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mcp-kicad

mcp-kicad

Local
github.com/daedalusScience & Education0Updated 27w ago
Repository

About mcp-kicad

mcp-kicad connects an MCP server to a running KiCad PCB Editor through its IPC API. It exposes board, footprint, net, and project inspection tools for users working with KiCad 9.0 or later.

Key features

  1. 01Connect to a running KiCad instance
  2. 02Inspect board information and layers
  3. 03List and search footprints
  4. 04Inspect nets, zones, tracks, and vias
  5. 05Read project and version information

Use cases

  1. 01Inspect a PCB board's layers and settings
  2. 02Find footprints in a KiCad project
  3. 03Review nets, tracks, and vias

MCP support

The MCP server exposes KiCad PCB Editor IPC API operations as tools for MCP clients, including board and project inspection.

Configuration

Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.

mcp.json · Universal config
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "daedalus-mcp-kicad": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-kicad"
      ]
    }
  }
}
Run commanduvx mcp-kicad

Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.

Packages
pypimcp-kicad0.1.1

Tools

41

Saved tool list · updated 2w ago

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
timeout_msintegerNoConnection timeout in milliseconds. Default 2000.
kicad_tokenanyNoOptional API token for authentication.
socket_pathanyNoOptional path to IPC socket. If not provided, reads from KICAD_API_SOCKET environment variable or uses default platform path.

Details

From the project README

mcp-kicad — MCP server exposing KiCad PCB Editor functionality via IPC API.

PyPI Python Ruff

Install

pip install mcp-kicad

Requirements

  • KiCad 9.0 or higher with the IPC API server enabled
  • Go to Preferences > Plugins in KiCad and enable the API server

Usage

The MCP server communicates with a running KiCad instance via the IPC API. Start KiCad first, then run the server:

mcp-kicad

Or configure it in your MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-kicad": {
      "command": "mcp-kicad",
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Tools

The server exposes the following tools:

  • Connection: connect_kicad, check_connection
  • Board: get_board_info, get_layers, get_board_design_settings
  • Footprints: list_footprints, get_footprint, search_footprints
  • Nets: list_nets, get_net, list_netclasses
  • Zones: list_zones
  • Tracks/Vias: list_tracks, list_vias
  • Pads: list_pads
  • Text: list_texts, get_text_extents
  • Project: get_project, get_version

Example

from mcp_kicad import mcp_server

# Connect to running KiCad
result = mcp_server.connect_kicad()

# Get board info
board_info = mcp_server.get_board_info()
print(board_info)

# List all footprints
footprints = mcp_server.list_footprints()
for fp in footprints:
    print(f"{fp['reference']}: {fp['value']}")

Development

git clone https://github.com/daedalus/mcp-kicad.git
cd mcp-kicad
pip install -e ".[test]"

# run tests
pytest

# format
ruff format src/ tests/

# lint
ruff check src/ tests/

# type check
mypy src/

mcp-name: io.github.daedalus/mcp-kicad

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