kicad-mcp
KiCad PCB and schematic automation via FastMCP: headless Gerber export plus agent inspection.
What it does and how it connects
kicad-mcp is an MCP server built on FastMCP that gives Claude or any LLM the tools to inspect, design, and manufacture PCBs through KiCad. It runs DRC checks, exports Gerbers, searches component libraries, places parts, routes traces, and prepares fabrication files, with most operations headless through kicad-cli; KiCad's GUI opens only in the legacy TCP bridge fallback for older KiCad versions.
The README's schematic-to-board flow runs from footprint assignment through netlist generation, placement, routing, DRC and ERC verification, and manufacturing export (Gerber, drill, STEP, BOM as CSV or JSON), with a JLCPCB export path. A React and Three.js web dashboard adds a board marketplace for browsing and downloading KiCad projects from GitHub, a 3D board viewer, an AI chat co-pilot, and a fabrication pipeline.
Requirements are KiCad installed separately (stable 10.x for exports, optional 11 nightly for live board editing) and Python 3.12 or newer with uv. The server starts with just bootstrap and just serve, serving the API on port 11016 with the dashboard on port 11017.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-mcp-pro
A KiCad MCP server with profile-gated build and release modes, a desktop app, and a KiCad PCB Editor companion, rather than a FastMCP server with a web dashboard and board marketplace.
- kicad-mcp (blwfish)
An MCP server that works a KiCad design workflow from a plain-language description with FreeRouter autorouting and LCSC part lookup, rather than a FastMCP server with headless Gerber export and a dashboard.
- kicad-claude-mcp
An MCP server with 105 tools that edits KiCad files directly and says the user opens KiCad only to review, rather than a FastMCP server with a web dashboard.
- kicad-mcp-rs
A Rust MCP server that talks to KiCad through the official IPC API with dry-run mutations, rather than a Python FastMCP server using kicad-cli.
- kicad-mcp (draganito)
A compact Rust MCP server that drives a running KiCad 10 PCB editor over the IPC API, rather than a FastMCP server that works mostly headless.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- Interactive routing creates unwanted micro-segments and awkward paths that take time to clean up.Error Index
- Grid snap and move commands can disconnect items or reposition them in unwanted ways.Error Index
- GUI lag, occasional freezes, and sluggish editor switching interrupt concentration.Error Index
- Wayland/NVIDIA users report graphical glitches, flicker, or instability.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- No GitHub releases exist, so latest release fields are null.
- Real user voices: the repo has 0 open issues, and no independent user post was found.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle sandraschi
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.