What is KiCAD MCP Server?
KiCAD MCP Server, from the GitHub user mixelpixx, lets an MCP client create and edit KiCad 9 and 10 projects: schematics, symbols and footprints, component placement, track routing, design-rule and electrical-rule checks, and export of Gerbers and other production files. It also searches a JLCPCB parts catalogue of more than 2.5 million components with pricing and stock, and hands boards to the Freerouting autorouter through Java, Docker or Podman.
It is the most-starred KiCad MCP server, at about 3,070 stars, MIT-licensed, written in TypeScript and Python, and released v2.8.3 on 26 October 2026. The maintainers now steer new development to Konnect, a Rust rewrite as a native KiCad 10 plugin on KiCad's official IPC API, licensed AGPL-3.0 with paid commercial licences; they say this MIT server remains open and maintained.
How to install KiCAD MCP Server
git clone --branch stable https://github.com/mixelpixx/KiCAD-MCP-Server.git && npm install && npm run buildIs KiCAD MCP Server worth it?
Breadth is the point of KiCAD MCP Server. It registers 247 tools across 20 categories, 65 of them for schematics alone, plus 23 resources that expose project state. That covers the whole path from a blank project to production files: create symbols and footprints for modules that are not in KiCad's library, place parts, route tracks and differential pairs, run DRC and ERC, and export Gerbers. Only a handful of rival servers, such as eda-agent for Altium, attempt the same span.
A tool list that size has a cost in every session, and v2.8.3 answers it. With KICAD_MCP_TOOLBOXES=core a client starts with 37 tools and opens categories such as schematic or drc as a task needs them, and search_tools finds the rest by keyword. Claude Desktop does not re-read the tool list until it restarts, so there the toolboxes have to be named up front.
The changelog is a candid record of how hard this problem is. Recent releases fixed export_gerber listing every layer while writing no files on the SWIG backend, schematic corruption on KiCad 10, and tools that were registered with full schemas but had no handler behind them. The live-GUI integration over KiCad's IPC API is still labelled experimental, and the optional GUI driver listens on 127.0.0.1 with a per-session token only when KICAD_GUI_DRIVER_ENABLE=1 is set. The README's own disclaimer warns of errors in generated layouts, damaged hardware and financial losses from wrong orders, and requires independent review for medical, aerospace and automotive work.
Installation is a clone-and-build job: KiCad 9 or newer, Node.js 18, Python 3.11, then npm install and npm run build from the stable branch. The bigger strategic question is Konnect, which the same team calls the next generation and where new development happens. A team adopting the MIT server today is choosing the licence it can live with over the codebase that will move fastest.
Where it earns its place
A hardware engineer at a five-person IoT start-up
Turn a breakout-board schematic into a first-pass routed PCB
Have the agent place footprints, run Freerouting, then DRC, and fix what it reports before a human pass. It saves the first afternoon of layout; it does not replace the review the README's disclaimer demands.
A maker ordering assembled boards from JLCPCB
Swap out-of-stock parts for in-stock equivalents before ordering
Ask the agent to check each BOM line against the JLCPCB catalogue for stock and tiered pricing and propose substitutes with matching footprints. Free to run; confirm every swap against the datasheet.
An electronics lecturer preparing lab kits
Create custom symbols and footprints for a sensor module not in KiCad's library
Use the footprint and symbol creator tools to build the parts into a personal library reused across student projects, then verify pad dimensions against the module's drawing.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Install KiCad 9.0+, Node.js 18+ and Python 3.11+, clone the stable branch, npm install and npm run build, then point Claude Desktop, VS Code Copilot or another client at the built server using the example configs. setup-macos.sh and setup-linux.sh merge the config with a backup.
- Integrations
- 247 tools in 20 categories with search_tools and get_category_tools discovery, 23 resources, JLCPCB parts search, LCSC datasheet enrichment and Freerouting. KICAD_MCP_TOOLBOXES=core starts with 37 tools.
- Data and privacy
- Runs locally against your project files; design data goes to your model provider. JLCPCB lookups and catalogue downloads reach the network. The optional GUI driver listens on 127.0.0.1 with a per-session token only when enabled. The README warns of possible project file corruption and data loss, so keep projects under version control.
- Cost at scale
- Free under MIT. Konnect, the successor, is free for individuals and open source under AGPL-3.0 and sold under commercial licences to businesses; prices are not published in the README.
- Limits
- About nine open issues. The SWIG backend has had silent failures (export_gerber wrote no files before v2.8.3); IPC mode is experimental; Claude Desktop needs toolboxes named in advance.
What’s good
- 247 tools from schematic to Gerber export
- Core toolbox mode starts at 37 tools
- JLCPCB catalogue with live stock and pricing
- Freerouting autorouter integration
What’s not
- Clone and build; no packaged install
- Recent releases fixed silent export and corruption bugs
- IPC live-GUI mode still experimental
- New development has moved to the AGPL Konnect
Best for
Hardware engineers and makers using KiCad 9 or 10 who want an agent to handle placement, routing passes, checks and part sourcing.
KiCAD MCP Server alternatives
KiCAD MCP Server: common questions
- Is KiCAD MCP Server worth it?
- The broadest way to put an agent inside KiCad, best treated as a fast junior layout assistant whose every board still needs a qualified engineer's review. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does KiCAD MCP Server cost?
- Free and open source (MIT). The successor, Konnect, is AGPL-3.0 with commercial licences for businesses.
- What are the downsides of KiCAD MCP Server?
- Clone and build; no packaged install; recent releases fixed silent export and corruption bugs; iPC live-GUI mode still experimental; new development has moved to the AGPL Konnect.
- Who is KiCAD MCP Server best for?
- Hardware engineers and makers using KiCad 9 or 10 who want an agent to handle placement, routing passes, checks and part sourcing.
- How much does KiCAD MCP Server cost for a team or in production?
- Free under MIT. Konnect, the successor, is free for individuals and open source under AGPL-3.0 and sold under commercial licences to businesses; prices are not published in the README.
- Is KiCAD MCP Server safe for company data?
- Runs locally against your project files; design data goes to your model provider. JLCPCB lookups and catalogue downloads reach the network. The optional GUI driver listens on 127.0.0.1 with a per-session token only when enabled. The README warns of possible project file corruption and data loss, so keep projects under version control.
- What are the best KiCAD MCP Server alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are OpenSCAD MCP and MCP for Blender.
Answers checked Oct 31, 2026.