kicad-callouts

Generate a static, annotated top-down 3D image of a KiCad PCB with a labelled callout for each connector (or any other footprint you choose).

Give it a .kicad_pcb file in which the footprints you want called out carry a Callout property. It renders the board with KiCad, draws a red box around each listed footprint, adds a leader line to a label box on the nearest side of the board, and adds overall board dimensions. The result is a PNG, PDF, or SVG suitable for a datasheet, README, or assembly guide.

Install

With uv:

uv tool install git+https://github.com/keenanjohnson/kicad-callouts

Usage

kicad-callouts board.kicad_pcb -o docs/connectors.png

Arguments and options:

If the PCB lives in a git repository, the short commit hash is printed under the title so you can tell which board revision the image was made from.

Marking footprints for callout

Every footprint with a non-empty Callout property gets a callout. Two properties are read:

The easiest place to set them is the schematic: add the fields to each symbol (Symbol Properties, or the Symbol Fields Table for many at once), then run Update PCB from Schematic. KiCad copies symbol fields onto the footprints, and they survive later updates. Adding them directly to a footprint in the PCB editor also works, but the next update from the schematic may remove them. Either way, mark the fields as hidden so they are not drawn on the board.

Layout

Callouts are placed in a column on whichever side of the board the footprint is closer to, ordered top to bottom by the footprint's position. Boxes that would overlap are pushed down. Callout text can be any footprint, not just connectors, so the same tool works for switches, LEDs, test points, or mounting holes.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.