BoardRepo

Connect AI

Your AI, working on your hardware.

Save your assistant’s work, inspect the board, and continue in KiCad.

Claude ChatGPT Cursor Gemini

Connect your assistant

An example conversation with BoardRepo in an AI assistant: it finds the open-source b-parasite soil sensor and shows its schematic, PCB and 3D view; explains how its moisture sensing circuit works; then changes R10 from 470 Ω to 4.7 kΩ to make the light sensor more sensitive and saves a copy to the user's workspace.

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BoardRepo find an open-source soil moisture sensor with Bluetooth that runs on a coin cell

Searching Open-Source Boards

BoardRepo

b-parasiterbaron · ★ 2.4kSchematicPCB3D

InspectMeasureFitLayers

FitViewLightScale

b-parasite fits all three: an nRF52 Bluetooth module, a CR2032 holder, and 2.4k stars on GitHub.

How does it actually sense moisture?

Reading the b-parasite Schematic

BoardRepo

SchematicParasitic capacitor sensing

1. R1Square wave in from P0.05
2. CPARAProbe traces: wetter soil, more capacitance
3. D1 C1 R6Hold the peak, lower when wetter
4. SENS_OUTRead on P0.03

My plants are on a dim shelf. Make the light sensor more sensitive and save it to my workspace.

Editing R10 and Saving a Copy

BoardRepo

SchematicLight sensor

4.7k

R10470 Ω→4.7 kΩ

About 10× the signal in dim light

Save to my workspaceSaved · v1you/b-parasite

Saved as you/b-parasite v1, based on rbaron / b-parasite. R10 is now 4.7 kΩ and nothing else changed.

+Ask anything↑

R10470 Ω→4.7 kΩSaved · v1you/b-parasite

Example conversation · In-chat board views require enrollment and a supported client · Saving requires your explicit write consent · b-parasite by rbaron, CC BY-SA 4.0

Answers grounded in the design.

Bring a BoardRepo link to the assistant you already use. It can follow connections, read component values, and inspect source files alongside you.

1. Find a starting point

   Search real open hardware by what you want to build.

   “Find a Bluetooth soil moisture sensor that runs on a coin cell.”

2. Understand the circuit

   Trace a signal through the schematic, with parts and nets to inspect.

   “How does b-parasite measure soil moisture? Show me the signal path.”

3. Check before you build

   Review the BOM and available check results before ordering parts or boards. Running new checks requires board ownership or check permission.

   “Read the available check results and explain what I should review.”

Example questions to try after connecting. Start with b-parasite by rbaron.

From a conversation to a project.

Keep the source, inspect the changes, and continue in KiCad.

1. 0 1 ### Save the source

   An assistant with file-upload support and your save permission can publish a personal project or a new version.

2. 0 2 ### Inspect the board

   Open the saved version in your browser. Review the schematic, PCB and source, and compare revisions.

3. 0 3 ### Continue in KiCad

   Download the source or pull the current version with BoardRepo for KiCad. Make your next changes in the editor.

Using KiCad with Claude or ChatGPT

Schematic

PCB

Reference project: OtterCastAudioV2 by Ottercast · MIT

Connect your assistant

Your assistant reads the designs themselves: schematics, nets, BOMs, and source files. Your consent determines access: public boards, plus your own boards including private ones if you approve that scope. Organization access needs separate consent and current board access.

Let your agent set it upCopy prompt

Add the BoardRepo MCP server so you can search and read hardware boards for me.

It is a remote HTTP MCP server at https://boardrepo.com/mcp. Search and read public KiCad and Altium boards, including available BOMs, schematics, and source files. In-chat schematic, PCB, 3D, and comparison views require an enrolled account and a supported client. Read access is the default. Saving boards, when available, requires my explicit write consent; set up read access for this request. Auth is OAuth via dynamic client registration, so there is no API key or secret to set.

Run the right command for my MCP client, then start the OAuth sign-in and tell me once it is connected. For Claude Code that is:
claude mcp add --scope user --transport http boardrepo https://boardrepo.com/mcp

If that command is not recognized, use my client's own way of adding a remote or HTTP MCP server with that URL.

Paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, or another coding agent to add BoardRepo. Complete the browser sign-in and approve the access you want to grant.

Or paste this URL, no client ID or secret neededCopy URL

https://boardrepo.com/mcp

ClaudeWeb + desktop

Add BoardRepo to Claude (opens in a new tab)

Opens BoardRepo in Claude's connector directory. Press Connect, approve BoardRepo access, then ask Claude to search BoardRepo or to read a board's schematic and BOM. A connector belongs to your account rather than to one app, so it works in Claude on the web, in the desktop app, and on mobile without setting it up again.

After connecting, open a conversation and enable BoardRepo under + → Connectors. Try: “Use BoardRepo to open rbaron/b-parasite. Explain its available schematic and BOM, cite the board, and say what you could not inspect.” Connecting alone does not start a task. If Claude cannot find the tools, check its Tool access setting; Auto and On demand load connectors according to the request.

Set it up by hand instead

1. In Claude.ai or Claude Desktop, open Customize → Connectorsand choose Add custom connector. In a managed workspace, a person with the required management role first adds it in Organization settings → Connectors → Add → Custom → Web.
2. Name it BoardRepo, enter https://boardrepo.com/mcp, and continue.
3. Use OAuth with Register automatically, add the connector, then complete the BoardRepo sign-in and approve the access you want to grant.

On a Team or Enterprise workspace, a person with the required management role first adds BoardRepo; each member then connects their own account. Free plans allow one custom connector. Follow Claude's current setup guide if the menus differ.

ChatGPTBetaWeb

1. On a supported ChatGPT account, open Plugins → + → Add custom MCP server. Developer Mode is not required; workspace permissions still apply.
2. Name it BoardRepo, enter https://boardrepo.com/mcp under Connection, and select OAuth.
3. Review the risk warning. If you accept it, acknowledge it and select Create as a plugin. Review the discovered tools and complete BoardRepo sign-in and consent when prompted.
4. Install the plugin, start a new chat, and @mention BoardRepo to inspect a specific board.

Legacy Apps interface: use Settings → Apps → Create(or Workspace settings → Apps → Create for admins). Enter the same URL, choose OAuth, complete sign-in and the tool scan, then create the app.

Custom MCP setup is currently on ChatGPT web. Plan and workspace policies determine the available actions: full modify/write support is available to Business, Enterprise and Edu, while Pro supports read/fetch connections. Check OpenAI's current requirements. Use BoardRepo in a regular chat; its tool set does not establish support for every research mode. Workspace admins must review and refresh app actions when new tools are added; changing the server alone does not update an approved app.

Claude CodeCLI

Run this once, then run /mcp and approve the browser sign-in:

claude mcp add --scope user --transport http boardrepo https://boardrepo.com/mcp

Drop --scope user to add it to the current project only.

OpenAI CodexCLI

Add the server, then start the OAuth login:

codex mcp add boardrepo --url https://boardrepo.com/mcp codex mcp login boardrepo

Remote MCP over OAuth is recent in Codex. If codex mcp add or codex mcp login is not recognized, update Codex (check codex --version).

CursorIDE

Add BoardRepo to Cursor

Cursor opens and asks you to sign in to BoardRepo. Approve it once and you are connected.

Set it up by hand instead

Add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json, then click Login when Cursor shows "Needs login":

{ "mcpServers": { "boardrepo": { "url": "https://boardrepo.com/mcp" } } }

VS Code (Copilot)IDE

Add BoardRepo to VS Code (opens in a new tab)

VS Code opens and asks you to Allow the sign-in. Then, in Chat, switch to Agent mode and turn on the BoardRepo tools.

Set it up by hand instead

1. Command Palette → MCP: Add Server → HTTP, paste https://boardrepo.com/mcp, name it, and choose Global or Workspace.
2. Start the server and Allow the sign-in. It writes:

{ "servers": { "boardrepo": { "type": "http", "url": "https://boardrepo.com/mcp" } } }

Needs GitHub Copilot. An organization policy can disable MCP.

Gemini CLICLI

Run this once, then approve the sign-in in your browser:

gemini mcp add --transport http boardrepo https://boardrepo.com/mcp

Set it up by hand instead

Add this to ~/.gemini/settings.json. Use httpUrl, not url, or streaming HTTP will not work:

{ "mcpServers": { "boardrepo": { "httpUrl": "https://boardrepo.com/mcp", "authProviderType": "dynamic_discovery" } } }

Gemini appUS onlyWeb

1. At gemini.google.com, open Settings & help → Connected Apps →** Add a custom app**.
2. Paste https://boardrepo.com/mcp, continue, and approve the sign-in.

Currently limited to personal Google accounts, ages 18+, in the US, with Activity on.

OpenCodeCLI

Add it to your OpenCode config: opencode.json in the project, or the global ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json. OpenCode runs the OAuth sign-in for a remote server itself, so there is no key to paste:

{ "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json", "mcp": { "boardrepo": { "type": "remote", "url": "https://boardrepo.com/mcp", "enabled": true } } }

WindsurfIDE

Open Settings → Cascade → MCP Servers → Add custom server and paste https://boardrepo.com/mcp.

Set it up by hand instead

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Windsurf calls the field serverUrl, not url:

{ "mcpServers": { "boardrepo": { "serverUrl": "https://boardrepo.com/mcp" } } }

Windsurf should open the BoardRepo sign-in in your browser. If it does not, update Windsurf. Never type your BoardRepo password into an assistant.

LM StudioDesktop

Add BoardRepo to LM Studio

LM Studio opens and adds BoardRepo. The button needs 0.3.17 or newer; signing in from inside LM Studio needs 0.4.10 or newer.

Set it up by hand instead

Open the Program tab in the right sidebar, choose Install → Edit mcp.json, and add:

{ "mcpServers": { "boardrepo": { "url": "https://boardrepo.com/mcp" } } }

On an older build, or if LM Studio never asks you to sign in, use the fallback under "Any other MCP client" below, which runs the sign-in in your browser instead.

Any other MCP clientMCP

BoardRepo is a standard remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP) at https://boardrepo.com/mcp. Any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP and OAuth dynamic client registration can connect with just this URL.

My client asks for a command to run, not a URL

Older clients cannot call a remote server directly. Run BoardRepo through the mcp-remote bridge instead: it sits on your machine, talks to us over the network, and opens the BoardRepo sign-in in your browser the first time you use it.

{ "mcpServers": { "boardrepo": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://boardrepo.com/mcp"] } } }

Needs Node.js installed. The bridge is a third-party package, not published by BoardRepo.

Prefer to browse first? Head to the board library.

Sign in to BoardRepo

New here? Signing in creates your account; there is no separate sign-up.

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"BoardRepo","url":"https://boardrepo.com","logo":"https://boardrepo.com/brand/boardrepo-icon-512.png","description":"Share hardware projects, inspect schematics and PCBs in the browser, and review saved versions with your team. Continue in KiCad or connect your AI assistant.","contactPoint":[{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer service","email":"hello@boardrepo.com","availableLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"security","email":"security@boardrepo.com","availableLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"privacy","email":"privacy@boardrepo.com","availableLanguage":"en"}]}