altium

This MCP server provides a programmable interface to interact with Altium Designer via Claude. It exposes tools to query and manipulate PCB designs, including extracting design data, inspecting nets and layers, and performing layout operations such as duplicating layouts or applying placement rules to schematic symbols. The server leverages Python scripts that communicate with Altium through DelphiScript, enabling automated workflows and custom tooling within Claude.

Available capabilities include: retrieving output jobs and running them, listing all designators and component properties, obtaining schematic data and library symbol references, creating schematic symbols with pin placement rules, and performing layout actions like listing PCB layers, showing inner layers, toggling layer visibility, and duplicating selected layout regions. There are also utilities to filter parts by supplier or part numbers, and to obtain pin and rule information from the current design. Be aware that some operations, such as placing components with certain rules, may be imperfect and may require iterations or manual adjustments.

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.11 installed and added to PATH.
• Claude Desktop installed and running.
• Access to an Altium Designer installation (the server will auto-detect or prompt for the executable).

Install and run the MCP server:

1. Ensure Python 3.11 is installed and accessible:
   • In Claude, ensure the Python extension is configured for 3.11, or install Python 3.11 separately.
2. Obtain the MCP extension package altium-mcp.dxt from the releases page:
   • https://github.com/coffeenmusic/altium-mcp/releases
3. In Claude Desktop, install the extension:
   • Drop down > File > Settings > Extensions > Advanced > Install Extension...
   • Select the altium-mcp.dxt file you downloaded.
4. Ensure the server’s Python dependencies are available:
   • From the repository root, install required Python packages into server/lib: python -m pip install --no-cache-dir --target server/lib -r requirements.txt
5. Start using the manifest example for the server:
   • The MCP config should point to the server/main.py entry point as shown in the manifest: { "server": { "type": "python", "entry_point": "server/main.py", "mcp_config": { "command": "python", "args": ["${__dirname}/server/main.py"], "env": { "PYTHONPATH": "${__dirname}/server/lib" } } } }
6. If the server cannot locate Altium automatically, you will be prompted to manually provide the path to the Altium executable when you first run the server.

Tips and caveats:

• The server uses Claude Extensions to read symbol placement rules from a local rules file. Customize the file at ~\AppData\Roaming\Claude\Claude Extensions\local.dxt.altium-mcp\server\symbol_placement_rules.txt to fit your needs.
• The layout duplication tool can map source components to destination candidates based on descriptions rather than exact part matching, which is useful for flexible replications but may require verification of results.
• Some operations (e.g., placing components with best-practices for a switching regulator) may not yield perfect layouts and often need manual refinement.
• If you run into issues with Python path resolution or dependencies, ensure server/lib contains all required packages and that PYTHONPATH is correctly set in the mcp_config.