order. The service accepts exports from KiCad, Altium, EasyEDA, or a spreadsheet. It flags insufficient stock, minimum order quantities, discontinued parts, uncertain matches, and assembly fees before those issues reach purchasing.
The company says it refreshes a contract manufacturer's catalog of more than 630,000 in-stock parts daily and adds live DigiKey and Mouser lookups. Suggested replacements are checked against specifications and package size so the board does not need to change. Each build gets a project page showing the current BOM, prices, and the steps the assistant took, while payment still requires a person to approve a link after stock and pricing are checked again.
The open question is match quality on messy production BOMs, where incomplete manufacturer numbers and house part names are common. A useful pilot would run the service on a board that has already been sourced, then compare its substitutions and total price with the buyer's approved order before allowing it near a new design.