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docs: Update README with Phase 1 schematic workflow fix details

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Highlights:
- Added prominent section explaining Issue #26 resolution
- Documented template-based symbol cloning approach
- Updated schematic tools section with fix notice
- Enhanced project status to show schematic workflow is fully functional
- Added JLCSearch and JLCParts acknowledgments

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
KiCAD MCP Bot
2026-01-10 09:18:01 -05:00
parent 994965e041
commit 81a24a9e4f
1 changed files with 32 additions and 6 deletions
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README.md
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@@ -19,6 +19,26 @@ The [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) is an open standa
## What's New in v2.1.0
### Critical Schematic Workflow Fix (Issue #26 Resolved)
The schematic workflow was completely broken in previous versions - **this is now fixed!**
**What was broken:**
- `create_project` only created PCB files, no schematics
- `add_schematic_component` called non-existent API methods
- Schematics couldn't be created or edited at all
**How we fixed it:**
- Implemented template-based symbol cloning approach (kicad-skip limitation workaround)
- `create_project` now creates both .kicad_pcb and .kicad_sch files
- Added pre-configured template schematics with cloneable R, C, LED symbols
- Rewrote component placement to use proper `clone()` API
- Full end-to-end schematic workflow now functional
**Technical Details:**
The kicad-skip library cannot create symbols from scratch - it can only clone existing symbols from loaded schematics. We solved this by creating template schematic files (`python/templates/`) with pre-configured symbols that can be cloned and modified.
See [Schematic Workflow Fix Documentation](docs/SCHEMATIC_WORKFLOW_FIX.md) for technical details.
### IPC Backend (Experimental)
We are currently implementing and testing the KiCAD 9.0 IPC API for real-time UI synchronization:
- Changes made via MCP tools appear immediately in the KiCAD UI
@@ -160,13 +180,16 @@ The server provides 64 tools organized into functional categories. With the new
- `export_bom` - Produce bill of materials
### Schematic Design (6 tools)
- `create_schematic` - Initialize new schematic
**Now fully functional!** (Fixed in v2.1.0 - see Issue #26)
- `create_schematic` - Initialize new schematic from template
- `load_schematic` - Open existing schematic
- `add_schematic_component` - Place symbols
- `add_schematic_component` - Place symbols using template-based cloning
- `add_schematic_wire` - Connect component pins
- `list_schematic_libraries` - List symbol libraries
- `export_schematic_pdf` - Export schematic PDF
**Note:** Uses template-based approach due to kicad-skip library limitations. Templates include R, C, LED symbols that are cloned and modified for each placement.
### UI Management (2 tools)
- `check_kicad_ui` - Check if KiCAD is running
- `launch_kicad_ui` - Launch KiCAD application
@@ -582,18 +605,19 @@ npm run format
**Current Version:** 2.1.0-alpha
**Working Features:**
- Project creation and management
- Project creation and management (PCB + Schematic)
- Board outline and sizing
- Layer management
- Component placement with footprint library loading
- Mounting holes and text annotations
- Design rule checking
- Export to Gerber, PDF, SVG, 3D
- Schematic creation and editing
- **Schematic creation and editing (Issue #26 RESOLVED - fully functional!)**
- Template-based schematic workflow with symbol cloning
- UI auto-launch
- Full MCP protocol compliance
- JLCPCB parts integration (local libraries + API)
- Cost optimization and component selection
- JLCPCB parts integration (local libraries + JLCSearch API)
- Cost optimization and component selection with 100k+ parts catalog
**Under Active Development (IPC Backend):**
- Real-time UI synchronization via KiCAD 9.0 IPC API
@@ -659,6 +683,8 @@ This project is licensed under the MIT License. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for detai
- Powered by [KiCAD](https://www.kicad.org/) open-source PCB design software
- Uses [kicad-skip](https://github.com/kicad-skip) for schematic manipulation
- JLCPCB local library search contributed by [@l3wi](https://github.com/l3wi) - [PR #25](https://github.com/mixelpixx/KiCAD-MCP-Server/pull/25)
- [JLCSearch API](https://jlcsearch.tscircuit.com/) by [@tscircuit](https://github.com/tscircuit/jlcsearch) - Public JLCPCB parts API
- [JLCParts Database](https://github.com/yaqwsx/jlcparts) by [@yaqwsx](https://github.com/yaqwsx) - JLCPCB parts data
## Citation