QROUTER(1)

💖 QROUTER(1) — bestie edition 💖

okay so first things first: this is the manual page for qrouter, section 1 of the manual, and it is so much cooler than it sounds. buckle up 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

qrouter — a multi-level, over-the-cell maze router. yes that's the whole vibe. 🦋

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

qrouter [-noc] [-s scriptname] [options] [design_name]

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

so this page is the quick-and-dirty intro to the qrouter command, no cap.

qrouter is the tool that generates metal layers and vias so that a netlist gets physically connected together in a VLSI fabrication technology. it's a maze router, which honestly also goes by "over-the-cell" router or "sea-of-gates" router, iykyk. and the way that it's different from a channel router?? it starts with a description of placed standard cells — usually packed together at minimum spacing — and then it places metal routes over those standard cells. over the cell, literally in the name bestie. 👑

it uses the open standard LEF and DEF formats for both file input and file output. it grabs the cell definitions from a LEF file, analyzes the geometry for each cell to figure out contact points and route obstructions, then reads the cell placement, pin placement, and netlist from a DEF file, does the detailed route, and writes out an annotated DEF file. iconic pipeline honestly. ✨

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🫶 USAGE 🫶

qrouter can run be run in several ways (that's the original wording and i love it, keeping it 💀):

1. Interactive mode. if qrouter is started without any options, a tkcon window will be opened with an interpreter where commands may be entered. main character energy fr fr.
2. Normal batch mode. this mode activates if a tcl script is given with the -s option. it can be run with or without a graphical window. if -noc is given, no graphical window will appear. 🙈

Run without graphical window:

qrouter -noc -s routescript.tcl

Run with a graphical window showing the layout while it is routing:

qrouter -s routescript.tcl

3. Compatibility mode with qrouter 1.1. this mode activates if either of the options -c, -v, -i, -p or -g are given. this is a batch mode. lowkey retro. 🕰️

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💜 OPTIONS 💜

• -noc — No console mode. no console bestie, we're being quiet here. 🤫
• -s scriptname — Run scriptname. that's it, that's the job. run it. 💫

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🧚 COMPATIBILITY MODE 🧚

these ones are the qrouter 1.1 gang, only live when you use them:

• -c file — Configuration file name (if not route.cfg).
• -v level — Verbose output level.
• -i name — Print route names and pitches and exit.
• -p name — Specify global power bus name.
• -g name — Specify global ground bus name.

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🍓 INPUT 🍓

the input files for qrouter is (yes, "is" — original grammar, we respect it 💖) an unrouted or partly routed .def file containing the layout, plus a .cfg file containing the tcl script used to do the routing. and heads up: the .cfg file also needs to specify a .lef file describing the technology. don't forget it, bestie, or nothing's happening. 🎀

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🌈 OUTPUT 🌈

qrouter will output the fully routed .def file (if successful routing — note the if, we don't manifest here, we report 🫶). this may then later be converted to a GDSII file using tools such as magic. slay.

ngl, the "if successful routing" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. routing that fails just... doesn't give you the file. that's it, that's the deal. 💀

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⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

• qflow(1)

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

qrouter was written by Tim Edwards <tim@opencircuitdesign.com>.

this manual page was written by Ruben Undheim <ruben.undheim@gmail.com>, for the Debian project (and may be used by others).

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and that's the whole page bestie!! 🦋 no cap, you now know everything this manpage knows. this iconic little doc is dated 11 February 2026, and it lives in QROUTER(1) — go route something cute 💅✨🎀