Open KiCad MCP server

Connect your design agents to the KiCad session already on screen.

KiPilot is an open-source MCP server that lets GitHub Copilot, Claude, and other MCP-aware agents work against a live KiCad PCB workflow through the official IPC path. Agents can inspect board context, preview controlled edits, and apply approved changes while the KiCad UI remains the source of truth.

Why KiPilot

KiPilot matters when the job is bigger than a click.

If you already know the exact KiCad button to press, the native UI is faster. KiPilot becomes valuable when you want an agent to inspect the live board, reason across many objects, and carry out a controlled sequence of PCB edits while you watch the result in KiCad.

01

Not worth an agent on its own

These are useful low-level actions, but weak standalone reasons to involve an LLM.

  • "Drop a via at this point."
  • "Rotate this one footprint by 90 degrees."
  • "Turn on the F.Cu layer."
  • "Move this single part by 1 mm."
02

Strong board-understanding requests

This is where natural language starts to save time: the agent can find, filter, and explain the right PCB objects before you touch the layout.

  • "List everything tied to the 3V3 net."
  • "Find every 0402 resistor on the top layer."
  • "Tell me which netclass this net belongs to."
  • "Inspect the USB diff-pair area, flag suspicious stubs, and select the affected items."
03

Strong board-changing requests

The agent earns its keep when one request expands into many precise PCB actions with constraints, context, and reviewable output.

  • "Pull the decoupling capacitors closer to U5 power pads without breaking clearance, and keep them on the top side."
  • "Find missing GND stitching along this board edge, propose vias, then place them every 5 mm."
  • "Re-group the connector area while keeping silkscreen readable."
  • "Move all 3V3 test points to the top layer and align them in one row."
  • "Shift this whole functional block and report which copper still needs manual rerouting."
  • "Update the board title block, assembly-relevant footprint attributes, and position-export fields together."
What KiPilot is actually for

Intent in, board-aware workflow out.

KiPilot becomes compelling when the request is not a single click, but a board-level task. The agent can inspect the live PCB, find the related objects, apply consistent changes across them, and keep the whole workflow reviewable in the KiCad UI.

Where it becomes genuinely useful
  • "Clean up this board region using these rules."
  • "Make room for this module."
  • "Reorganize this block using the layout pattern from the previous board."
  • "Find the related objects and apply consistent changes across them."

This is already too much repetitive work, context switching, and error-prone clicking to be pleasant by hand. That is where an agent starts saving real time.

Features

PCB editing first, with schematic work kept as a version-gated next step.

KiPilot is focused on the live KiCad board editor today. The current product story is PCB-aware editing and board-context assistance, while schematic editing stays explicitly tied to future KiCad 11-level support.

  • Work against the PCB editor that is already open in KiCad
  • Inspect live board context before or during edits
  • Treat SCH editing as a future capability, not baseline availability today

GitHub

A public GitHub repository that shows exactly what an MCP host can call.

The server is inspectable, installable from source, and built around a concrete MCP tool surface rather than an opaque desktop automation layer.

KiPilot is published as an open repository so teams can inspect the code, run it on their own machines, and understand the MCP surface before they connect an agent.

  • Python MCP server for a live KiCad session
  • Setup notes for VS Code, Claude, and other stdio MCP clients
  • Tool names and behavior visible before adoption
Open GitHub repository

Install

Install from source.

KiPilot is distributed as a public source repository. Clone it, install the Python package into an environment you control, then point your MCP host at the stdio server command.

Use the repository as the entry point for code review, local installation, issue tracking, and MCP host setup.

  • Open-source MCP server for live KiCad workflows
  • Works with the same local KiCad session you already use
  • Includes a Windows helper script and manual installation steps
Read install docs