KiCad MCP Pro is a Model Context Protocol server for KiCad EDA workflows. It exposes tools, resources, and prompts for schematic, PCB, validation, DFM, and manufacturing export automation.

The server now starts with the bounded default profile: 24 read-only review tools instead of the complete expert catalog. Use build with write mode for controlled edits, release with manufacturing mode for human-gated handoff, or expert/full only for advanced trusted clients. Current catalog counts and context-size estimates come from docs/evidence/progressive-disclosure-profile-snapshot.json; see docs/agents/progressive-disclosure.md.

Telemetry and error reporting are disabled by default. Opt-in OpenTelemetry configuration is documented in docs/configuration.md, and privacy rules are documented in docs/privacy.md.

Scope and honesty

KiCad MCP Pro is a professional first-pass design and review assistant, not an automated sign-off authority. ERC/DRC and the export pipeline drive KiCad's own engines. The signal-integrity, power-integrity, EMC, and thermal tools are first-order, closed-form estimates (typically ~5–10% accuracy) — fast first-pass review, not a substitute for a 2D/3D field solver, EM/FEA simulation, or formal sign-off. Live component sourcing uses the JLCPCB public catalog by default; Nexar, DigiKey, and Mouser are available only when their API credentials are configured. What fraction of KiCad's programmatic surface the server drives is tracked openly in the capability-parity matrix. Raw tool count and capability coverage are inventory metrics, not the headline product-quality measure. End-to-end task outcome, mutation recovery, corruption, required DRC execution, and manufacturing reproducibility are the outcome KPIs. The committed native-live example evidence intentionally reports insufficient_evidence; representative-corpus target attainment remains separate until the qualification work in #730 is complete.

Project identity

Quick Start

Desktop App

Download the latest installer from the GitHub releases page. The Tauri desktop app starts the Python dashboard server automatically and opens the GUI at http://127.0.0.1:3334/ui. Desktop releases launch the matching exact backend version and verify its desktop compatibility handshake before use; see Installation.

CLI

uvx kicad-mcp-pro init
uvx kicad-mcp-pro tray
uvx kicad-mcp-pro dashboard --open
uvx kicad-mcp-pro --transport streamable-http --port 3334

Web Dashboard

uvx kicad-mcp-pro dashboard --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3334 --open
# http://127.0.0.1:3334/ui

Documentation

The documentation is organized from setup to operation:

1. Installation
2. Client configuration
3. Runtime configuration
4. Tool reference
5. Workflows
6. Release process
7. Security and privacy
8. KiCad capability parity — how much of KiCad's programmatic surface this server drives
9. Error code catalog — stable error codes, retry classes, and recovery
10. Work-order audit — current status of the hardening work order

The kicad_capability_parity() tool reports, per workflow domain, what fraction of KiCad's programmatically reachable surface this server can drive (currently 76.3%), keeping genuine gaps distinct from gui-only-no-api items that KiCad exposes no headless API for.

The published documentation site is available at https://oaslananka.github.io/kicad-mcp-pro/.

Transports

KiCad MCP Pro supports stdio and Streamable HTTP. Streamable HTTP is served at /mcp by default and can be moved with KICAD_MCP_MOUNT_PATH.

uvx kicad-mcp-pro --transport streamable-http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3334

Streamable HTTP clients must send:

• Accept: application/json, text/event-stream
• Content-Type: application/json
• MCP-Protocol-Version: 2025-11-25 after initialization
• MCP-Session-Id on follow-up requests when KICAD_MCP_STATEFUL_HTTP=1

By default Streamable HTTP is stateless, so ChatGPT-style connectors can initialize and call tools/list without a session-header injection proxy. Set KICAD_MCP_STATEFUL_HTTP=1 to require session IDs after initialize.

The deprecated HTTP+SSE fallback routes are disabled by default. Set KICAD_MCP_LEGACY_SSE=1 only for older clients that cannot use Streamable HTTP.

Install

Published packages:

uvx kicad-mcp-pro --help
npx kicad-mcp-pro --help

Fresh source checkout on supported Linux hosts:

./scripts/bootstrap-dev.sh
source .dev-env.sh
pnpm run dev:doctor -- --ci

The repository bootstrap installs checksum-pinned Python, uv/uvx, Node.js, pnpm, Task, and Rust tooling into ignored checkout-local roots and performs frozen dependency installation. It does not modify global tool directories. See the reproducible bootstrap guide for --core-only, --check, cleanup, upgrade, and KiCad capability modes.

Package metadata

The canonical metadata inputs are pyproject.toml for package version and repository identity, and compatibility.yaml for KiCad and MCP support policy. server.json is the generated registry manifest. pnpm run metadata:sync renders the public surfaces, and pnpm run metadata:check verifies them in CI and release validation.

Usage

Use kicad-mcp-pro --help to inspect CLI commands and docs/client-configuration.md to configure an MCP client. The generated tool catalog is available in docs/tools-reference.generated.md.

Agent plugin and skills