name	altium-schdoc
description	Query Altium Designer binary .SchDoc schematic files — list components, trace nets, inspect pins and parameters, export BOM / netlist / JSON from within chat.

altium-schdoc skill

This skill gives an AI assistant structured, read-only access to Altium .SchDoc / .SchDot schematic files via the companion MCP server. Use it when the user is working with hardware schematics and wants to look something up without opening Altium Designer.

When to use

The user mentions a file ending in .SchDoc or .SchDot.
The user asks "what's on U3", "where does GND go", "list the op-amps on this board", "give me the BOM", "what's the pinout of J1", etc.
The user is debugging or reviewing a schematic they can't conveniently open in Altium.

Prerequisites

Install the Altium SchDoc Viewer extension in your editor (VS Code from the Marketplace, Cursor / VSCodium from Open VSX). The extension ships with a bundled MCP server at dist/mcp-server.js inside the extension directory.
Register the MCP server with your assistant (see the "Registering the MCP server" section of CLAUDE.md for exact .mcp.json / settings.json snippets for Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, and VS Code GitHub Copilot).
Alternatively, if the repo is cloned locally, run npm ci && npm run build and point your client at node /absolute/path/to/dist/mcp-server.js.

Tools the MCP server exposes

All tools take an absolute or workspace-relative path to a .SchDoc file. Files are cached per-path + mtime, so calling several tools in a row on the same file is cheap.

Tool	Purpose
`schdoc_summary`	Record counts, sheet title / revision / author at a glance. Start here.
`schdoc_title`	Full title-block parameter list.
`schdoc_components`	List components, optional substring filter across designator / libRef / value / footprint / description.
`schdoc_component`	Deep view of one component — all parameters (hidden flagged), pins, bounding box.
`schdoc_pins`	All pins with designator / name / electrical type.
`schdoc_nets`	All heuristic nets with pin counts.
`schdoc_net`	Pins on one net.
`schdoc_bom`	Grouped BOM as CSV (Qty, compressed designator ranges, MPN / Manufacturer).
`schdoc_netlist`	Protel-format netlist.
`schdoc_search`	Fuzzy search across designators, libRefs, values, net names, parameter names/values. Up to 200 matches.
`schdoc_json`	Full versioned JSON model (verbose — prefer narrower tools).

Usage guidance

Prefer narrow tools over schdoc_json. A full JSON model of a mid-size board is tens of kilobytes of text and blows context for no benefit. Use schdoc_summary → schdoc_component / schdoc_net to stay focused.
The netlist is heuristic, not ERC. It's derived from wire geometry + pin hotspots + net labels + power ports with small merge tolerances. For safety-critical wiring questions, caveat that the ground truth is the Altium netlist.
Parameter names aren't standardized. Common ones across real Altium libraries: Comment, Value, Manufacturer, Manufacturer Part Number, MPN, Supplier Part Number, Description, Package. But each team has their own. When asked "what's the part number of U3", check Manufacturer Part Number first, then MPN, then Comment, then look at whatever parameters actually exist on that component.
Multi-sheet projects (.PrjPcb) are not yet supported — one .SchDoc per call.
Electrical type on pins is an integer per the Altium binary format: 0 = Input, 1 = IO, 2 = Output, 3 = Open Collector, 4 = Passive, 5 = HiZ, 6 = Open Emitter, 7 = Power.

Example prompts and flows

User: What are all the op-amps on AFE-Eval_Schematics_B.SchDoc?

→ Call schdoc_components({path, filter:"op"}) to substring-match on description/value. → If that misses stylistic matches, call schdoc_components({path}) and scan for parts whose libReference or description mentions "amplifier" / "opamp" / "TLV" / "OPA" / "LM" style names.

User: Where does the 3V3 rail connect?

→ Call schdoc_net({path, name:"+3V3"}). If missing, try +3.3V, 3V3, VCC_3V3. The net name is case-sensitive in source but tool matching is case-insensitive.

User: Give me the BOM of this sheet as CSV.

→ Call schdoc_bom({path}). Return the content field verbatim in a fenced code block.

User: What MPN did we use for C15?

→ Call schdoc_component({path, designator:"C15"}). Look through parameters for Manufacturer Part Number / MPN / Comment.

User: Is U7 actually connected to the SPI bus?

→ Call schdoc_component({path, designator:"U7"}) to list its pins. → For each pin that looks SPI-named (SCK/MOSI/MISO/CS/SS), call schdoc_net with that pin's net name if known, or inspect schdoc_nets output.

Things this skill won't do

Modify the .SchDoc (read-only).
Resolve multi-sheet hierarchy across .PrjPcb.
Run electrical-rule checking (ERC) — only heuristic net grouping.
Render the schematic as an image — that's the VS Code extension's preview tab. Point the user there if they ask for a visual.

altium-schdoc skill

When to use

The user mentions a file ending in .SchDoc or .SchDot.

The user asks "what's on U3", "where does GND go", "list the op-amps on this board", "give me the BOM", "what's the pinout of J1", etc.

The user is debugging or reviewing a schematic they can't conveniently open in Altium.

Prerequisites

Install the Altium SchDoc Viewer extension in your editor (VS Code from the Marketplace, Cursor / VSCodium from Open VSX). The extension ships with a bundled MCP server at dist/mcp-server.js inside the extension directory.

Register the MCP server with your assistant (see the "Registering the MCP server" section of CLAUDE.md for exact .mcp.json / settings.json snippets for Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, and VS Code GitHub Copilot).

Alternatively, if the repo is cloned locally, run npm ci && npm run build and point your client at node /absolute/path/to/dist/mcp-server.js.

Tools the MCP server exposes

All tools take an absolute or workspace-relative path to a .SchDoc file. Files are cached per-path + mtime, so calling several tools in a row on the same file is cheap.

Tool

Purpose

schdoc_summary

Record counts, sheet title / revision / author at a glance. Start here.

schdoc_title

Full title-block parameter list.

schdoc_components

List components, optional substring filter across designator / libRef / value / footprint / description.

schdoc_component

Deep view of one component — all parameters (hidden flagged), pins, bounding box.

schdoc_pins

All pins with designator / name / electrical type.

schdoc_nets

All heuristic nets with pin counts.

schdoc_net

Pins on one net.

schdoc_bom

Grouped BOM as CSV (Qty, compressed designator ranges, MPN / Manufacturer).

schdoc_netlist

Protel-format netlist.

schdoc_search

Fuzzy search across designators, libRefs, values, net names, parameter names/values. Up to 200 matches.

schdoc_json

Full versioned JSON model (verbose — prefer narrower tools).

Usage guidance

Prefer narrow tools over schdoc_json. A full JSON model of a mid-size board is tens of kilobytes of text and blows context for no benefit. Use schdoc_summary → schdoc_component / schdoc_net to stay focused.

The netlist is heuristic, not ERC. It's derived from wire geometry + pin hotspots + net labels + power ports with small merge tolerances. For safety-critical wiring questions, caveat that the ground truth is the Altium netlist.

Parameter names aren't standardized. Common ones across real Altium libraries: Comment, Value, Manufacturer, Manufacturer Part Number, MPN, Supplier Part Number, Description, Package. But each team has their own. When asked "what's the part number of U3", check Manufacturer Part Number first, then MPN, then Comment, then look at whatever parameters actually exist on that component.

Multi-sheet projects (.PrjPcb) are not yet supported — one .SchDoc per call.

Electrical type on pins is an integer per the Altium binary format: 0 = Input, 1 = IO, 2 = Output, 3 = Open Collector, 4 = Passive, 5 = HiZ, 6 = Open Emitter, 7 = Power.

Example prompts and flows

User: What are all the op-amps on AFE-Eval_Schematics_B.SchDoc?

→ Call schdoc_components({path, filter:"op"}) to substring-match on description/value. → If that misses stylistic matches, call schdoc_components({path}) and scan for parts whose libReference or description mentions "amplifier" / "opamp" / "TLV" / "OPA" / "LM" style names.

User: Where does the 3V3 rail connect?

→ Call schdoc_net({path, name:"+3V3"}). If missing, try +3.3V, 3V3, VCC_3V3. The net name is case-sensitive in source but tool matching is case-insensitive.

User: Give me the BOM of this sheet as CSV.

→ Call schdoc_bom({path}). Return the content field verbatim in a fenced code block.

User: What MPN did we use for C15?

→ Call schdoc_component({path, designator:"C15"}). Look through parameters for Manufacturer Part Number / MPN / Comment.

User: Is U7 actually connected to the SPI bus?

→ Call schdoc_component({path, designator:"U7"}) to list its pins. → For each pin that looks SPI-named (SCK/MOSI/MISO/CS/SS), call schdoc_net with that pin's net name if known, or inspect schdoc_nets output.

Things this skill won't do

Modify the .SchDoc (read-only).

Resolve multi-sheet hierarchy across .PrjPcb.

Run electrical-rule checking (ERC) — only heuristic net grouping.

Render the schematic as an image — that's the VS Code extension's preview tab. Point the user there if they ask for a visual.