KiCad MCP Server Integration

What does “KiCad” MCP Server do?

The KiCad MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server is a tool designed to bridge AI assistants and the KiCad electronic design automation suite. By acting as an intermediary, it allows AI clients to access and interact with KiCad project data, files, and resources on macOS, Windows, or Linux. This integration enhances hardware and PCB development workflows by enabling tasks such as project discovery, file browsing, and context sharing directly via LLM-powered assistants. The KiCad MCP Server supports natural language queries, making it easier for developers and engineers to manage, access, and query their KiCad projects, ultimately streamlining the process of working with complex PCB designs.

List of Prompts

No specific prompt templates are mentioned in the repository or documentation.

List of Resources

• KiCad Project Directories
  • Provides access to user-specified directories containing KiCad projects.
• PCB Design Files
  • Exposes .kicad_pcb and related project files for LLM reference.
• Project Metadata
  • Makes available metadata about projects (name, path, modification times) for contextual queries.

List of Tools

No explicit tools beyond resource access are detailed in the available documentation or server code. No tool definitions found in the repository.

Use Cases of this MCP Server

• Project Discovery and Search
  Developers can ask the AI assistant to search and list all KiCad projects within specified directories, improving efficiency when managing multiple hardware projects.
• File Browsing and Access
  AI clients can browse, open, and reference KiCad PCB and schematic files, streamlining the process of reviewing or editing complex board designs.
• Context Sharing for LLMs
  Enables LLMs to access specific KiCad project files or metadata as context during design discussions or troubleshooting.
• Integration with MCP Clients
  Seamless integration with tools like Claude Desktop allows for automated workflows, such as generating summaries or extracting project insights.
• Cross-Platform PCB Collaboration
  Facilitates team-based access to shared project repositories across Mac, Windows, and Linux, promoting collaborative hardware development.

How to set it up

Windsurf

No explicit Windsurf instructions found in the repository. General MCP setup applies.

Claude

1. Ensure prerequisites: Python 3.10+, KiCad 9.0+, and Claude Desktop installed.
2. Clone the repository and set up a Python virtual environment.
3. Install dependencies with pip install -r requirements.txt.
4. Edit/create ~Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.
5. Add the KiCad MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kicad": {
      "command": "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/YOUR/PROJECT/kicad-mcp/venv/bin/python",
      "args": [
        "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/YOUR/PROJECT/kicad-mcp/main.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

6. Restart Claude Desktop to activate the configuration.

Cursor

No explicit Cursor instructions found in the repository. General MCP JSON config applies.

Cline

No explicit Cline instructions found in the repository. General MCP JSON config applies.

Securing API Keys
Use environment variables in your .env file for sensitive paths or credentials. Example:

KICAD_SEARCH_PATHS=~/pcb,~/Electronics,~/Projects/KiCad

In JSON config (example for env and inputs):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kicad": {
      "command": "...",
      "args": ["..."],
      "env": {
        "KICAD_SEARCH_PATHS": "~/pcb,~/Electronics"
      },
      "inputs": {}
    }
  }
}

How to use this MCP inside flows

Using MCP in FlowHunt

To integrate MCP servers into your FlowHunt workflow, start by adding the MCP component to your flow and connecting it to your AI agent:

Click on the MCP component to open the configuration panel. In the system MCP configuration section, insert your MCP server details using this JSON format:

{
  "kicad": {
    "transport": "streamable_http",
    "url": "https://yourmcpserver.example/pathtothemcp/url"
  }
}

Once configured, the AI agent is now able to use this MCP as a tool with access to all its functions and capabilities. Remember to change “kicad” to whatever the actual name of your MCP server is and replace the URL with your own MCP server URL.

Overview

Our opinion

This MCP server provides foundational integration between KiCad and LLM-powered clients, focusing on resource sharing and project discovery, but lacks advanced prompt or tool customization found in more mature MCP servers. Its documentation is clear for setup, but developer-facing features are minimal.

MCP Score

Based on the above tables, I would rate this MCP server a 4/10: it is easy to install and useful for its niche, but lacks extensibility and mature MCP features such as tools, prompts, or sampling support.