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KiConnect is Morgan Allen’s FreeCAD add-on for exchanging PCB design data with KiCad. FreeCAD News reported that version 1.0.0 became available through FreeCAD’s Addon Manager in August 2026, allowing users to bring an updated KiCad design into a FreeCAD project while both applications are open. Its documented example is narrower than full automatic synchronization: a change to a board-outline line on KiCad’s Edge.Cuts layer appeared in FreeCAD’s preview.

What KiConnect does

KiConnect is intended to provide interoperability between FreeCAD and KiCad by exchanging design data between the applications. FreeCAD News described a workflow in which a user can pull an updated PCB design from KiCad into a FreeCAD project while both programs are open. The report does not establish that every kind of edit is continuously or automatically synchronized.

FreeCAD News reported KiConnect version 1.0.0 on August 20, 2026, and said it was available through FreeCAD’s Addon Manager. The developer’s July 2026 release post likewise described v1.0.0 as stable enough to release and available in Addons. FreeCAD News: KiConnect 1.0.0 release

What the demonstrated workflow looks like

A June 2025 report on Morgan Allen’s KiCon North America demonstration gives a concrete example: a line was changed on KiCad’s Edge.Cuts layer, and the board outline then updated in the FreeCAD preview. This shows an outline-update use case; it does not establish synchronization behavior for other layers, edits, or project structures. FreeCAD News: KiConnect demonstration

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Project goals versus verified features

The FreeCAD Foundation grant proposal described a goal of bidirectional interoperability using KiCad’s v9+ API. Its planned work included support for additional layers, multiple documents, non-polygon board outlines, island and hole detection, and associating parts with a board. These are proposal goals, not confirmation that each capability shipped in version 1.0.0 or works across every version combination. The proposal also records the funded work as LGPLv3-licensed. FreeCAD Foundation grant proposal

For exact compatibility and current feature availability, check KiConnect’s project information in FreeCAD’s Addon Manager and its current documentation. The cited release reports do not provide a complete compatibility matrix.

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Why the developer calls v1.0 an early release

In the July 2026 release post, Allen described KiCad’s Protocol Buffers-based API as a source of early development difficulties, and said the add-on’s internal design had been simplified. He characterized v1.0.0 as stable enough to release while inviting early feedback; the stated v1.x priorities were improving stability and restoring features set aside to get the first release out. Morgan Allen: KiConnect v1.0.0

The grant proposal also identified API roadblocks as the main foreseeable technical risk and noted that some planned exploration of API events involved functionality not officially supported by KiCad’s API. That context is another reason to distinguish the project’s intended scope from a guarantee about what is supported now. FreeCAD Foundation grant proposal

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What the grant amount means

The Q4 2025 FreeCAD News award announcement and Allen’s grant proposal both list $5,200 for the KiConnect work. This is project funding, not a measure of adoption, performance, or software sales. FreeCAD News: Q4 2025 grant awardees

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