kicad-jlcpcb

kicad-jlcpcb

From "I want a board that does X" to a wired .kicad_pcb EasyEDA can auto-route and JLCPCB can build — in a single Claude Code conversation.

kicad-jlcpcb is a Claude Code plugin + MCP server that automates the tedious half of going from idea to fab. It sources LCSC parts with a hard preference for JLCPCB basic-library stock, auto-fetches pin maps from EasyEDA, places KiCad-stdlib footprints, wires every net by pin name (not pad number), and hands off a .kicad_pcb that EasyEDA can route and order in two clicks.

┌─ you ──────────────────────────────────┐
│  /pcb-new An ESP32-C3 soil-moisture    │
│          sensor, USB-C, 3.3V LDO...    │
└────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                 │
   ┌─────────────▼─────────────┐
   │  kicad-jlcpcb MCP server  │
   │  • source parts (LCSC)    │
   │  • fetch pin maps         │
   │  • place + wire footprints│
   │  • save .kicad_pcb        │
   └─────────────┬─────────────┘
                 │
       drag into easyeda.com
                 │
             Auto Route
                 │
          Order via JLCPCB

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Why this plugin

Three recurring friction points in small-batch PCB work, automated:

1. "Is this part basic or extended on JLCPCB?" — You stop needing to cross-reference LCSC's UI. The plugin's SQLite-cached jlcparts mirror answers in milliseconds and always prefers basic-tier (no $3/part assembly setup fee).
2. "What's the right pad number for this IC's GPIO10?" — You stop reading datasheets to build netlists. The plugin queries EasyEDA by LCSC C-number, caches the pin-name → pad-number map, and lets you reference pins by their functional names.
3. "Why is my auto-router failing?" — You stop fighting Freerouting on RF boards. The plugin stops at "wired .kicad_pcb" and hands off to EasyEDA's cloud auto-router, which works on real designs.

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Quick tour

• Two slash commands: /pcb-new (from a description) and /pcb-from-bom (from a CSV).
• One agent: part-sourcer — finds the best JLCPCB-stocked part for a generic spec.
• One skill: kicad-jlcpcb-workflow — the full reference the LLM consults while driving the workflow.
• 13 MCP tools covering setup, sourcing, schematic, PCB generation, EasyEDA handoff, and session resume.
• Session persistence — each project writes a .kicad_jlcpcb_session.json so /pcb-new can resume mid-flow after a Claude Code restart.

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Requirements

Component	Version	Notes
Python	3.10 – 3.13	Tested on all four
KiCad	8.0+	kicad-cli on PATH, pcbnew Python bindings for pcb_generate
EasyEDA account	free	Only needed for the final routing + ordering step

Install KiCad:

• Fedora 40+: sudo dnf install kicad
• Ubuntu 22.04+: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kicad/kicad-9.0-releases && sudo apt install kicad
• Arch: sudo pacman -Syu kicad
• macOS: kicad.org/download

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Install

Distributed via GitHub only — no PyPI, no marketplace. Clone and install locally.

1. Clone + install (virtualenv recommended)

git clone https://github.com/BeckhamLabsLLC/kicad-jlcpcb.git
cd kicad-jlcpcb
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate     # Windows: .\.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"

The editable install puts a kicad-jlcpcb entry-point script in the venv's bin/. .mcp.json calls that script directly; if the venv isn't active when Claude Code launches, point .mcp.json at the absolute path:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kicad-jlcpcb": {
      "command": "/abs/path/to/kicad-jlcpcb/.venv/bin/kicad-jlcpcb",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

If you'd rather install into your user Python without a venv, substitute pip install -e . after cd kicad-jlcpcb and skip the venv lines. The entry-point lands in ~/.local/bin instead.

2. Register with Claude Code

/plugin marketplace add /abs/path/to/kicad-jlcpcb
/plugin install kicad-jlcpcb@local

Restart Claude Code so the MCP server registers.

3. Sanity check

kicad-jlcpcb --help     # should print nothing (MCP servers speak JSON-RPC on stdio), exit 0

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Five-minute quick-start

Pick a small idea — an ESP32-C3 board with one sensor, a USB-C port, and an LDO works well. Run: