[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"project-95990":3},{"id":4,"name":5,"fullName":6,"owner":7,"repo":5,"description":8,"homepage":9,"htmlUrl":10,"language":11,"languages":9,"totalLinesOfCode":9,"stars":12,"forks":13,"watchers":14,"openIssues":14,"contributorsCount":9,"subscribersCount":14,"size":14,"stars1d":14,"stars7d":14,"stars30d":14,"stars90d":14,"forks30d":14,"starsTrendScore":14,"compositeScore":15,"rankGlobal":9,"rankLanguage":9,"license":9,"archived":16,"fork":16,"defaultBranch":17,"hasWiki":16,"hasPages":16,"topics":9,"createdAt":9,"pushedAt":9,"updatedAt":18,"readmeContent":19,"aiSummary":20,"trendingCount":14,"starSnapshotCount":14,"syncStatus":21,"lastSyncTime":9,"discoverSource":22},95990,"Konnect","mixelpixx\u002FKonnect","mixelpixx","AI-assisted PCB design for KiCAD 10. Native KiCAD plugin — a single Rust binary exposing 217 schematic, layout, routing, placement, design-review, and manufacturing tools to Claude, or the LLM of your choosing",null,"https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fmixelpixx\u002FKonnect","Rust",470,74,0,5.63,false,"main","2026-09-21 02:04:29","\u003Ca name=\"top\">\u003C\u002Fa>\n\n\u003Cdiv align=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"resources\u002Fimages\u002FKiCAD-MCP-Server-rust.svg\" alt=\"KiCAD-MCP-Server Logo\" height=\"240\" \u002F>\n\n\n# Konnect *BETA Release\n\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n**AI-assisted PCB design for KiCAD 10.** Konnect is a native KiCAD plugin — a single\nRust binary — that lets Claude and other AI assistants design schematics and PCBs\nthrough the [Model Context Protocol](https:\u002F\u002Fmodelcontextprotocol.io) (MCP).\n\n**226 tools across 21 on-demand toolsets.** Schematic capture, PCB layout and\nrouting, ERC\u002FDRC, design-review audits, JLCPCB part search, reference\ncircuits, and a full manufacturing export pipeline — with bundled skills and agents\nthat teach Claude KiCAD conventions out of the box.\n\n> **Status: beta.** The core toolchain is tested and working, but this is a young\n> release and it wants real-world mileage and review. Issues and PRs are welcome —\n> see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) and the\n> [naming conventions](docs\u002FNAMING_CONVENTIONS.md).\n\n> ## Add realtime research to KiCAD MCP and Konnect. Introducing Nimrod\n>\n> [**Nimrod**](https:\u002F\u002Fnimrod.orchis.ai) is our web-research MCP server:\n> quality-scored Google search, clean webpage extraction, and deep multi-source\n> research. Design the board with Konnect while Nimrod pulls live parts availability, datasheets,\n> and errata — no more guessing from year-old training data\n>\n> - Works with claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code, and any MCP client\n> - 1 credit = 1 search · extraction always free · free 50-credit trial, no card\n> - Official MCP Registry: [`ai.orchis\u002Fnimrod`](https:\u002F\u002Fregistry.modelcontextprotocol.io)\n\n\n## Why Konnect exists\n\nKonnect is the successor to [KiCAD-MCP-Server](https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fmixelpixx\u002FKiCAD-MCP-Server),\na Python\u002FTypeScript project that proved AI-driven PCB design works — and, in the\nprocess, showed exactly where that architecture runs out of road. Konnect was built\nto fix those specific problems:\n\n**The call path was too long.** In the original server, a single tool call travels\nthrough TypeScript, schema validation, a spawned Python subprocess, JSON over\nstdin\u002Fstdout, a command router, and finally SWIG-generated C++ proxy objects before\nanything touches your board. That's four language and serialization boundaries, each\nwith its own failure modes — subprocess lifecycle management, stdout parsing that\nfilters out warnings KiCAD leaks into the stream, chunked-JSON reassembly. In\nKonnect, a tool call is a function call. One process, one language, no plumbing.\n\n**The dependency surface was enormous.** Running the original means carrying Node.js\nand its npm tree, Python and its pip packages, wxPython, kicad-skip, and KiCAD's\nSWIG bindings — two package ecosystems plus a binding layer, every one of them a\nmoving target that can break an install. Konnect is a single static binary —\n20–25 MB depending on platform, a ~9 MB download. There is nothing to install\nalongside it and nothing to version-match.\n\n**SWIG is a dead end.** The original's PCB backend depends on KiCAD's SWIG Python\nbindings, which KiCAD is deprecating in favor of its IPC API. SWIG also carried\nreal operational scars: a zone-fill call that can segfault the backend, proxy-object\ncomparison bugs, and a fallback path that can silently swap backends mid-session.\nKonnect talks to KiCAD 10 through the official IPC API (protobuf over NNG) — the\ninterface KiCAD is investing in — with real-time board edits that integrate with\nKiCAD's own undo\u002Fredo.\n\n**Schematic edits should not corrupt files.** Konnect edits `.kicad_sch` files\nthrough its own S-expression engine with atomic writes (write, fsync, rename), UUID\npreservation, and round-trip tests — no third-party schematic library with known\ngaps, no text-manipulation workarounds.\n\n**Context economy is a feature.** Exposing all 226 tools to an LLM costs roughly 23K\ntokens of context on every listing. Konnect's router loads a starter kit (~2K\ntokens) and lets the model pull in toolsets on demand — plus built-in observability\n(`get_recent_calls`, `server_stats`, JSONL call logs) so the model can diagnose its\nown tool failures.\n\nThe result is smaller, faster to install, aligned with where KiCAD is going, and\nbuilt for production use rather than experimentation. The original project remains\nopen, maintained, and useful — see [the comparison below](#relationship-to-kicad-mcp-server).\n\n## What it does\n\nInstead of describing changes and applying them by hand, the AI works your project\ndirectly:\n\n- **Place and wire schematic components** — add resistors, ICs, connectors; wire them\n  together by pin name\n- **Lay out the PCB** — place, move, rotate, and route footprints in real time via\n  KiCAD's IPC API, with full undo\u002Fredo integration\n- **Run design checks** — ERC, DRC, connectivity validation, decoupling audits,\n  power-rail review, BOM health checks\n- **Export production files** — Gerbers, drill, BOM, pick-and-place, 3D models, PDF\n- **Search JLCPCB parts** — find in-stock components in a local 2.5M-part catalog and\n  suggest alternatives\n- **Start from reference circuits** — USB-C, LDO, buck converter, STM32, I2C, LED\n  templates with verified component values\n- **Watch it happen** — a live schematic viewer auto-refreshes as the AI edits\n\nThe full tool catalog is documented in [tool-directory.md](tool-directory.md).\n\n## How it works\n\n| Layer | Mechanism |\n|-------|-----------|\n| Schematic editing | Direct `.kicad_sch` S-expression editing with atomic writes (no KiCAD required) |\n| PCB editing | KiCad 10 IPC API (NNG + protobuf) — real-time and undo-aware; single-footprint placement has a safe headless fallback |\n| Specctra routing | Revision-bound Rust DSN export, local Freerouting MCP routing, and strict one-transaction SES import; an authenticated KiCad 10 native-export bridge is explicit opt-in |\n| Exports & checks | `kicad-cli` subprocess (Gerber, PDF, ERC, DRC, …) |\n| Transport | MCP JSON-RPC over stdio (default), or Streamable HTTP (`transport = \"http\"` \u002F `\"both\"`) |\n\n## Installation\n\n### From the KiCAD Plugin Manager (recommended)\n\n1. Download the package for your OS from [Releases](https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fmixelpixx\u002FKonnect\u002Freleases):\n   `konnect-pcm-v\u003Cversion>-windows.zip`, `-macos.zip`, or `-linux.zip`. Each\n   bundles that platform's server binary — the macOS package is a universal\n   build, so one download covers Apple Silicon and Intel. (The `konnect-pcm-*`\n   assets are the KiCAD plugin packages; the other archives are standalone\n   server binaries.)\n2. Open KiCAD 10 → **Plugin and Content Manager**\n3. Click **Install from File** and select the zip\n4. Restart KiCAD\n\nVerify: open the **PCB Editor** → **Tools → External Plugins** → you should see\n**Konnect**.\n\nFor KiCad 10, the Konnect settings dialog also offers an optional **native\nSpecctra bridge**. When enabled, `export_specctra_dsn` can ask the active PCB\nEditor to generate its native DSN while Konnect still binds the export to the\nexact IPC snapshot and creates the strict reverse manifest used during SES\nimport. The bridge is local-only, authenticated, disabled by default, and not\nthe KiCad 11 integration path. Konnect uses its Rust exporter by default;\n`native_bridge_mode: \"prefer\"` enables fallback to Rust when the bridge is\nunavailable, while `\"require\"` refuses instead.\n\nFor end-to-end autorouting, run `check_freerouting`, then\n`export_specctra_dsn` → `route_specctra_dsn` →\n`plan_specctra_ses_import` \u002F `apply_specctra_ses`. Readiness reports engine\ndiscovery, native-MCP compatibility, and complete bridge availability\nseparately. The owned Java child is loopback-only and is reaped on success,\nfailure, timeout, or cancellation. The first supported profile preserves fixed\nstraight tracks and through vias; unlocked routing, arcs, zones, and unsupported\ngeometry are rejected before mutation.\n\n### Build from source\n\n```bash\n# protoc is required (protobuf code generation), and cmake (the nng crate\n# compiles the NNG C library with it).\n# Windows: choco install protoc cmake\n# macOS:   brew install protobuf cmake\n# Linux:   apt install protobuf-compiler cmake\ncargo build --release -p konnect\n```\n\n### Install guidance for your AI client\n\nKonnect bundles shared KiCad skills for Claude and Codex. Select the client when\ninstalling, checking, or removing that guidance:\n\n```bash\n# Existing behavior remains the default: Claude skills, agents, and hooks\nkonnect init\n\n# Codex installs only the shared skills under ~\u002F.agents\u002Fskills\nkonnect init --client codex\nkonnect status --client codex\nkonnect uninstall --client codex\n```\n\nMCP server startup never installs or restores guidance. Run `konnect init`\nexplicitly when you want those files installed; after `konnect uninstall`,\nstarting the server leaves them removed. `--client` remains accepted in server\ncommands for compatibility. For example, register a standalone binary with the\nCodex CLI using:\n\n```bash\ncodex mcp add konnect -- \u002Fpath\u002Fto\u002Fkonnect --client codex\n```\n\nClaude remains the default when `--client` is omitted. The installer tracks the\ntwo clients independently, and a Codex install does not create or modify\n`~\u002F.claude`.\n\n`--help` on any subcommand prints that subcommand's usage and writes nothing —\n`konnect init --help` describes the installer rather than running it. An\nargument Konnect does not recognise is an error rather than being ignored, so a\ntypo such as `--cleint codex` stops instead of quietly installing for the\ndefault client.\n\nTo verify which Konnect process an MCP client is actually using, call the\nalways-visible `get_installation_info` tool. It reports the serving build,\nexecutable path, verified installation source when one can be proven, KiCad\nCLI and IPC detection, and restart guidance. A missing build commit or an\n`unknown` installation source means the available evidence was insufficient;\nit is not silently guessed from a directory name.\n\n### macOS\n\nThe [Releases](https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fmixelpixx\u002FKonnect\u002Freleases) page ships\nstandalone server binaries for both Apple Silicon (`aarch64-apple-darwin`) and\nIntel (`x86_64-apple-darwin`). They are not yet code-signed, so if you download\none through a browser, clear the quarantine flag before first launch:\n\n```bash\ntar xzf konnect-v*-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz\nxattr -d com.apple.quarantine .\u002Fkonnect   # only needed for browser downloads\n.\u002Fkonnect --help\n```\n\nOr build from source as above (verified on Apple Silicon; the same\n`target\u002Frelease\u002Fkonnect` binary is the MCP server).\n\nKiCad on macOS keeps its tools inside the app bundle and they are not on\n`PATH`, so point Konnect at them in `~\u002FLibrary\u002FApplication Support\u002Fkonnect\u002Fconfig.toml`:\n\n```toml\nkicad_cli = \"\u002FApplications\u002FKiCad\u002FKiCad.app\u002FContents\u002FMacOS\u002Fkicad-cli\"\nkicad_binary = \"\u002FApplications\u002FKiCad\u002FKiCad.app\u002FContents\u002FMacOS\u002Fkicad\"\n# KiCad 10's IPC socket on macOS (enable it in KiCad:\n# Preferences → Plugins → \"Enable KiCad API\")\nipc_address = \"ipc:\u002F\u002F\u002Ftmp\u002Fkicad\u002Fapi.sock\"\n```\n\nClaude Desktop's config lives at\n`~\u002FLibrary\u002FApplication Support\u002FClaude\u002Fclaude_desktop_config.json`:\n\n```json\n{\n  \"mcpServers\": {\n    \"konnect\": {\n      \"command\": \"\u002Fpath\u002Fto\u002Fkonnect\"\n    }\n  }\n}\n```\n\nFor Claude Code, put the same snippet in a `.mcp.json` in your project root.\n\nThe macOS PCM package (`konnect-pcm-v\u003Cversion>-macos.zip`) bundles a universal\nserver binary, so one download covers Apple Silicon and Intel. The schematic\nviewer compiles and launches on macOS (Tauri 2 uses the system WKWebView —\nWebView2 is only a Windows requirement) but hasn't had the same mileage as\nthe Windows build yet.\n\n## Setup with Claude Desktop\n\nAfter a PCM install, the server binary lives in your KiCAD documents folder:\n\n```\nC:\\Users\\\u003CYOU>\\Documents\\KiCad\\10.0\\3rdparty\\plugins\\com_github_mixelpixx_konnect\\bin\\konnect.exe\n```\n\nEdit `%APPDATA%\\Claude\\claude_desktop_config.json`:\n\n```json\n{\n  \"mcpServers\": {\n    \"konnect\": {\n      \"command\": \"C:\\\\Users\\\\\u003CYOU>\\\\Documents\\\\KiCad\\\\10.0\\\\3rdparty\\\\plugins\\\\com_github_mixelpixx_konnect\\\\bin\\\\konnect.exe\"\n    }\n  }\n}\n```\n\nRestart Claude Desktop and the Konnect tools appear. For Claude Code, drop the same\nsnippet into a `.mcp.json` in your project root (see [examples\u002F](examples\u002F)).\n\n## Schematic viewer\n\nA standalone viewer that auto-refreshes as the schematic file changes:\n\n```bash\nschematic-viewer.exe path\\to\\your\\root_schematic.kicad_sch\n```\n\nPoint it at the root sheet of a hierarchical design and every sub-sheet is rendered\ntoo, with a depth-indented sheet selector in the toolbar. Edits saved from KiCAD (or\nmade by the AI through the schematic tools) re-render only the sheets that changed\nand refresh the view live — rendering runs against temp-folder snapshots, so the\nviewer never blocks KiCAD from saving. Pan with click-drag, zoom with the wheel,\n`0` to fit, `R` to refresh, drag-and-drop to open a different file. Also launchable\nby the AI via the `open_schematic_viewer` tool.\n\nNeeds the WebView2 runtime (pre-installed on Windows 10\u002F11) and a KiCAD install for\n`kicad-cli` (auto-discovered, or pass `--kicad-cli \u003Cpath>`). Built separately from\nthe main workspace — see [DEV.md](DEV.md) for build steps.\n\n## Requirements\n\n- KiCAD 10 (Windows is the most-tested platform; macOS works from the release\n  binaries or a source build — see the [macOS section](#macos) above. Linux\n  compiles and passes tests in CI but hasn't had per-platform QA yet; both are\n  tracked on the [roadmap](ROADMAP.md))\n- `kicad-cli` (ships with KiCAD — used for exports, ERC, DRC)\n- For most PCB tools: KiCAD running with the target board open (IPC API).\n  `place_component`, `move_component`, and `rotate_component` can safely fall\n  back to a closed board file when IPC is unreachable. `flip_component`\n  intentionally requires a closed board because KiCAD IPC has no native\n  footprint-flip command.\n\n## License: free for the little guys\n\nKonnect is licensed under the **[GNU AGPL-3.0](LICENSE)**.\n\nIf you're a hobbyist, student, freelancer, or open-source project: **use it freely,\nno strings attached.** Design boards, ship them, sell them.\n\nIf you're a business: the AGPL requires that anything you build on or around Konnect —\nincluding software provided over a network — be open-sourced under the same license.\nIf that doesn't work for you, **commercial licenses are available**: see\n[COMMERCIAL.md](COMMERCIAL.md).\n\n## Relationship to KiCAD-MCP-Server\n\nThe original [Python\u002FTypeScript project](https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fmixelpixx\u002FKiCAD-MCP-Server)\nremains fully open (MIT) and maintained. Konnect is where new development happens —\nthe architecture it proved, rebuilt for production:\n\n| | KiCAD-MCP-Server | Konnect |\n|---|---|---|\n| Runtime | Node.js + Python + SWIG bindings | Single static binary (20–25 MB) |\n| Tool call path | TS → subprocess → Python → SWIG C++ | Direct function call |\n| PCB backend | SWIG (deprecated by KiCAD) + experimental IPC | KiCAD 10 IPC API |\n| Schematic backend | kicad-skip + custom loaders | Native S-expression engine, atomic writes |\n| Context cost | Router pattern | Load\u002Funload toolsets + observability |\n| Skills \u002F agents | — | 6 skills + 2 agents bundled |\n| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 + commercial |\n\n## Troubleshooting\n\n**Plugin doesn't appear in KiCAD** — install via the Plugin and Content Manager (not\nmanual copy), then restart KiCAD.\n\n**PCB tools return \"KiCAD must be running with the board loaded\"** — open KiCAD\nwith that board first; most PCB tools talk to the running PCB editor. Only an\nunreachable KiCAD produces that message: if KiCAD is running and the tool\nrefuses anyway, the error is the tool's own reason for refusing.\n`place_component`, `move_component`, and `rotate_component` can fall back to a\nclosed board file when no KiCAD process is reachable; `flip_component`\nrequires one, and refuses while KiCAD holds that board open.\n\nSee [docs\u002FTROUBLESHOOTING.md](docs\u002FTROUBLESHOOTING.md) for socket setup, tools\nthat don't appear after `load_toolset`, and transaction recovery.\n\n**\"kicad-cli not found\"** — common install paths are auto-detected; set the path\nexplicitly in the plugin settings dialog, in a `settings.json` beside the binary,\nor in a `konnect.toml` in the working directory. (A file under any other name\nworks only when passed with `--config`.)\n\n## Support\n\n- Community Discord: [join the Konnect community](https:\u002F\u002Fdiscord.gg\u002FNVp9RGMmDu)\n  for installation help, AI-client setup, design-workflow discussion,\n  contributor coordination, and live project-status updates\n- Issues & feature requests: [GitHub Issues](https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fmixelpixx\u002FKonnect\u002Fissues)\n- Roadmap: [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md)\n- Contributing: [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)\n","Konnect 是一款面向 KiCAD 10 的原生 AI 辅助 PCB 设计插件，通过 Model Context Protocol（MCP）协议将大语言模型（如 Claude）与电子设计流程深度集成。它以单个 Rust 静态二进制形式提供 226 个工具，覆盖原理图绘制、PCB 布局与自动布线、电气规则检查（ERC）、设计审查、JLCPCB 元件搜索、参考电路调用及制造文件导出等全链路功能。项目采用零跨语言调用架构，避免 Python\u002FTypeScript 混合栈带来的延迟与兼容性问题，显著提升响应速度与部署可靠性。适用于硬件工程师、创客及小批量原型开发团队在 KiCAD 环境中加速迭代复杂电路设计。",2,"trending"]