JLCImport

JLCImport is a KiCad action plugin that imports symbols, footprints, and 3D models from LCSC/JLCPCB into your project or global library.

Features

• Imports symbol, footprint, and 3D model data in one step.
• Works with project libraries or global KiCad libraries.
• Includes searchable part lookup with stock and type filtering.
• Handles modern KiCad formats (8/9/10).
• Ships with plugin, CLI, GUI, and TUI workflows.

Install

1. Open KiCad and go to Tools > Plugin and Content Manager
2. Open repository settings and add: https://github.com/jvanderberg/kicad_jlcimport/releases/latest/download/repository.json
3. Refresh repositories
4. Install JLCImport

Fallback: install from ZIP using Releases (JLCImport-vX.X.X.zip, not "Source code" ZIP).

For local development, link src/kicad_jlcimport into your KiCad plugin directory and restart KiCad.

Use In KiCad

Open PCB Editor > Tools > External Plugins > JLCImport.

1. Search for a part.
2. Pick Project or Global destination.
3. Set library name if needed.
4. Click Import.

If sym-lib-table or fp-lib-table is created for the first time, reopen the project once.

CLI, GUI, And TUI

This repo also ships standalone tools:

• jlcimport-cli for scripts and batch work.
• jlcimport-gui for a desktop app outside KiCad.
• jlcimport-tui for terminal workflow.

Quick examples:

jlcimport-cli search "100nF 0402" -t basic
jlcimport-cli import C427602 -p /path/to/project
jlcimport-gui -p /path/to/project
jlcimport-tui --kicad-version 9

Create or activate the local environment with:

source install.sh      # macOS/Linux
. .\install.ps1        # Windows PowerShell

Recent Updates

Based on recent git history:

• v1.4.0: KiCad footprint browser with live preview, footprint/3D model renaming, KiCad library footprint reuse, SpinnerOverlay deadlock fix, multi-unit symbol crash fix, and pinned ruff version.
• v1.2.10: fixed Python 3.9 annotation evaluation in library handling.
• v1.2.9: made the plugin dialog non-modal and added multi-unit symbol support.
• v1.2.8: hardened SVG path parsing for better import reliability.
• v1.2.x: continued fixes for datasheets, rendering, path handling, and KiCad 9 support.

Configuration

The plugin stores settings in jlcimport.json in your KiCad config directory. Right now this is mainly the library name preference, shared across plugin, CLI, and TUI.

Compatibility

The project targets KiCad 8, 9, and 10.

For the plugin inside KiCad, no extra Python packages are required.

For standalone tools:

• GUI needs wxPython (pip install -e '.[gui]')
• TUI needs Python 3.10+ and textual dependencies (pip install -e '.[tui]')

Troubleshooting

On Windows with KiCad 9, symbol preview may fail if wx.svg._nanosvg is missing. Use the fix in fixes/README.md.

Detailed Documentation

• Full usage guide
• 3D model notes
• Architecture overview
• Visual comparison output

License

MIT