skidl

skidl-claude-plugin

MCP server for schematic-as-code circuit design using SKiDL — a Python library for programmatic circuit design. Build circuits, validate connectivity, and export netlists, BOMs, SVG, and KiCad .kicad_sch files for downstream board layout in KiCad. The plugin does not place or route PCBs itself — that stays in KiCad's PCBNEW (see Division of labor).

Features

• Circuit Management — Create, switch between, and manage multiple circuit designs
• Component Library — Search and add parts from your local KiCad libraries
• Wiring — Create nets, buses, and connect component pins
• Schematic Generation — Export SVG schematics and KiCad .kicad_sch files
• Netlist Export — Generate KiCad-compatible netlists for PCB layout in PCBNEW
• Validation — Run electrical rules checks (ERC), verify connections and footprints
• BOM Generation — Bill of materials in JSON or CSV format
• Code Export — Export circuits as SKiDL Python scripts that recreate the design (re-running needs the parts' source libraries)
• Project Persistence — Save a design to a project directory and reload it in a later session; a deterministic, git-diffable circuit.json is the source of truth
• Declarative Design Patch — Apply multi-part, multi-net changes in one structured, atomic patch (apply_design_patch), and inspect the design through a compact, filtered lens (inspect_design)
• 16 Design Templates — Prompt templates for common circuits (voltage dividers, amplifiers, filters, MCU designs, motor drivers, USB interfaces, and more)

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• KiCad installed — only required for adding parts and searching component libraries. Circuit building, validation, and netlist/BOM/Python export work without it.
• Optional: netlistsvg for generate_svg. SKiDL's generate_kicad_schematic is experimental and needs parts from real KiCad symbol libraries.

Capability matrix

What works depends on what you have installed. Circuit building, wiring, validation, and text exports never need KiCad; the symbol-dependent and rendering features do.

Capability	No KiCad	KiCad libraries available	KiCad libs + netlistsvg
Create/switch circuits, nets, buses	✅	✅	✅
add_part / search_parts (needs symbol libs)	❌	✅	✅
Wiring, run_erc, check_connections	✅	✅	✅
generate_netlist (KiCad netlist)	✅	✅	✅
generate_bom (JSON/CSV)	✅	✅	✅
export_python	✅	✅	✅
validate_footprints	✅	✅	✅
generate_kicad_schematic (experimental)	❌¹	⚠️	⚠️
generate_svg	❌	❌	✅

¹ SKiDL's schematic generator is experimental and needs parts sourced from real KiCad symbol libraries (added via add_part), not bare parts — so it effectively requires KiCad. Rows marked ⚠️ run but may fail on parts SKiDL can't lay out.

Division of labor

This plugin owns schematic-as-code: describing a circuit in Python, checking it, and emitting the standard interchange files. It does not place footprints or route copper — that is board layout, and it stays in KiCad's PCBNEW.

skidl-claude-plugin                         │  KiCad
  build + wire + validate (ERC)             │
  generate_netlist  ─────────────────────►  │  import into PCBNEW → place & route PCB
  generate_kicad_schematic  ─────────────►  │  open in Eeschema → edit schematic
  generate_bom / generate_svg / export_python

The handoff artifact is the netlist (and optionally the .kicad_sch): design and verify the schematic here, then take those files into KiCad for physical layout.

Installation

This repository is both a Claude Code plugin and a standalone MCP server.

As a Claude Code plugin

The plugin ships its MCP server definition in .mcp.json, which runs the server via uvx straight from this repo — no manual install step is needed. Just make sure uv is installed so uvx is on your PATH.

Manual install (standalone / Claude Desktop)

pip install -e .

This exposes the skidl-mcp console script.

Usage

Run the MCP server directly (stdio)

skidl-mcp

With Claude Code

Register the server with the CLI:

claude mcp add skidl -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/fingerskier/skidl-claude-plugin skidl-mcp

With Claude Desktop

Add to ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json (requires the manual pip install above):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skidl": {
      "command": "skidl-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then ask Claude to design circuits: