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Adam works with KiCad on your computer through Adam Connector. Adam runs its work inside KiCad’s own Python, so there is nothing else to install: no Node.js, pip packages, or separate MCP server.

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Connect

1

Install KiCad 10

Download KiCad 10 from kicad.org and install it with its symbol, footprint, and 3D-model libraries. Adam supports KiCad 10 on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows (64-bit).
2

Pair Adam Connector

In Adam, open Integrations → KiCad, install Adam Connector if you don’t have it, and pair your computer. If the computer is already paired, the existing connection works.
3

Turn on the KiCad API

In KiCad, open Preferences → Preferences… (⌘, on macOS), select Plugins, check Enable KiCad API, and select OK. This lets Adam see which project you have open and edit the board in the PCB editor while you watch.
4

Open your project

Ask Adam to work in KiCad. If KiCad is closed and its installation is known, Adam opens it for you and waits for the connection. If its location cannot be found, Adam asks you to open KiCad once so it can remember the installation. Open the project and the PCB Editor for the board you want to work on. Adam checks KiCad’s Python runtime before showing Connected. The first check may take a few seconds.
5

Start a task

Ask Adam: “Look at my open KiCad project without editing anything. Which board and schematic are open, and does the board pass its design-rule check?”

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How Adam edits your design

Boards open in the PCB editor are edited live: changes appear in KiCad right away, unsaved, so you can review them and undo with Edit → Undo. Save the board in KiCad when you’re happy with it. Schematics are edited on disk, because KiCad 10’s schematic editor can’t take changes from other programs. If a schematic is open in KiCad:
  1. Save it before asking Adam to change it. Adam checks and asks if it’s open.
  2. When Adam is done, choose File → Revert in the schematic editor (or close and reopen it) to load Adam’s changes.
  3. Don’t save from the schematic editor before reverting. Saving the old copy would overwrite Adam’s changes.
Adam checks its work with KiCad’s own electrical rules check (ERC) and design-rule check (DRC), and looks at rendered pictures of your schematic sheets and board, including 3D views.

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Get files out of KiCad

Ask Adam for Gerbers and drill files, a bill of materials, a placement file, PDFs, or a STEP model. Adam exports them with KiCad and brings them into your Adam workspace, where you can download or share them.

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Send a board to mechanical CAD

Ask Adam to export a STEP model of the board and bring it into your mechanical CAD tool, such as Fusion or SOLIDWORKS. Check dimensions, orientation, component bodies, and clearances in the mechanical CAD model. A STEP file is a one-time geometry handoff. It doesn’t keep the board and the mechanical model in sync.

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Troubleshooting

  • KiCad doesn’t appear in Adam: update Adam Connector to the latest version.
  • KiCad shows as not connected: ask Adam to work in KiCad; it will try to open the detected installation. If its location cannot be found, open KiCad once so Adam can find and remember it. Adam keeps that location across restarts and shows Installed while KiCad is closed, as long as the executable still exists. If it still doesn’t connect, check the reported runtime error and confirm you are running KiCad 10 with its bundled Python.
  • Adam says KiCad’s API is not reachable: turn on Enable KiCad API (see step 3), then open the PCB editor.
  • Adam’s schematic changes don’t show: use File → Revert in the schematic editor.
  • An edit timed out or KiCad closed during an edit: the change may have been made. Ask Adam to inspect the project before trying again; Adam never repeats an edit automatically.
Last modified on October 27, 2026