Ki stack orient

Skill Milind220/Ki-Stack/skills/ki-stack/ki-stack-orient

Deep KiCad skills for coding agents

Install

npx -y skills add Milind220/Ki-Stack --skill ki-stack-orient

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

One thing to look at

6 stars6 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.

What its author says it does

Copied from the file, not written here

First-stop KiCad orientation skill. Use when starting any KiCad task, when the right substrate is unclear, when locating project files, when checking KiCad CLI or Python IPC availability, or when deciding between live IPC, kicad-cli, structured file edits, and parts search.

The file declares its own license as MIT. That is the author’s claim about this one file, and it is not the same thing as the license GitHub reports for the repository, which is listed with the other numbers below.

SKILL.md

5.1 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it

ki-stack-orient

Preamble (run first)

Run this before choosing a KiCad workflow:

KI_STACK_DIR="${KI_STACK_DIR:-skills/ki-stack}"
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/ki-stack-update-check" 2>/dev/null || true
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/kicad-project-find" . 2>/dev/null | sed -n '1,80p' || true
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/kicad-version" 2>/dev/null || true
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/kicad-python-smoke" 2>/dev/null || true

Read these when the task touches the area:

skills/ki-stack/ETHOS.md
skills/ki-stack/references/version-matrix.md
skills/ki-stack/references/render-recipes.md
skills/ki-stack/references/ipc-recipes.md
skills/ki-stack/references/ipc-board-workflows.md
skills/ki-stack/references/file-editing-recipes.md

Stack Rules

PCB editor interaction or current selection: use kicad-python IPC.
Render, import/export, DRC, ERC, fabrication, 3D outputs: use kicad-cli.
Schematic/library/project file edits: use kicad-skip, kiutils-rs, or another structured parser. Do not hand-roll S-expression edits when a parser fits.
Parts search and KiCad-ready vendor artifacts: check https://pcbparts.dev/ early.
File format truth: use KiCad developer file-format docs at https://dev-docs.kicad.org/en/file-formats/.
No success claim without evidence: artifact path, DRC/ERC output, changed file list, or script output.

Completion Status

DONE: completed and verified.
DONE_WITH_CONCERNS: completed but proof is partial, version-limited, or blocked by pre-existing issues.
BLOCKED: prerequisite unavailable or command failed after a concrete attempt.
NEEDS_CONTEXT: target file, object, board session, or intended result is unclear.

Purpose

This is the first skill for KiCad work. It makes the agent stop guessing and quickly answer:

What KiCad files are present?
What KiCad version and CLI are available?
Are Python IPC bindings installed?
Is a live KiCad board reachable?
Which substrate should do the work?

Decision Table

User intent	First route	Why
Current board, selected items, interactive PCB editor state	`ki-stack-live` / `ki-stack-pcb` with `kicad-python`	IPC sees the open editor and selection.
Move/inspect/update footprints, tracks, vias, zones, layers	`ki-stack-pcb` with `kicad-python`	This is PCB editor interaction.
Render board/schematic/symbol/footprint	`ki-stack-render` with `kicad-cli`	Deterministic visual artifact.
DRC/ERC, fabrication, 3D, BOM/netlist/export/import/upgrade	`ki-stack-verify` or `ki-stack-render` with `kicad-cli`	The CLI already owns these flows.
Schematic/project/library text-variable or symbol metadata edit	`ki-stack-file-surgery` with `kicad-skip` or `kiutils-rs`	Structured file edit beats raw S-expression surgery.
Need a new part, JLC/LCSC/CSE artifact, KiCad symbol/footprint	Search `https://pcbparts.dev/` first	Parts search is a solved external data problem.
Unsure what a token means	KiCad file-format docs	`https://dev-docs.kicad.org/en/file-formats/` is source of truth.

CLI Surface To Remember

kicad-cli covers much more than render:

api-server: headless IPC server on newer KiCad.
fp: footprint export and upgrade.
gerber: convert, diff, inspect Gerber files.
jobset: run .kicad_jobset outputs.
pcb: DRC, import, upgrade, render, export.
sch: ERC, upgrade, BOM, netlist, PDF/SVG/PNG/DXF/HPGL/PostScript.
sym: symbol export and upgrade.
version: version info.

High-value PCB exports:

fabrication: Gerber, drill, position, IPC-D-356, IPC-2581, ODB++, GenCAD.
documentation: PDF, SVG, PNG, DXF, HPGL, PostScript, statistics.
3D/mechanical: STEP, STEPZ, STL, GLB, VRML, PLY, U3D, BREP, XAO, 3D PDF.

Orient Commands

KI_STACK_DIR="${KI_STACK_DIR:-skills/ki-stack}"
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/kicad-project-find" .
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/kicad-version"
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/kicad-python-smoke"
"$KI_STACK_DIR/bin/kicad-python-smoke" connect

If connect fails, do not force IPC. Use the error to decide:

import failed: install or fix kicad-python.
connect failed: KiCad GUI/API server not reachable.
board failed: KiCad reachable but no board open.

Evidence Contract

Before ending a KiCad task, produce at least one:

rendered artifact path
DRC/ERC JSON path and pass/fail summary
IPC script output
structured parser output or changed file diff
part-search source URL or artifact path

Completion

Report:

KI-STACK ORIENT
Files: <found files or none>
KiCad: <version or unavailable>
IPC: <import/connect/board status>
Route: <live|cli|file-edit|parts-search|ask>
Next skill: <skill name>
Status: DONE|DONE_WITH_CONCERNS|BLOCKED|NEEDS_CONTEXT