KiCad MCP Pro Server

KiCad MCP Pro is a Model Context Protocol server for KiCad PCB and schematic workflows. It gives agents project setup, schematic editing, PCB inspection and edits, validation gates, DFM checks, SI/PI helpers, simulation helpers, and release-gated manufacturing export.

Use it with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex, or any MCP-compatible client.

Quick Start

Install and run with uvx:

uvx kicad-mcp-pro --help
uvx kicad-mcp-pro health --json
uvx kicad-mcp-pro doctor --json
uvx kicad-mcp-pro serve

Or install with pip:

pip install kicad-mcp-pro
kicad-mcp-pro --help
kicad-mcp-pro health --json
kicad-mcp-pro serve

The default no-subcommand invocation still starts the stdio MCP server for backward compatibility. health --json is safe to run when KiCad is not running; it reports KiCad IPC as deferred instead of crashing. doctor --json adds deeper CLI and IPC diagnostics for launchers such as kicad-studio.

Minimal MCP Config

Use an absolute KiCad project path:

{
  "servers": {
    "kicad": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["kicad-mcp-pro"],
      "env": {
        "KICAD_MCP_PROJECT_DIR": "/absolute/path/to/your/kicad-project",
        "KICAD_MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/your/workspace",
        "KICAD_MCP_PROFILE": "pcb_only"
      }
    }
  }
}

More client examples:

• Client configuration
• Claude Desktop
• Cursor
• Claude Code
• KiCad Studio

What It Does

• Project-aware setup with safe path handling and recent-project discovery.
• PCB tools for board state, tracks, vias, footprints, layers, zones, placement, and sync.
• Schematic tools for symbols, wires, labels, buses, annotation, templates, routing, and IPC reload.
• Validation gates for schematic quality, connectivity, PCB quality, placement, transfer, DFM, and manufacturing.
• Gated release handoff through export_manufacturing_package().
• Export tools for Gerber, drill, BOM, PDF, netlist, STEP, render, pick-and-place, IPC-2581, SVG, and DXF.
• SI, PI, EMC, routing, simulation, library, and version-control helper surfaces.
• Server profiles such as minimal, pcb_only, schematic_only, manufacturing, analysis, and agent_full.
• Machine-readable CLI diagnostics for editors and MCP clients.

Capability Status

Capabilities are verified at different levels depending on test coverage and runtime dependencies. See Capability Verification Levels for the current truth table.

Common Workflow

kicad_set_project()
project_get_design_spec()
sch_build_circuit()
pcb_sync_from_schematic()
project_quality_gate_report()
export_manufacturing_package()

Demo media guidance lives in docs/demo-media.md.

Documentation

• Installation
• Configuration
• Tools reference
• Troubleshooting
• FAQ
• API stability
• Release process
• Maintenance policy
• Workflow security
• Security threat model
• Architecture decisions
• Comparison

Repository Operations

Normal CI and security workflows run on pull requests, pushes, and merge queue events. Release, publish, mirroring, deployment, and token-backed jobs remain guarded behind explicit repository checks and protected environments.

The project uses Dependabot, Renovate, CodeQL, Gitleaks, Trivy, OpenSSF Scorecard, Codecov, release-please, SBOM generation, Sigstore signing, and GitHub artifact attestations for release hardening.

Operational references:

• Repository operations
• Autonomy model
• Doppler setup
• Branch protection

Contributing and Support

• Contributing
• Support
• Governance
• Security policy
• Roadmap
• Changelog