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ltspice-mcp

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LTspice MCP for macOS

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets agents and MCP clients control LTspice on macOS for simulation, schematic generation, data extraction, verification, and rendering.

This project is designed for practical automation: reliable runs, reproducible artifacts, and outputs that match LTspice behavior closely.

Inspired by:

What You Can Do

  • Run LTspice simulations from MCP (simulateNetlistFile, runSimulation, queue tools).

  • Generate and refine schematics (createSchematic*, lint/clean/debug tools).

  • Render real LTspice images for schematics, plots, and symbols.

  • Query RAW vectors and analysis metrics (bandwidth, margins, rise/fall, settling).

  • Automate .meas and assertion-driven verification workflows.

  • Run stepped and Monte Carlo studies with structured results.

Quick Start (5 Minutes)

1) Prerequisites

  • macOS with LTspice installed (/Applications/LTspice.app expected by default).

  • Python 3.11+.

  • uv (recommended) or pip.

2) Install

uv sync

If you prefer pip:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

3) Start the MCP daemon

./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh start
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh status

Default endpoint:

  • http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp

4) Grant macOS permissions once

Required for screenshot/render and some UI automation features.

./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh trigger-initial-permissions
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh check-accessibility

5) Run a smoke test

uv run python smoke_test_mcp.py \
  --transport streamable-http \
  --server-url http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp

Client Configuration

URL-capable MCP clients

[mcp_servers.ltspice]
url = "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp"
enabled = true

Claude Desktop via mcp-remote

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ltspice-mcp": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

stdio (subprocess) mode

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ltspice-mcp": {
      "command": "ltspice-mcp",
      "args": ["--transport", "stdio"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/ltspice-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Core Capabilities by Category

Setup and diagnostics

  • getLtspiceStatus, getLtspiceUiStatus

  • daemonDoctor, tailDaemonLog, getRecentErrors, getCaptureHealth

Simulation and queueing

  • simulateNetlist, simulateNetlistFile, runSimulation

  • queueSimulationJob, listJobs, jobStatus, cancelJob, listJobHistory

Schematic workflows

  • createSchematic, createSchematicFromNetlist, createSchematicFromTemplate

  • validateSchematic, lintSchematic, autoDebugSchematic

  • inspectSchematicVisualQuality, autoCleanSchematicLayout

Data, measurements, and verification

  • getPlotNames, getVectorsInfo, getVectorData, getLocalExtrema

  • getBandwidth, getGainPhaseMargin, getRiseFallTime, getSettlingTime

  • parseMeasResults, runMeasAutomation, runVerificationPlan, runSweepStudy

Native LTspice rendering

  • renderLtspiceSchematicImage

  • renderLtspicePlotImage, renderLtspicePlotPresetImage

  • renderLtspiceSymbolImage

  • startLtspiceRenderSession, endLtspiceRenderSession

Reliability Notes

  • Streamable HTTP defaults are tuned for compatibility:

    • json_response = true

    • stateless_http = true

  • UI integration is disabled by default (LTSPICE_MCP_UI_ENABLED=0).

  • Schematic single-window updates are enabled by default.

  • Rendering uses LTspice + ScreenCaptureKit direct-window capture.

  • Run artifacts are stored per run to keep historical results stable.

Daemon Operations

./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh start
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh restart
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh stop
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh status
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh logs --lines 200
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh logs --follow

Permission helpers:

./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh trigger-screen-recording-permission
./scripts/ltspice_mcp_daemon.sh trigger-accessibility-permission

Testing

Run core tests:

PYTHONPATH=src .venv/bin/python -m unittest discover -s tests -v

Run real ScreenCaptureKit integration tests (opt-in):

LTSPICE_MCP_RUN_REAL_SCK=1 PYTHONPATH=src .venv/bin/python -m unittest tests.test_screencapturekit_integration -v
LTSPICE_MCP_RUN_REAL_SCK=1 PYTHONPATH=src .venv/bin/python -m unittest tests.test_plot_render_mcp_real -v

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Start with:

When filing bugs, include:

  • MCP server version,

  • LTspice version,

  • transport mode,

  • exact tool call + parameters,

  • daemon log excerpts.

Documentation Map

Important Environment Variables

Core:

  • LTSPICE_BINARY

  • LTSPICE_MCP_WORKDIR

  • LTSPICE_MCP_TIMEOUT

  • LTSPICE_MCP_TRANSPORT

  • LTSPICE_MCP_HOST

  • LTSPICE_MCP_PORT

  • LTSPICE_MCP_STREAMABLE_HTTP_PATH

  • LTSPICE_MCP_JSON_RESPONSE

  • LTSPICE_MCP_STATELESS_HTTP

UI/render:

  • LTSPICE_MCP_UI_ENABLED

  • LTSPICE_MCP_SCHEMATIC_SINGLE_WINDOW

  • LTSPICE_MCP_SCHEMATIC_LIVE_PATH

  • LTSPICE_MCP_SCK_HELPER_DIR

  • LTSPICE_MCP_SCK_HELPER_PATH

  • LTSPICE_MCP_VERIFY_WINDOW_CLOSE

Logging:

  • LTSPICE_MCP_LOG_LEVEL

  • LTSPICE_MCP_TOOL_LOGGING

  • LTSPICE_MCP_TOOL_LOG_MAX_ITEMS

  • LTSPICE_MCP_TOOL_LOG_MAX_CHARS

  • LTSPICE_MCP_DISABLE_UVICORN_NOISE_FILTERS

  • LTSPICE_MCP_DAEMON_LOG_DIR