What it does and how it connects
MCP-KiCad is an MCP server for AI-assisted KiCad PCB design using the Model Context Protocol and Claude. It exposes KiCad PCB design tools to AI assistants so a user can ask in plain English to place components, read netlists and get layout suggestions, with changes reflected in KiCad immediately.
The extended server offers 12 tools and the basic server 4, covering component placement, board analysis and fabrication. It drives KiCad through the pcbnew Python module and needs KiCad 9.0 or later, Python 3.10 or later, and an Anthropic or xAI API key. The tested setup is the KiCad Flatpak install, with scripts that install dependencies inside the Flatpak container.
If pcbnew is unavailable the server runs in mock mode for testing. Version 1.0.0 shipped on 2025-10-30 and the README reports its test suite at 20 of 20 passing.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server that drives KiCad schematic, PCB, ERC and DRC and manufacturing export workflows, rather than a pcbnew server with 12 extended tools.
- kicad-mcp (blwfish)
A community MCP server for KiCad PCB workflows with autorouting and LCSC part lookup, rather than a pcbnew server.
- kicad-claude-mcp
An MCP server that edits KiCad schematics and PCBs directly with autorouting and ERC/DRC, rather than a pcbnew server.
- akcli
A zero-dependency Python CLI agent that authors and edits KiCad schematics directly, rather than an MCP server.
- kicad-happy
Agent skills that review KiCad schematics, PCBs and Gerbers, rather than an MCP server that drives PCB design.
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
- A KiCad MCP bridge normalizes DRC, connectivity, and geometry into its own output format, and that normalized output can silently disagree with the native KiCad engine. The maintainer had to build seeded false-PASS and false-FAIL tests because the bridge layer cannot be trusted as engineering truth on its own.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing (no price stated; the user brings an Anthropic or xAI API key)
- Real user voices (the repository has no public issues)
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle Pablomonte
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.