kicad-eda-mcp

# KiCad MCP Server A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for controlling KiCad EDA software — schematics, PCBs, manufacturing outputs, design checks, and library management — through any MCP-compatible AI assistant. The server exposes 22 routers containing ~280-306 operations (the spread is because the routing router exposes 8-30 operations depending on the installed Java version). All operations return structured `{ok, message, error, data}` dicts. ## How It Works The server controls KiCad through three layers: - **IPC API** (`kicad-python` / kipy): live board and project control. Requires a running KiCad GUI instance with IPC enabled (KiCad 9+). Handles reads, mutations, and interactive operations. - **kicad-cli**: headless export, DRC, ERC, import, and file upgrades. No GUI needed. Handles all manufacturing output formats. - **SWIG pcbnew** (legacy): direct board manipulation via KiCad's bundled Python bindings. Deprecated since KiCad 9, removed in KiCad 11. Only loads when KiCad's bundled Python is the interpreter. A fourth layer — `kicad-sch-api` — provides pure-Python schematic editing with no KiCad instance required. On Windows, the server can auto-launch KiCad as a detached background process. ## Installation **From PyPI:** ```bash pip install kicad-eda-mcp # Optional: HTTP/SSE transport (remote/multi-client) pip install uvicorn starlette ``` **From source (development):** ```bash pip install -e ".[dev]" ``` ## Quick Start ### Any MCP client (stdio) Add to your MCP client configuration: ```json { "mcpServers": { "kicad": { "type": "stdio", "command": "kicad-eda-mcp" } } } ``` ### With mutations enabled ```bash python -m kicad_mcp --enable-mutations ``` ### HTTP/SSE mode (multi-client) ```bash python -m kicad_mcp --http --port 8765 ``` Requires `uvicorn` and `starlette` (install separately — not in the default dependencies). ##…