KiCAD-MCP-Server (mixelpixx) export_gerberVerificationConfidence: Medium

KiCAD-MCP-Server's export_gerber returns success: true and lists all 24 layers as exported, but writes no .gbr files: PlotLayer draws into a plot file that was never opened with OpenPlotfile, returns False unchecked, and only the drill files (from a separate kicad-cli call) land in the folder. An agent reading the response would report the fab package ready when the folder is empty.

Impact Analysis

Persona

Electrical Engineer

Team Size Impact

5x Multiplier

Prototype Delay

2 Days

Est. Annual Cost

$18,000

1 user · 1 month180 min
Rest of team720 min
Rest of year9,900 min

monthly_minutes × 12 × team_multiplier ÷ 60 × $75/hr = $18k/yr

$75/hr assumed rate.

Annual team-minutes decomposed from the reported monthly inputs.

Evidence & Sources

1 Sources

mixelpixx/KiCAD-MCP-Server issue #455: export_gerber writes no Gerber files on the SWIG backend, but reports every layer as exported

github.com

→

Analyst Notes

From the Grok Haitch pain-radar digest, Oct 20 2026. Verified live 2026-10-20: full issue read with a minimal reproduce (success True, 24 listed, empty directory); the reporter has a narrow fix with a regression test.