KiCad-Master-Lib

Getting Started

Requirements

KiCad 10.x stable
Git 2.25+
~356 MB disk (~73 MB if you exclude 3D models — see below)

Clone

git clone https://github.com/feastorg/KiCad-Master-Lib.git

Configure KiCad

Path variables

Preferences → Configure Paths:

Variable	Value
`KICAD_MASTER_LIB`	the repository root
`KMLIB_LOCAL`	`${KICAD_MASTER_LIB}/kmlib-local`

Use a forward slash on all platforms. A backslash does not resolve on Linux or macOS, and KiCad gives no error — 3D models simply do not appear.

Library tables

The repository commits its library tables:

File	Registers
`kmlib.fp-lib-table`	51 footprint libraries
`kmlib.sym-lib-table`	46 symbol libraries
`kmlib.design-block-lib-table`	10 design-block libraries

They cover kmlib-local and the vendored upstream libraries. Every URI is relative to ${KICAD_MASTER_LIB}, so a clean clone resolves everything with no per-machine setup.

Merge them into your KiCad configuration (~/.config/kicad/10.0/, or ~/.var/app/org.kicad.KiCad/config/kicad/10.0/ for the flatpak):

fp-lib-table ← kmlib.fp-lib-table
sym-lib-table ← kmlib.sym-lib-table
design-block-lib-table ← kmlib.design-block-lib-table

Keep your existing entries for the stock KiCad libraries; these only add to them.

Regenerate after adding or removing a library:

python3 scripts/gen_lib_tables.py

Verify

Symbol Editor — select a KMLib_* library and browse.
Footprint Editor — likewise.
Schematic Editor — Place → Add Design Block, browse the KMLib_* blocks.
3D Viewer — place a KMLib footprint on a scratch board and confirm the model appears.

Updating

git pull origin main

Vendored upstream libraries

Upstream libraries are vendored under vendor/ and pinned in vendor.yaml.

Library	Licence
SparkFun-KiCad-Libraries	CC-BY-4.0
OPL_Kicad_Library (Seeed)	CC-BY-SA-4.0
digikey-kicad-library	CC-BY-SA-4.0, with an exception — see its `LICENSE.md`
arduino-kicad-library	CC-BY-SA-4.0

They are registered in the committed tables; nothing extra to configure.

A daily upstream-drift workflow opens a tracking issue when an upstream moves past its pin. Nothing syncs automatically.

python3 scripts/check_drift.py                  # report drift
python3 scripts/vendor_sync.py <name> --check   # preview upstream commits
python3 scripts/vendor_sync.py <name>           # three-way merge; local edits preserved

Before advancing a pin, check that the parts your boards use have not changed pad geometry — not merely that they still resolve.

Cloning without 3D models

ERC, DRC and netlist generation never read a 3D model; only renders and STEP export do. Excluding them gives a ~73 MB checkout with every library present:

git clone --filter=blob:none --sparse https://github.com/feastorg/KiCad-Master-Lib.git
cd KiCad-Master-Lib
git sparse-checkout set --no-cone '/*' \
    '!*.step' '!*.STEP' '!*.stp' '!*.STP' '!*.wrl' '!*.WRL'

Exclude by extension, not directory — some upstreams keep models loose in product folders rather than under *.3dshapes/.

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