kicad-mcp

KiCad MCP integrated with the KiCad IPC API.

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Features

• Schematic & PCB automation: place symbols, draw wires and buses, create labels, edit footprints, tracks and vias — all through natural language.
• Endpoint auto-discovery: on startup the server scans running KiCad processes and connects to the first reachable KiCad SDK IPC endpoint matching the editor mode (--editor-type).
• Runtime connection switching: if KiCad restarts or a tool returns None, use listKicadConnections to discover alive endpoints and switchKicadConnection to reconnect without restarting the server.
• Graceful startup: when no KiCad endpoint is reachable yet, the server still starts and the connection tools stay available.

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Usage

Run the latest release

You can run the MCP server directly without installing it using uvx:

uvx kicad-mcp --editor-type schematic

This will download and execute the latest version from PyPI in an isolated environment.

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MCP client configuration

1. Claude Code

{
	"mcpServers": {
		"Kicad-Schematic-MCP": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "uvx",
			"args": [
				"kicad-mcp",
				"--editor-type",
				"schematic"
			]
		},
		"Kicad-PCB-MCP": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "uvx",
			"args": [
				"kicad-mcp",
				"--editor-type",
				"pcb"
			]
		}
	},
	"inputs": []
}

2. VSCode

Add the following configuration to your MCP client:

{
	"servers": {
		"Kicad-Schematic-MCP": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "uvx",
			"args": [
				"kicad-mcp",
				"--editor-type",
				"schematic"
			]
		},
		"Kicad-PCB-MCP": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "uvx",
			"args": [
				"kicad-mcp",
				"--editor-type",
				"pcb"
			]
		}
	},
	"inputs": []
}

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3. Cherry Studio

Options

--editor-type supports:

• schematic
• pcb
• symbol
• footprint

See docs/connection-modes.md for the tools available in each mode and how endpoint auto-discovery, verification, and runtime switching work (listKicadConnections / switchKicadConnection).

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Development

1. Clone the repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd kicad-mcp

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2. Configure MCP client (local development)

Example configuration in VSCode:

{
  "servers": {
    "kicad-pcb-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "C:/code/kicad-mcp",
        "run",
        "kicad-mcp",
        "--editor-type",
        "pcb"
      ]
    },
    "kicad-schematic-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "C:/code/kicad-mcp",
        "run",
        "kicad-mcp",
        "--editor-type",
        "schematic"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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3. Run locally

Install dependencies and run:

uv sync
uv run kicad-mcp --editor-type schematic

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4. Iterate

Modify the code and restart your MCP client to see changes.

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Notes

• Requires uv: https://github.com/astral-sh/uv
• Python 3.11+
• Ensure KiCad is running with IPC enabled

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