mcp-server-kicad (ProductOfAmerica)
KiCad MCP server with 109 tools across five split servers for schematic capture, PCB layout, libraries, ERC and DRC and manufacturing exports, plus six bundled Claude Code design skills
What it does and how it connects
mcp-server-kicad is a KiCad MCP server with 109 tools covering schematic capture, PCB layout, symbol and footprint libraries, ERC and DRC, and manufacturing exports. It lets an AI assistant edit real KiCad projects through tools instead of editing S-expressions by hand: the model calls tools and KiCad files change on disk. It supports KiCad 9 and 10 and is distributed on PyPI, with a Claude plugin that wires up the server and ships design skills with it.
The project is in maintenance mode as of October 2026: it gets security fixes and KiCad compatibility fixes only, and no new tools or features are planned. The README explains why with a head-to-head test against plain Claude Code with KiCad installed and no plugin, using the same model, settings, and tasks, judged by KiCad 10 itself. On six single edits run three times each, plain Claude Code got all 18 right while the plugin got 3 of 18 right, and on a long session of 20 board edits both got every edit right while the plugin used about 1.8 times as much context.
The README attributes the failures to missing tools for some edits, instructions that told the model never to edit files directly, and a board-sync tool that rewrote nearly every footprint. Existing installs keep working, and the maintenance note says so explicitly.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- kicad-mcp (blwfish)
An MCP server that drives a full KiCad workflow from a plain language description, with autorouting and LCSC part lookup, and under active development.
- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server with profile-gated access to KiCad schematic, PCB, validation, DFM, and manufacturing export tools.
- kicad-claude-mcp
An MCP server with 105 tools that edits KiCad schematic and PCB files directly.
- kicad-mcp (ANamelessDrake)
An MCP server for programmatic KiCad 8 schematic and PCB design, working directly on S-expression files with no running KiCad instance needed.
- kicad-tools (rjwalters)
Standalone Python tools for AI agents to parse and manipulate KiCad files, with an autorouter and an MCP server.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- On six single edits to a public KiCad 10 design, three runs each, plain Claude Code with KiCad installed got 18 of 18 right; with the mcp-server-kicad plugin it got 3 of 18. The plugin had no tool for some edits, its rule against direct file edits made the model stop and ask, and its board-sync tool rewrote nearly every footprint. The maintainer put the project in maintenance mode on these results.Error Index
- 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
- No independent user voice found: recent pull request activity is dependency bots and the maintainer.
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle ProductOfAmerica
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.