KiCad 10.0.3 Feature Parity
This page is the human-readable view of compatibility.yaml kicad10FeatureParity. It tracks KiCad 10.0.3 parity separately from the current KiCad 11 readiness plan so release gates stay focused on the stable KiCad line.
Status vocabulary:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
supported | Product support exists and is backed by a test, fixture, command probe, or smoke path. |
not-applicable | KiCad-native GUI behavior is intentionally outside the extension or MCP product surface. |
partial | Some product support exists, but a tracked gap remains. |
blocked | Product support is intentionally prevented by an upstream or policy boundary. |
future | The upstream feature exists or is expected, but product adoption is scheduled separately. |
Importers
| Feature id | State | Product boundary | Evidence or issue |
|---|---|---|---|
altium | supported | Extension import command and MCP manufacturing probe after kicad-cli pcb import --help advertises the format. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/importCommands.test.ts |
allegro | blocked | Extension command is registered for future compatibility but hidden unless CLI support appears. | #179, kicad-10-0-3-regressions |
cadstar | supported | Extension command is probe-gated by CLI help. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/importCommands.test.ts |
eagle | supported | Extension command is probe-gated by CLI help. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/importCommands.test.ts |
fabmaster | supported | Extension command is probe-gated by CLI help. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/importCommands.test.ts |
geda_lepton | supported | Extension and MCP support require the installed CLI to advertise geda. | packages/mcp-server/tests/integration/test_manufacturing_tools.py |
pads | supported | Extension, MCP, fixture, and canary coverage exercise the PADS import boundary. | packages/mcp-server/tests/unit/test_kicad_canary.py |
pcad | supported | Extension command is probe-gated by CLI help. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/importCommands.test.ts |
solidworks | supported | Extension command is probe-gated by CLI help. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/importCommands.test.ts |
Exports
| Feature id | State | Product boundary | Evidence or issue |
|---|---|---|---|
gerber | supported | MCP manufacturing and extension export workflows depend on the KiCad CLI Gerber export. | packages/mcp-server/scripts/kicad_canary.py |
drill | supported | MCP manufacturing and extension export workflows depend on the KiCad CLI drill export. | packages/mcp-server/scripts/kicad_canary.py |
pdf | supported | Schematic and PCB PDF exports are part of the primary KiCad canary plan. | packages/mcp-server/tests/unit/test_kicad_canary.py |
pcb_pdf_property_popup_suppression | supported | KiCad 10.0.3-specific PDF flag is covered by a fixture and canary probe. | kicad-10-0-3-regressions |
ipc2581 | supported | Extension command and MCP export_ipc2581 tool both expose the export. | packages/mcp-server/tests/integration/test_pcb_export_validation_surface.py |
odbpp | supported | Extension command and MCP export_odb tool expose ODB++ behind capability checks. | packages/mcp-server/tests/integration/test_export_tools.py |
step | supported | MCP export_step and export_3d_step tools cover the KiCad CLI STEP export. | packages/mcp-server/tests/integration/test_export_tools.py |
stepz | supported | MCP export_stepz exposes KiCad's stpz CLI export for headless STEPZ/GZIP-compressed STEP output. | packages/mcp-server/tests/integration/test_export_tools.py |
xao | supported | MCP export_xao exposes the KiCad CLI XAO export for headless interchange workflows. | packages/mcp-server/tests/integration/test_export_tools.py |
GUI Editor
| Feature id | State | Product boundary | Evidence or issue |
|---|---|---|---|
design_blocks | supported | Product support is headless through parser coverage and MCP pcb_block_* tools. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/sExpressionParser.test.ts |
graphical_drc_rule_editor | not-applicable | The native GUI editor remains a KiCad-owned surface; product support is textual .kicad_dru guidance and diagnostics. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/drcRulesProvider.test.ts |
variants | supported | Extension variants view and MCP variant_* tools cover list, activation, diff, and export integration. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/variantProvider.test.ts |
barcode_support | supported | MCP pcb_add_barcode supports headless barcode insertion; visual editing stays in KiCad. | packages/mcp-server/tests/unit/test_kicad10_parity_tools.py |
time_domain_tuning | supported | MCP tuning helpers model and validate routing intent; the native interactive routing UX remains KiCad-owned. | packages/mcp-server/tests/integration/test_routing_tools.py |
IPC
| Feature id | State | Product boundary | Evidence or issue |
|---|---|---|---|
kicad_python_ipc | supported | KiCad IPC is the supported live-editor direction for current and future KiCad lines. | packages/mcp-server/tests/gui/test_kicad_gui_live_context.py |
swig_pcbnew_direct_dependency | blocked | Production direct pcbnew imports are forbidden because SWIG bindings are deprecated. | #197 |
Product Surfaces
| Feature id | State | Product boundary | Evidence or issue |
|---|---|---|---|
status_surface | supported | The extension status bar and command menu expose detected KiCad line and feature gates. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/kicadCliSupport.test.ts |
importer_command_gating | supported | Import commands are unavailable until the matching CLI capability probe passes. | apps/vscode-extension/test/unit/importCommands.test.ts |
server_info_capability_contract | supported | MCP server-info compatibility and capability payloads are schema and docs gated. | packages/mcp-server/tests/unit/test_server_info_contract.py |
empty_project_read_tools | partial | File-backed empty-project behavior is tracked outside this matrix. | #228 |
ipc_state_consistency | partial | IPC lifecycle consistency is tracked in the MCP compatibility milestone. | #223 |
Release
| Feature id | State | Product boundary | Evidence or issue |
|---|---|---|---|
vsix_provenance | supported | VSIX release evidence includes checksums, SBOM, and artifact attestations. | .github/workflows/publish-extension.yml |
wheel_provenance | supported | Python release evidence includes checksums, SBOM, trusted publishing, and attestations. | .github/workflows/publish-python.yml |
npm_tarball_provenance | supported | npm launcher release evidence includes checksums, SBOM, and provenance. | .github/workflows/publish-npm.yml |
KiCad 11 Readiness
KiCad 11 readiness is represented separately from KiCad 10.0.3 parity:
| Feature id | State | Product boundary | Evidence or issue |
|---|---|---|---|
protocol_upgrade | future | MCP protocol and KiCad 11 support planning remain separate from the stable KiCad 10 gate. | #197 |
nightly_canary | supported | Manual nightly canary commands track prerelease behavior without changing the stable support line. | corepack pnpm run test:kicad-cli-contract:nightly |
swig_removal_guard | supported | The direct-pcbnew guard keeps production code away from APIs planned for removal. | packages/mcp-server/scripts/check_no_pcbnew.py |
Validation
Linux and macOS:
bash
corepack pnpm run check:compatibility
corepack pnpm run test:contract
corepack pnpm run test:fixtures1
2
3
2
3
Windows 11 PowerShell:
powershell
corepack pnpm run check:compatibility
corepack pnpm run test:contract
corepack pnpm run test:fixtures1
2
3
2
3
The compatibility gate verifies that every supported item has product evidence, every partial or blocked item links a GitHub issue, and every feature id in the matrix appears on this page.
Source Verification
Checked on 2026-05-27: