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KiCad MCP — AI Agent Integration Guide

kiCad-mcp-pro is an MCP server that exposes KiCad PCB design capabilities as tools for AI agents: board inspection, schematic/PCB review, DRC/ERC, DFM, manufacturing export, SPICE simulation, and more.

Supported Agents

Agent Local STDIO Remote HTTP Skills App UI
Claude Code ✅ Supported ✅ Supported ✅ Supported —
Codex CLI ✅ Supported ✅ Supported Via AGENTS.md —
Gemini CLI ✅ Supported ✅ Supported — —
OpenCode ✅ Supported ✅ Supported — ✅ Plugin
VS Code / Copilot ✅ Supported ✅ Supported — Experimental
Cursor ✅ Supported ⚠️ Verify ✅ Supported —
Claude Desktop ✅ Supported — — —
Claude.ai Web ❌ No ✅ Supported — Limited
ChatGPT Web ❌ No ✅ Supported — ✅ Apps SDK
Antigravity ⚠️ Verify ✅ Supported — —
Cline ✅ Supported ✅ Supported ✅ Reusable —
Windsurf ✅ Supported ✅ Supported — —
Continue ✅ Supported ✅ Supported — —
Zed ✅ Supported ✅ Supported — —

Quick Start

# Install
pipx install kicad-mcp-pro

# Run diagnostics
kicad-mcp-pro doctor

# Generate config for your agent
kicad-mcp-pro mcp-config generate --client claude

# Or use the setup wizard
kicad-mcp-pro setup

Architecture Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    AI Agent Host                         │
│  (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, ChatGPT, etc.)        │
└──────────┬──────────────────────────────────┬───────────┘
           │ STDIO / HTTP                     │ HTTP
           ▼                                  ▼
┌──────────────────────┐         ┌──────────────────────────┐
│  Local KiCad MCP     │         │  Remote KiCad MCP Cloud  │
│  (uvx kicad-mcp-pro) │         │  (Public HTTPS endpoint) │
│  Full tool access    │         │  Read-only tools         │
│  Direct file access  │         │  Upload analysis         │
└──────────────────────┘         └──────────────────────────┘

Deployment Profiles

See integrations/common/profiles.md for the four deployment profiles: 1. Local STDIO — maximum capability, direct KiCad CLI access 2. Local HTTP — loopback-only for IDE integration 3. Remote Cloud — public HTTPS for ChatGPT/Claude.ai web 4. Hybrid Bridge — cloud + local bridge (V2)

Security

Always start with read-only mode. Enable write tools only for trusted projects.

  • Destructive tools require explicit user approval
  • Remote apps cannot directly access your local KiCad installation
  • Uploaded project archives may contain untrusted content
  • See security.md for detailed guidance