KiCAD meets MCP: one binary, 226 tools, zero Python plumbing

What it does

Konnect is a native KiCAD 10 plugin that exposes 226 board-design tools to any MCP-compatible LLM. It lets an AI place components, wire schematics, route traces, run ERC/DRC checks, export Gerbers, and search a local JLCPCB catalog — all through a single static binary instead of a fragile chain of Node.js, Python, and SWIG proxies.

The interesting bit

The project is a ground-up rewrite of an earlier Python/TypeScript server that the author openly treats as an architectural cautionary tale: tool calls traversed four language-and-serialization boundaries, stdout parsing had to filter leaks from KiCAD itself, and SWIG bindings could segfault on zone fills or silently swap backends mid-session. Konnect replaces that with one process, one language, and direct protobuf-over-NNG IPC to KiCAD 10.

Key highlights

• One ~9 MB static Rust binary; no npm, pip, or wxPython to version-match
• 226 tools across 21 on-demand toolsets to keep context usage low (~2K token starter kit vs. 23K for the full catalog)
• Real-time PCB edits via KiCAD 10’s official IPC API with full undo/redo integration
• Schematic edits use atomic file writes, UUID preservation, and round-trip tests rather than third-party libraries
• Built-in observability (get_recent_calls, server_stats, JSONL logs) so the model can diagnose its own failures

Caveats

• Beta release; the author explicitly notes it wants real-world mileage and review
• macOS builds are not yet code-signed and the live schematic viewer has had less testing than Windows
• The optional native Specctra bridge for autorouting is disabled by default and described as not the KiCAD 11 integration path

Verdict

Hardware hackers and PCB designers who want Claude or Codex to manipulate KiCAD 10 projects directly should look here; anyone still on KiCAD 9 or allergic to beta tools should wait.