KiCAD

KiCad 9 must be installed with its bundled Python module. On Ubuntu/Debian add the official PPA; on macOS install the .dmg from kicad.org; on Windows use the installer. After installation verify the Python scripting module is accessible.

python3 -c "import pcbnew; print(pcbnew.GetBuildVersion())"

Clone the repository, install Node and Python dependencies, then compile the TypeScript source. On macOS, first create a virtual environment that includes KiCad's site-packages so pcbnew is importable.

git clone https://github.com/mixelpixx/KiCAD-MCP-Server.git
cd KiCAD-MCP-Server
npm install
pip3 install -r requirements.txt
npm run build

The server needs PYTHONPATH pointing to KiCad's Python packages. The path differs by OS: Linux uses /usr/lib/kicad/lib/python3/dist-packages, macOS uses the path inside the .app bundle, and Windows uses the path under Program Files.

# Linux
export PYTHONPATH=/usr/lib/kicad/lib/python3/dist-packages
# macOS
export PYTHONPATH=/Applications/KiCad/KiCad.app/Contents/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages
# Windows
# PYTHONPATH=C:\Program Files\KiCad\10.0\lib\python3\dist-packages

Add the server entry to your MCP client configuration file using the absolute path to the built dist/index.js. Set PYTHONPATH to match your platform's KiCad Python location found in the previous step.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kicad": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/KiCAD-MCP-Server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/usr/lib/kicad/lib/python3/dist-packages",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

Fully restart Claude Desktop or your MCP client so it picks up the new configuration. Then send a test message to confirm the server loads and KiCad is reachable.

Set KICAD_MCP_DEV=1 in the env block to capture full tool call history in the logs/ directory. Useful for debugging; review logs before sharing projects publicly.

{
  "env": {
    "KICAD_MCP_DEV": "1",
    "LOG_LEVEL": "debug"
  }
}