embedded-society/altium-designer-mcp

**Let an AI build your Altium libraries — it does the engineering, this tool writes the files.**
An MCP server that gives AI assistants (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Antigravity, VS Code Copilot — any MCP client) file I/O
and primitive-placement tools for Altium Designer .PcbLib (footprint) and .SchLib (symbol)
libraries — so the AI can create and maintain *any* component, not just pre-programmed packages.
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The Problem
Building Altium component libraries by hand is slow and repetitive — every footprint means
looking up IPC-7351B pad sizes, courtyards, and silkscreen, then placing each primitive by
hand. AI assistants are excellent at exactly that reasoning, but they **cannot write Altium's
binary .PcbLib/.SchLib files** — an undocumented OLE compound format that is easy to
corrupt, and Altium silently refuses to open a malformed file.
| Approach | Problem |
|----------|---------|
| Draw every footprint by hand in Altium | Slow and repetitive; the AI can't touch the file |
| Ask an AI to emit the binary file directly | It produces a corrupt file Altium won't open |
| Pre-programmed footprint generators | Only the package types someone coded in advance |
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The Core Idea
**The AI handles the intelligence. The tool handles file I/O.**
| Responsibility | Owner |
|---------------|-------|
| IPC-7351B calculations | AI |
| Package layout decisions | AI |
| Style choices | AI |
| Datasheet interpretation | AI |
| Reading/writing Altium files | This tool |
| Primitive placement | This tool |
| STEP model attachment | This tool |
This means the AI can create **any footprint** — not just pre-programmed package types.
See docs/VISION.md for the full architectural rationale.
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Who Is This For?
Anyone who **builds or maintains Altium component libraries** and uses an **MCP-capable AI
assistant**. The AI does the engineering (datasheet → dimensions → style); this server lets it
read and write the actual .PcbLib / .SchLib files.
| If you… | Then… |
|---------|-------|
| Use Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Antigravity, VS Code + Copilot — any MCP client — and design in Altium | ✅ This is for you |
| Want pre-baked generators for a fixed set of packages | ❌ Not this — the point is *any* component |
| Don't use Altium | ❌ Not applicable |
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Quick Start
> **Client Setup** — verified configuration for Claude Code, Claude
> Desktop, Google Antigravity, Cursor, VS Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, Windsurf, Cline, Roo Code,
> Kiro, JetBrains, Zed, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, Continue, Goose, OpenCode and any other stdio
> MCP client, plus troubleshooting — on **Windows**, **Linux**, and **macOS**.
>
> **Using the server** — what to ask for once it is connected: example
> workflows, prompts and tips, identical for every client.
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How It Works
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MCP Tools
The server exposes **34 tools**, working on both .PcbLib (footprints) and
.SchLib (symbols). Every tool's full parameters and examples live in
**docs/TOOLS.md** — this is the categorised overview.
Read & write
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| read_pcblib | Read footprints from a .PcbLib. |
| write_pcblib | Write footprints to a .PcbLib. |
| read_schlib | Read symbols from a .SchLib. |
| write_schlib | Write symbols to a .SchLib. |
Inspect & visualise
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| list_components | List component names (paginated). |
| get_component | Get one component's full data. |
| search_components | Search across libraries by regex/glob. |
| component_exists | Check whether components exist. |
| render_footprint | ASCII-art preview of a footprint. |
| render_symbol | ASCII-art preview of a symbol. |
| extract_style | Extract styling from an existing library. |
Compare
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| diff_libraries | Compare two library files. |
| compare_components | Diff two specific components. |
Edit in place
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| update_component | Update a component, preserving its position. |
| update_pad | Update one pad's properties. |
| update_primitive | Update one primitive (track/arc/text/fill/region). |
| batch_update | Batch updates across all components. |
| reorder_components | Reorder components in a library. |
| manage_schlib_parameters | List/get/set/remove SchLib parameters. |
| manage_schlib_footprints | Manage footprint links in SchLib symbols. |
Manage components
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| delete_component | Delete one or more components. |
| copy_component | Duplicate a component within a library. |