KiCad Tools: MCP server, setup and security

What KiCad Tools does

According to its repository: “KiCad EDA automation: schematic capture, PCB layout, ERC, DRC and Gerber, BOM and 3D exports for KiCad 9 and 10.”

An MCP server gives an AI agent extra tools it calls during the conversation: the agent reads their description, decides to use them and gets the result back. KiCad Tools is listed under Smart home and IoT, a category of 34 servers in the directory, where it ranks #24 by stars.

Topics declared by the repository: claude, claude-code, drc, eda, electronics, erc.

Installing and connecting KiCad Tools

Distribution modes declared in the official MCP registry:

• PyPI package (Python, started with uvx or pip)

Like any MCP server, you declare it in your client's configuration (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex…): a name, the command that starts it or its URL, and any environment variables. The client then starts it and lists its tools. Project language: Python.

Security: what to check

An MCP server runs code with the rights you give it, and the model reads its tool descriptions: a malicious or compromised server can hijack the agent. Read the code, or pick a maintained and widely used server, before connecting it.

None of the risk signals we track (system access, secrets, missing licence, abandonment) applies to KiCad Tools. That does not replace reading the code.

Good practice: grant only the rights needed (least privilege), require human approval for irreversible actions, and run the AI agent security check.

Project activity and maintenance

Created on March 9, 2026, the ProductOfAmerica/mcp-server-kicad repository has 15 stars and 7 forks, with 34 open issues. It has more stars than 33% of the servers in the directory. It received changes this month. Version published in the registry: 0.21.1 (October 20, 2026).

Stars measure attention, not quality: a recent, heavily promoted project can collect them fast, while a useful but niche server will have few.