KiCad Studio Kit

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Getting Started ​

This guide walks you through your first KiCad Studio experience. It takes about 15 minutes.

1. Install VS Code and the Extension ​

  1. Install VS Code (1.101.0 or later).
  2. Open VS Code, go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
  3. Search for KiCad Studio Kit and click Install.
  4. After installation, the KiCad Studio icon appears in the Activity Bar.

Tip: You can also download the .vsix from GitHub Releases and install via Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX....

2. (Optional) Install kicad-cli ​

Some features (DRC, ERC, exports) need kicad-cli. Install the full KiCad application from kicad.org to get it.

To verify:

bash
kicad-cli --version

If auto-detection fails, set the path in VS Code Settings → kicadstudio.kicadCliPath.

3. Open a KiCad Project ​

  1. Click File → Open Folder (Ctrl+K Ctrl+O).
  2. Select a folder that contains a .kicad_pro file (any KiCad project).
  3. The KiCad Project view in the Activity Bar sidebar shows your project tree.

No project yet? Download the LED Basic example from the repository.

Multi-root and multi-project workspaces ​

KiCad Studio discovers every .kicad_pro file across all folders of a multi-root workspace, so a single window can contain several KiCad projects. Commands, views, diagnostics, and the MCP context all operate on one active project at a time:

  • The active project name is shown in the status bar. Click it to switch.
  • Run KiCad: Select Active Project from the Command Palette, or use the selector button in the KiCad Project view title bar.
  • With one project the active project is chosen automatically; with several it is chosen from your last selection (persisted per workspace), then the project owning the active file, then the first project alphabetically.
  • Switching the active project refreshes the project tree, variants, diagnostics, and the live MCP context. If the selected project is removed, the extension falls back to another available project automatically.

4. View a Schematic ​

  1. In the project tree, click any .kicad_sch file.
  2. The schematic opens in the built-in KiCad Schematic Viewer.
  3. Use the toolbar to zoom, pan, and toggle layers.

5. View a PCB ​

  1. Click a .kicad_pcb file in the project tree.
  2. The PCB opens in the built-in KiCad PCB Viewer.
  3. Use the layer panel to show/hide copper layers, silkscreen, etc.

6. Run Design Checks ​

  1. Open the Validation view in the sidebar.
  2. Click Run DRC (Design Rule Check) or Run ERC (Electrical Rule Check).
  3. Results appear in the Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M).

7. Export Files ​

  1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P).
  2. Type KiCad: Export and choose an export format:
    • Gerber Files — for PCB fabrication
    • PDF (Schematic) or PDF (PCB) — documentation
    • Interactive HTML BOM — shareable bill of materials
    • Pick and Place — assembly file
    • 3D Model (GLB/BREP/PLY) — mechanical integration

Exports go to the kicad-studio-output/ folder in your project directory.

8. (Optional) Connect kicad-mcp-pro ​

For AI-assisted workflows — quality gates, fix queues, design intent forms:

  1. Install kicad-mcp-pro: pip install kicad-mcp-pro
  2. Launch it in HTTP mode: kicad-mcp-pro --port 27185
  3. In VS Code, run KiCad: Setup MCP Integration from the Command Palette.
  4. Open the MCP & Tools sidebar view — it should show "Connected".

See MCP Overview for transport options and profiles.

9. Try AI Features ​

  1. Open the AI Chat panel (sidebar or Ctrl+Shift+I).
  2. Ask: "Summarize the DRC violations" or "Explain this schematic block".
  3. Configure your AI provider in Settings → KiCad Studio → AI if not already set.

10. Next Steps ​

Released under the MIT License.

Copyright 2026 Osman Aslan and contributors.