kicad-mcp-kipy

KiCad MCP server for KiCad 10 — powered by kipy, the official KiCad Python API.

Connects AI assistants (Claude, Bob, etc.) to a running KiCad 10 instance via the Model Context Protocol, enabling real-time inspection and control of schematics and PCB layouts.

Why kicad-mcp-kipy?

	kicad-mcp (Huaqiu)	kicad-mcp-kipy
KiCad 10 support	❌ (KiCad 9 JSON API)	✅ (KiCad 10 Protobuf API)
macOS process detection	❌ (Issue #3)	✅
Dependencies	115 packages	~40 packages
Python API	Custom JSON/NNG	kipy (official KiCad bindings)

Requirements

• KiCad 10.x (macOS / Linux / Windows)
• Python 3.11+
• uv (recommended) or pip

Installation

Using uvx (recommended — no install needed)

uvx kicad-mcp-kipy

Using pip

pip install kicad-mcp-kipy
kicad-mcp-kipy

Setup

1. Enable KiCad IPC API

In KiCad's Schematic Editor or PCB Editor:

Preferences → Preferences → Scripting → Enable IPC API ✅

2. Register in your MCP client (Bob / Claude Desktop)

.bob/mcp.json (workspace-level):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kicad": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["kicad-mcp-kipy"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kicad": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["kicad-mcp-kipy"]
    }
  }
}

3. Open a project in KiCad

Open your schematic or PCB file in KiCad before connecting — the IPC API is only active when an editor is open.

Available Tools

General

Tool	Description
get_kicad_version	Get running KiCad version
get_open_documents	List open schematic / PCB files
run_action	Execute a KiCad menu action (e.g. "zoom_fit_in_window")

Schematic

Tool	Description
schematic_get_symbols	Get all symbols (reference, value, position)
schematic_get_labels	Get all net labels
schematic_get_title_block	Get title block info
schematic_get_as_string	Get schematic as KiCad S-expression text
schematic_get_hierarchy	Get hierarchical sheet structure
schematic_save	Save the schematic

PCB

Tool	Description
pcb_get_footprints	Get all footprints (reference, value, position, layer)
pcb_get_tracks	Get all tracks (start, end, layer, width)
pcb_get_vias	Get all vias (position, drill size)
pcb_get_nets	Get all nets (name, number)
pcb_get_enabled_layers	Get enabled layer list
pcb_get_stackup	Get board stackup (layer structure, thickness)
pcb_get_title_block	Get PCB title block info
pcb_get_as_string	Get PCB as KiCad S-expression text
pcb_save	Save the PCB

How it works

AI Assistant (MCP Client)
    ↕  stdio (JSON-RPC)
kicad-mcp-kipy (MCP Server)
    ↕  pynng / NNG IPC socket  (/tmp/kicad/api.sock)
KiCad 10 IPC API Server (built-in)
    ↕  C++ SDK
KiCad Schematic / PCB Editor

KiCad 10 exposes a Protobuf-based IPC API over a local NNG socket. kipy provides Python bindings for this API. This server wraps those bindings as MCP tools.

Development

git clone https://github.com/mnori0211/kicad-mcp-kipy
cd kicad-mcp-kipy
uv sync
uv run kicad-mcp-kipy

Related

• kipy (kicad-python) — Official KiCad Python API bindings
• kicad-mcp (Huaqiu) — Alternative MCP server (KiCad 9)
• Model Context Protocol

License

MIT — see LICENSE