export_gencad
Export the PCB in GenCAD format via kicad-cli. Assembly/test interchange format. Exposes padstack flip, unique pin/footprint shape generation, drill-file origin, and store-origin-coordinate options. Reads the last SAVED state of the .kicad_pcb.
This record as markdown: /tools/mixelpixx-kicad-mcp-server/export-gencad.md
What export_gencad does on KiCAD-MCP-Server
AI agents use export_gencad to create or update resources in KiCAD-MCP-Server, usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your KiCAD-MCP-Server environment.
Why export_gencad is rated Medium
An AI agent can call export_gencad faster than any human can review: one bad instruction and it creates or modifies resources in KiCAD-MCP-Server by the hundred, each call as confident as the last.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs export_gencad safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and KiCAD-MCP-Server, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For export_gencad, this is the rule to start with:
export_gencad stays usable, but capped: an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect KiCAD-MCP-Server, apply this rule, and every export_gencad call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about export_gencad
Export the PCB in GenCAD format via kicad-cli. Assembly/test interchange format. Exposes padstack flip, unique pin/footprint shape generation, drill-file origin, and store-origin-coordinate options. Reads the last SAVED state of the .kicad_pcb. It is categorised as a Write tool in the KiCAD-MCP-Server MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the KiCAD-MCP-Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for export_gencad: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches KiCAD-MCP-Server. Nothing to install.
export_gencad is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the export_gencad rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for export_gencad. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
export_gencad is provided by the KiCAD-MCP-Server MCP server (mixelpixx/kicad-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
More on KiCAD-MCP-Server, and thousands of servers like it.
This server
Across the catalogue