datasheet-lens

datasheet-lens

datasheet-lens is a central store for the datasheets of electronic components. It keeps each datasheet one time and connects it to the projects that use it. Thus each person and each AI agent of a project uses the same correct documents.

• Electronics design. The project file datasheet-lens.toml in the repository of a design holds the parts of the design and their datasheets. datasheet-lens keeps this list the same as the parts of the CAD project (KiCad and other EDA tools).
• Software and firmware. The developers and their AI agents get the same datasheets as the hardware team: the same document and revision, not a copy from an unknown source.
• One source for the two. The hardware design and the software can use one project file, or each a project file with the same parts. The store identifies each PDF by its SHA-256, thus the two projects use the same document.

An LLM agent reads the datasheets through an MCP server. The tool does not convert a datasheet to text. A conversion makes errors that look correct: lost superscripts, merged table rows, shifted columns, wrong values from graphs. datasheet-lens builds an index to find the content, and gives the original pages and regions to the model on demand. The model reads only the parts that the work needs, and reads each value from the original.

Status: in development (version 0.3). The tools work and have tests. The interfaces can change.

Features

• Drill-down into a document. An index (outline, table and figure captions, page quality), a text search, a page map with element IDs, and images of an element, a region, a caption ("Table 57", with docling also when the table continues on more pages) or a full page at 300 to 600 dpi.
• Central store, shared by all projects. Each user has one store (default ~/.datasheet-lens) for all design projects. Each PDF is stored one time (SHA-256), with its index, its element map, its parts and the facts that sessions read from it. A datasheet that one project added is at once available to each other project: it is not downloaded, indexed or read again. A part can have a datasheet, a manual and errata.
• Facts. A value that a session read is saved with its source (document, page, element), so that a later session finds it.
• Project file. datasheet-lens.toml in the repository of a design holds the parts of the design and their documents. The team gets it with the repository. project_check compares it with the parts of the CAD project.
• Orderable parts. The ordering codes of a datasheet, and the lifecycle state, stock and prices from the official API of a distributor (Mouser now). No scraping.
• Team server (optional). One shared store for a team: the documents, parts, facts and the index and element map of each document. Each person keeps a local store that works also with no connection, and that synchronizes with the server. The server (datasheet-lens[server]) has accounts with roles and tokens, and a setup wizard installs it with PostgreSQL, the Garage object store, nginx and a Let's Encrypt certificate.

Typical uses

datasheet-lens helps to manage the input documents of a design project, and to keep them in the repository. It keeps the BOM equal to the CAD project. It lets the agent check the BOM, and check the design against the original datasheets.

• Keep the datasheets of a design complete and in git, the same for each person of the team.
• Compare the project with the parts of the CAD project: missing, extra and different parts.
• Select the concrete orderable MPN of a base part, and make sure that it can be ordered.
• Review a schematic against the datasheets: pins, absolute maximum ratings, logic levels, application circuits.
• Compare a footprint with the package drawing of the datasheet.
• Read register maps, bit fields and timing values for firmware, and keep them as facts with their source.
• Use the same parts in more projects: the datasheets and the facts of one project are at once available in each other project of the same user.

datasheet-lens does not read the schematic itself. The parts come from the CAD tool, its MCP server or a BOM file. See doc/use-cases.md for the steps of each use.

Installation

datasheet-lens needs Python 3.11 or newer. It works on Linux, macOS and Windows.

pipx install datasheet-lens
datasheet-lens init

datasheet-lens init makes the central store (default ~/.datasheet-lens, or the folder in the environment variable DATASHEET_LENS_HOME). It can also install docling, which gives a better element map (tables and figures). docling is optional: it needs some GB of disk. Without it, the tool uses the text layer.

Register the MCP server (stdio) in Claude Code:

claude mcp add --scope user datasheet-lens -- datasheet-lens-mcp

For a different MCP client, set the command datasheet-lens-mcp with no arguments. The server gives its instructions to the agent. See doc/installation.md and doc/mcp-server.md.

Quick start

In the root folder of the repository of the design:

datasheet-lens project init     # the project file, and a block in AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md
datasheet-lens add PATH|URL     # add a datasheet; it proposes the MPN of the part
datasheet-lens sync             # copy the documents into the project folder
datasheet-lens check BOM.csv    # compare the project with a BOM of the CAD project

The agent uses the same functions through the MCP server. The block in AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md tells the agent the procedure. project init changes only the files that exist: make one of them first if you want the block.

Command	What it does
add PATH|URL	Add a document to the store and to the project
ls, sync	Show the project, or synchronize its copies
check BOM.csv	Compare the project with a BOM (CSV) of the CAD project, and find the changes and conflicts of the fields MPN, Value and Value_Confirmed (tested only with BOM exports of KiCad and Eagle)
set MPN -m NEW	Change the MPN, base part, category or manufacturer of a project part
rm MPN	Remove a part (or -d DOC, a document) from the project
search TEXT --part MPN	Find a text in the documents of a part
codes DOC	Show the orderable codes of a datasheet
links MPN	Show search links for a datasheet, stock, a symbol, a footprint, a 3D model
find MPN	Find a part at the distributors (lifecycle, stock, prices)
stock	Show the lifecycle state and the stock of each project part
key NAME	Save the API key of a distributor, or the token of the team server (key team)
server connect URL	Connect the store to a team server; server sync, server (state)
dist NAME ...	Select the distributors (globally, or --local for the project)

All commands and options are in doc/cli.md.

Each user has a personal API key for each distributor. Get a free Mouser key at the Mouser API Hub (the Search API key, not the Cart API key), then run datasheet-lens key mouser. See doc/distributors.md.

Documentation

Document	Content
doc/installation.md	Requirements, installation, init, docling, store location, upgrade, uninstall
doc/use-cases.md	Typical uses, step by step
doc/mcp-server.md	MCP server: registration, instructions, all tools
doc/agent-workflow.md	How an agent reads a datasheet, with an example
doc/projects.md	Project file, layout, sync, team workflow, consistency with the CAD project
doc/cli.md	Reference of all CLI commands and options
doc/distributors.md	Distributor data, API keys, distributor selection, search links
doc/team-server.md	Team server: installation, accounts and tokens, connection of a store, synchronization, API
doc/architecture.md	For developers: design decisions and module map
doc/development.md	Development setup, tests, code and text style

Development

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install -e ".[dev]"
.venv/bin/python -m pytest

See doc/development.md.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.