KiCad MCP Server

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• kicad_mcp/tools/project_tools.py:56-60 (handler)

  The handler function for the 'open_project' tool, decorated with @mcp.tool() and delegating to the helper function open_kicad_project.

  @mcp.tool()
  def open_project(project_path: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
      """Open a KiCad project in KiCad."""
      return open_kicad_project(project_path)

• kicad_mcp/server.py:149-149 (registration)

  Top-level registration call in the main server creation that registers all project tools, including 'open_project', via register_project_tools.

  register_project_tools(mcp)

• kicad_mcp/utils/kicad_utils.py:88-123 (helper)

  Supporting utility function that executes the subprocess command to open the KiCad project in the appropriate application based on the operating system.

  def open_kicad_project(project_path: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
      """Open a KiCad project using the KiCad application.
      
      Args:
          project_path: Path to the .kicad_pro file
          
      Returns:
          Dictionary with result information
      """
      if not os.path.exists(project_path):
          return {"success": False, "error": f"Project not found: {project_path}"}
      
      try:
          cmd = []
          if sys.platform == "darwin":  # macOS
              # On MacOS, use the 'open' command to open the project in KiCad
              cmd = ["open", "-a", config.KICAD_APP_PATH, project_path]
          elif sys.platform == "linux": # Linux
              # On Linux, use 'xdg-open'
              cmd = ["xdg-open", project_path]
          else:
              # Fallback or error for unsupported OS
              return {"success": False, "error": f"Unsupported operating system: {sys.platform}"}
  
          result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
          
          return {
              "success": result.returncode == 0,
              "command": " ".join(cmd),
              "output": result.stdout,
              "error": result.stderr if result.returncode != 0 else None
          }
      
      except Exception as e:
          return {"success": False, "error": str(e)}