Installation of Pinion

Pinion is a Python program. You can simply install it via pip:

pip3 install pinion

To run Pinion, install KiCad 9 or 10 with kicad-cli available on your PATH. You can alternatively set the KICAD_CLI environment variable to the executable path.

Pinion uses PcbDraw's kicad-cli annotation API to inspect components, pads, nets, tracks, and copper zones. It does not require KiCad's pcbnew Python module or KiCad's bundled Python environment.

Once you have Pinion installed, you can verify it by running:

pinion --help

If everything is working, proceed to making your first diagram.

Installing the nightly version of Pinion

If you are interested in getting the latest features, you can install the nightly version of Pinon. This version is built automatically from the master branch and comes with newest features, however, it is not guaranteed to be stable.

First, download the Python package. Then install it via pip:

pip3 install pinion-latest.whl