| name | kicad-svg-fix |
| description | Fix SVG files for KiCad PCB import. Handles compound paths with holes (splits into separate paths), Illustrator DPI scale correction (72 to 96 DPI), and style cleanup. Use when: (1) User wants to import SVG into KiCad, (2) SVG has shapes with holes/cutouts that KiCad mangles, (3) SVG from Illustrator imports at wrong scale, (4) User says 'fix svg', 'kicad svg', 'svg import', or 'svg fix'. |
| allowed-tools | ["Bash(python3 *)","Read","Write","Glob"] |
KiCad SVG Fix
Fix SVG files exported from Illustrator (or similar) for clean KiCad PCB import.
Common Problems This Solves
- Compound paths with holes — KiCad merges inner/outer paths into one weird polygon instead of treating holes as cutouts. Fix: split into separate
<path> elements.
- Wrong scale — Illustrator exports at 72 DPI, KiCad expects 96 DPI. Empirical factor:
1.33350873. Fix: scale all coordinates.
- CSS styles — KiCad ignores
<defs>/<style> and CSS classes. Fix: replace with inline stroke/fill attributes.
Usage
Run the bundled script:
python3 $HOME/.claude/skills/kicad-svg-fix/scripts/fix-svg-for-kicad.py INPUT.svg [OUTPUT.svg] [--scale FACTOR] [--no-scale]
- Default output:
INPUT-fixed.svg (same directory)
- Default scale:
1.33350873
--no-scale: only split compound paths and clean styles, skip scaling--scale 1.5: use custom scale factor
After Import — KiCad Target Layers
| Use case | Layer | Notes |
|---|
| Board outline | Edge.Cuts | Hole = actual cutout in PCB |
| Silkscreen logo | F.Silkscreen | KiCad draws strokes, not fills |
| Copper shape | F.Cu | Use filled zones instead |
Alternative Approaches
If the script doesn't cover a specific case:
Inkscape Pre-processing
- Open SVG in Inkscape
- Select shape → Path → Break Apart (separates outer/inner)
- Save as Plain SVG (not Inkscape SVG)
- Import into KiCad
DXF Export from Illustrator
- File → Export → Export As → DXF
- KiCad: File → Import → Graphics → select DXF
- DXF handles holes/outlines more reliably than SVG
svg2mod for Footprints
pip install svg2mod
svg2mod -i input.svg -o output.kicad_mod
Converts SVG directly to KiCad footprint (.kicad_mod), handles holes better than native SVG import.
