Kicad Mcp

kicad-mcp

[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) []()

An MCP server for controlling KiCad 9 over its IPC API from Claude Code. Experimental — use at your own risk.

Requirements

• KiCad 9 with the API server enabled (Preferences > Plugins > KiCad API Server)
• Python >= 3.10
• uv

Install

git clone https://github.com/your-org/kicad-mcp
cd kicad-mcp
uv sync

Add to Claude Code:

claude mcp add kicad -- uv --directory /path/to/kicad-mcp run kicad-mcp

Or add to .claude/settings.json manually:

"kicad": {
  "command": "uv",
  "args": ["--directory", "/path/to/kicad-mcp", "run", "kicad-mcp"]
}

Open a .kicad_pcb file in KiCad, then test your connection:

uv run kicad-mcp

How it works

The server connects to KiCad's local UNIX socket (/tmp/kicad/api.sock) using the kicad-python bindings. It exposes board data and edit operations as MCP tools, allowing Claude to read the board state and make changes that appear instantly in the KiCad editor with full undo support.

All positions are in millimetres. Write operations are wrapped in a commit so they appear as a single undo step.

Available tools

| Tool | Description | |---|---| | ping | Check KiCad is running and accessible | | get_version | Get the KiCad version string | | get_board_info | Summary counts of footprints, tracks, vias, nets, zones | | get_footprints | List footprints with position, layer and value; supports reference filter | | get_nets | List all nets by name and code | | get_tracks | List all copper track segments | | get_vias | List all vias | | get_zones | List all copper zones | | get_board_outline | Return the Edge.Cuts geometry | | get_component_connections | Show which nets each component is on and which other components share them | | move_footprint | Move a footprint to an absolute position | | rotate_footprint | Set the absolute rotation of a footprint in degrees | | batch_move_footprints | Move up to ~5 footprints in a single undo step | | create_track | Add a copper track segment to a named net | | remove_items_by_id | Remove board items by KiCad item ID | | refill_zones | Refill all copper zones | | save_board | Save the board to disk |

Token usage warnings

Some tools can return large responses on complex boards and consume significant context:

| Tool | Why it can be large | |---|---| | get_component_connections | Returns every net for every component plus all shared-net neighbours — output grows with O(components × nets). On a dense board, avoid calling without a reference filter. | | get_footprints | Returns all footprints. Use the reference_filter argument to narrow results (e.g. "U", "C") instead of fetching everything. | | get_tracks | One entry per track segment — a fully routed board can have thousands. | | get_nets | One entry per net — large designs can have hundreds. Prefer get_board_info for a quick count. |

Example usage

Once added to Claude Code, describe what you want in natural language:

> "Move all components inside the board outline and group passives next to the chips they connect to."

> "Route the crystal load caps C3 and C4 to Y1."

> "Show me everything connected to U1."

> "Refill zones and save the board."

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Built with Claude Code

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: Netlist-Studio
• Source: Netlist-Studio/kicad-mcp
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.