kist

A lightweight component library manager for KiCad.
Paste a supplier URL, get a part. Names, symbols, and lib tables -- managed automatically.

Get started How it works GitHub

kist TUI demo -- adding a part, browsing KiCad libraries, and previewing symbols

Supplier integration

Paste a DigiKey URL or MPN. kist fetches metadata, detects the part tier, and populates a form for review.

Canonical naming

Part names are generated from specifications -- RES-10K-1PCT-0603. No more naming inconsistencies.

KiCad symbols

Resistor, capacitor, and inductor symbols generated from templates. Other parts get a stub with correct properties.

Git-native

Parts in JSON, config in TOML. No servers, no databases. Readable diffs and easy merges.

TUI and CLI

Browse, search, add, edit, and delete from an interactive terminal interface or via CLI commands.

Library validation

kist check catches name drift and duplicate identities before they become problems.

Install

# With Nix flakes
nix profile install github:skwort/kist

# With uv
uv tool install kist

# From source
git clone https://github.com/skwort/kist.git && cd kist && uv sync