# Keepouts ### Overview Quilter integrates directly with keepouts defined in your CAD tool, so you can control where traces, vias, components, and pours are allowed. That's pretty much it – just add a keepout to your board, and we'll steer clear of it! ### Why should I use keepouts? Keepouts can help Quilter define the desired boundaries for design activity. Some common reasons to use keepouts include: 1. **Reserving space for mechanical features**, such as mounting holes, connectors, and heat sinks, where traces or components shouldn't go. 2. **Protecting sensitive areas**, like RF zones, from routing that could affect signal integrity. 3. **Enforcing design intent**, such as keeping parts out of high-heat zones or away from noisy power areas. ### How to specify Uploading a keepout to Quilter for layout candidate generation is easy. Just define it in your CAD tool as you normally would and save it along with your other design files when setting up a new layout job. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.quilter.ai/design-parameters/keepouts.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.