Overview

MCP Eagle is a lightweight Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that bridges the gap between Claude‑style AI assistants and the Eagle design application. By exposing a set of MCP resources, tools, and prompts, it lets developers embed real‑time design insights directly into their AI workflows without having to write custom integrations or maintain separate API clients. The primary pain point addressed is the lack of a standardized, low‑overhead interface for AI assistants to query and control design software like Eagle, which traditionally relies on proprietary command‑line utilities or manual file manipulation.

At its core, the server offers a single tool——that reports whether Eagle is running and reachable. This status check is invaluable for orchestrating complex workflows where the AI assistant must confirm that the design environment is ready before proceeding with tasks such as generating schematics, validating board layouts, or exporting netlists. The tool returns a concise JSON payload that can be consumed by the assistant’s prompt logic, allowing it to conditionally branch its behavior based on the tool’s output.

Developers benefit from MCP Eagle in several practical ways:

• Seamless Tool Invocation: AI assistants can call as part of a larger prompt chain, ensuring that downstream actions are only executed when Eagle is available.
• Declarative Workflow Integration: By defining the tool in a configuration file (), the assistant automatically discovers and registers it, eliminating manual discovery steps.
• Minimal Footprint: The server is built with Node.js and exposes a single endpoint, keeping resource usage low while still providing the full MCP contract.

Typical use cases include:

• Design Automation: An assistant can verify Eagle’s availability before triggering automated netlist generation or running design rule checks.
• Collaborative Debugging: Teams can use the assistant to report real‑time connection status during pair programming sessions, reducing context switching.
• CI/CD Pipelines: Automated build systems can integrate MCP Eagle to confirm that the design tool is correctly installed and accessible before running tests or packaging releases.

What sets MCP Eagle apart is its focus on extensibility. Although the current release ships with a single status tool, the architecture is designed to accommodate additional commands—such as opening files, executing scripts, or retrieving component libraries—with minimal changes. This positions MCP Eagle as a foundational building block for richer AI‑driven design ecosystems, where assistants can seamlessly interact with complex engineering software through a unified protocol.