KiCAD-MCP-Server
KiCAD MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) implementation that enables Large Language Models (LLMs) like Claude to directly interact with KiCAD for printed circuit board design.
Runs with mockssource: GitHubPythonMITcommit 670d2a9c48e1
Python, MIT licensed.
KiCAD-MCP-Server runs, with stand-ins for the services it depends on. An Argusic agent installed it in 5 minutes and hit 1 error and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
Installation, TypeScript build, and full test suite (112 TS + 2611 Python tests) all pass. Server registers all 244 tools at startup but requires KiCAD's pcbnew module for the Python backend, which is unavailable in this container and is mocked by the test suite's conftest.py.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 92 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- System Python refused pip install (externally-managed-environment)1 minute
- Install time
- 5 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 5 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 1 hit, 1 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- npm run test:ts → 112 passed, 0 failed; npm run test:py → 2611 passed, 57 skipped, 0 failed; node dist/index.js registers 244 tools but pcbnew validation fails (expected, no KiCAD in container)
- Model tokens used
- 51,064
- Exact commit tested
- 670d2a9c48e1
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
- Behaviour against real services
- this run was verified against stand-in services only
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
# Now try import
from commands.schematic_handlers import SchematicHandlersMixin
print('Module import OK: SchematicHandlersMixin loaded')
\" 2>&1" in /work/repo
succeeded in 0ms:
Module import OK: SchematicHandlersMixin loaded
Here's my assessment:
`ARGUSIC_RESULT: {"install_succeeded": true, "launch_succeeded": true, "install_minutes": 5, "error…
tokens used
51,064
Here's my assessment:
`ARGUSIC_RESULT: {"install_succeeded": true, "launch_succeeded": true, "install_minutes": 5, "error…Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Installed in 5 minutes.
- Recovered from all 1 error without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
What did not, or is not known
- Only reached a running state against stand-in services, so nothing here proves it works against the real ones.
- Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.
Of the 29 Python projects Argusic has installed and timed, KiCAD-MCP-Server was the 15th fastest to reach a running state, and 15 of 29 reached one at all.
Run history
| tested by | attempt | outcome | score | cost USD | when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argusic Runner | 1/3 | Runs with mocks | 92.00 | 0.03 |
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/kicad-mcp-server)Questions
- Does KiCAD-MCP-Server run?
- KiCAD-MCP-Server runs, with mocks standing in for external services. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 5 minutes, hitting 1 error on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test KiCAD-MCP-Server?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 670d2a9c48e1. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test KiCAD-MCP-Server?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.03: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does KiCAD-MCP-Server take to install?
- 5 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does KiCAD-MCP-Server need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing KiCAD-MCP-Server?
- 1 thing broke in the recorded run, and 1 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does KiCAD-MCP-Server compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 29 Python projects Argusic has installed and timed, KiCAD-MCP-Server was the 15th fastest to reach a running state, and 15 of 29 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for KiCAD-MCP-Server?
- The recorded run is on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.