What does the Lcsc AI skill do?

Search LCSC Electronics for electronic components — find parts by LCSC number (Cxxxxx) or MPN, check stock/pricing, download datasheets, analyze specifications. Sister company to JLCPCB, same parts library. Sync and maintain a local datasheets directory for a KiCad project, or use batch MPN-list seeding (`--mpn-list`) for bulk workflows without a project. No API key needed — uses the free jlcsearch community API. Use this skill when the user mentions LCSC, JLCPCB parts library, JLCPCB assembly parts, production sourcing, Cxxxxx part numbers, needs to find LCSC equivalents for parts, is prep...

Why use Lcsc on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Lcsc is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Lcsc in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/aklofas/kicad-happy/tree/main/skills/lcsc. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Lcsc?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Lcsc?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Lcsc with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Lcsc AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by aklofas under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

Lcsc by aklofas — AI Skill for Any LLM

LCSC Electronics — Component Search, Datasheets & Ordering

Related Skills

Skill	Purpose
`kicad`	Schematic analysis — extracts MPNs for part lookup
`bom`	BOM management — orchestrates sourcing across distributors
`jlcpcb`	PCB assembly — shares the same parts library
`spice`	Uses LCSC parametric data for behavioral SPICE models (no auth needed)

LCSC is JLCPCB's sister company — they share the same parts library and Cxxxxx part numbers. Use LCSC for production sourcing (assembled boards from JLCPCB/PCBWay). DigiKey/Mouser are for prototyping. For BOM management and export workflows, see bom.

Key Differences from DigiKey/Mouser

No API key needed — jlcsearch community API is free and open
Lower prices — especially for passives and Chinese-manufactured ICs
JLCPCB integration — same LCSC part numbers used in JLCPCB assembly BOMs
Direct PDF downloads — LCSC's CDN (wmsc.lcsc.com) serves datasheets without bot protection
Low MOQ — many parts available in quantities as low as 1
Warehouses — Shenzhen (JS), Zhuhai (ZH), Hong Kong (HK)
Website: https://www.lcsc.com

LCSC Part Numbers

Format: Cxxxxx (e.g., C14663). This is the universal identifier across both LCSC and JLCPCB. Use it for:

Direct ordering on LCSC
BOM matching in JLCPCB assembly (see jlcpcb skill)
Cross-referencing between platforms

Component Search

Use search_lcsc.py to search LCSC and JLCPCB for electronic components, check live stock, inspect pricing tiers, identify basic vs. extended parts, and fetch parametric attributes. No API key required.

bash
# Search by keyword or description
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/search_lcsc.py "tactile switch"

# Search for basic parts only (no JLCPCB extended loading fees)
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/search_lcsc.py "0805 100R" --basic

# Filter by package/footprint and stock
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/search_lcsc.py "red led" --package 0805 --in-stock

# Inspect full component details (manufacturer, datasheet URL, price breaks, parametric attributes)
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/search_lcsc.py "C318884" --details

# Output machine-readable JSON (for scripts and agent workflows)
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/search_lcsc.py "ME2108" --limit 5 --json

# Sort results by price or stock
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/search_lcsc.py "microcontroller STM32" --sort price

# Parametric category search (rows carry package, stock, price and attributes)
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/search_lcsc.py "STM32" --category microcontrollers

The script:

Queries the free jlcsearch community API for the search, then enriches from LCSC's direct product-detail endpoint (manufacturer, datasheet URL, price breaks) for exact Cxxxxx queries and for every hit shown with --details — one extra request per hit, 0.5s apart. If jlcsearch has no row for a Cxxxxx code, the direct lookup is the fallback.
Formats results into a clean terminal table highlighting LCSC #, MPN, Package, Basic/Ext status, Stock, Price, and Description
Supports --basic filtering to optimize PCB assembly BOM costs for JLCPCB manufacturing
Supports --json for automated BOM enrichment and agent workflows

jlcsearch API Reference

The jlcsearch community API is the recommended way to search LCSC. No authentication required.

Base URL: https://jlcsearch.tscircuit.com

General Search


GET /api/search?q=<query>&limit=20&full=true

Parameters:

q — search query (matches MPN, LCSC code, or description keywords)
package — optional footprint filter (e.g., 0402)
limit — max results (default 100)
full — accepted but no longer adds fields (the former extra block is gone, see below)

Category-Specific Search


GET /resistors/list.json?search=10k+0402
GET /capacitors/list.json?search=100nF+0402
GET /microcontrollers/list.json?search=STM32
GET /voltage_regulators/list.json?search=3.3V

Response Format

General search returns {"components": [...]}. As of 2026-09 each hit carries only these fields — the extra block (manufacturer, datasheet URL, per-warehouse stock, attributes, price breaks) is no longer returned, even with full=true:

json
{
  "lcsc": 318884,
  "mfr": "TS-1187A-B-A-B",
  "package": "SMD-4P,5.1x5.1mm",
  "is_basic": true,
  "is_preferred": false,
  "description": "-30℃~+85℃ 1.5mm 1.6N ... SMD-4P,5.1x5.1mm Tactile Switches ROHS",
  "stock": 1683297,
  "price": 0.0197
}

Key fields:

lcsc — numeric LCSC ID (without "C" prefix); prepend C for the LCSC code
mfr — manufacturer part number (no manufacturer name)
is_basic — true if JLCPCB basic part (no setup fee); is_preferred — JLCPCB preferred extended part
stock / price — JLCPCB assembly stock and unit price (USD)

Category endpoints return {"<category>": [...]} — keyed by the category name, not components. Rows differ from the general search: price1 instead of price, in_stock, an empty description, parametric columns (e.g. resistance, cpu_core), and attributes as a JSON string:

json
{"resistors": [{"lcsc": 25804, "mfr": "0603WAF1002T5E", "description": "", "stock": 37165617,
  "price1": 0.000842857, "in_stock": true, "package": "0603", "resistance": 10000,
  "is_basic": true, "is_preferred": false,
  "attributes": "{\"Resistance\":\"10kΩ\",\"Power(Watts)\":\"100mW\",\"Tolerance\":\"±1%\"}"}]}

LCSC Direct Product Detail (enrichment)

For manufacturer, datasheet URL and price breaks, query LCSC's own endpoint by Cxxxxx code — no auth, JSON, code: 200 on success:


GET https://wmsc.lcsc.com/ftps/wm/product/detail?productCode=C318884

Useful result fields: productModel (MPN), brandNameEn (manufacturer), pdfUrl (direct datasheet PDF), encapStandard (package), productIntroEn / productDescEn (description), stockNumber (LCSC stock), productPriceList[] (ladder = min qty, usdPrice). fetch_datasheet_lcsc.search_lcsc_direct() wraps this and normalizes the result to the jlcsearch dict shape (extra.number, extra.mpn, extra.manufacturer.name, extra.datasheet.pdf, ladder list in price); search_lcsc.py uses it for Cxxxxx enrichment and as the fallback when jlcsearch has no row.

Rate Limits

Neither API documents rate limits, but be respectful — use delays of 0.5s between calls.

Datasheet Download & Sync

LCSC's CDN serves datasheet PDFs directly — no bot protection, no special headers needed. This makes LCSC a reliable datasheet source alongside DigiKey.

Datasheet Directory Sync

Use sync_datasheets_lcsc.py to maintain a datasheets/ directory alongside a KiCad project. Same workflow and manifest.json format as the DigiKey and Mouser skills. No API key required.

bash
# Sync datasheets for a KiCad project
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/sync_datasheets_lcsc.py <file.kicad_sch>

# Preview what would be downloaded
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/sync_datasheets_lcsc.py <file.kicad_sch> --dry-run

# Retry previously failed downloads
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/sync_datasheets_lcsc.py <file.kicad_sch> --force

# Custom output directory
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/sync_datasheets_lcsc.py <file.kicad_sch> -o ./my-datasheets

# Parallel downloads (3 workers)
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/sync_datasheets_lcsc.py <file.kicad_sch> --parallel 3

# Batch mode — sync from a plain MPN list (no KiCad project required)
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/sync_datasheets_lcsc.py --mpn-list mpns.txt --output ./datasheets

MPN-list batch mode (KH-312) — when you have a list of MPNs but no KiCad project to point at. One MPN per line; blank lines and # comments (full-line and inline) are skipped; generic values are filtered via is_real_mpn() and de-duplicated. Output defaults to ./datasheets/ in the current working directory when --output is omitted.

The script:

Runs the kicad schematic analyzer to extract components, MPNs, and LCSC codes
Accepts any identifier — MPN, LCSC code, or other distributor PNs from KiCad symbol properties
Prefers LCSC code for search (exact match) — falls back to MPN keyword search
Falls back to wmsc.lcsc.com API when jlcsearch has no results, or a hit has no datasheet URL, for an LCSC code (Cxxxxx)
Downloads from LCSC CDN — direct PDF URLs, no bot protection
Writes manifest.json manifest — same format as DigiKey/Mouser skills
Verifies PDF content — checks MPN, manufacturer, and description keywords
Rate-limited — 0.5s between API calls (configurable with --delay)
Saves progress incrementally — safe to interrupt

Single Datasheet Download

Use fetch_datasheet_lcsc.py for one-off downloads.

bash
# Search by MPN
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/fetch_datasheet_lcsc.py --search "GRM155R71C104KA88D" -o datasheet.pdf

# Search by LCSC code
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/fetch_datasheet_lcsc.py --search "C14663" -o datasheet.pdf

# Direct URL download
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/fetch_datasheet_lcsc.py "https://wmsc.lcsc.com/..." -o datasheet.pdf

# JSON output
python3 <skill-path>/scripts/fetch_datasheet_lcsc.py --search "C14663" --json

The script:

OS-agnostic — uses requests → urllib → playwright fallback chain (no wget/curl)
Validates PDF headers — rejects HTML error pages
Falls back to alternative manufacturer sources when LCSC URL fails
Exit codes: 0 = success, 1 = download failed, 2 = search/API error
Dependencies:
- pip install requests (recommended; urllib fallback works fine for LCSC)
- pip install playwright && playwright install chromium (optional; rarely needed for LCSC)

LCSC Official API (Requires Approval)

Base URL: https://ips.lcsc.com. Requires API key + signature authentication. Contact support@lcsc.com for access. Rarely needed — jlcsearch covers most use cases.

Web Search Fallback

If the jlcsearch API is unavailable, search LCSC by fetching the website directly:


https://www.lcsc.com/search?q=<query>

Cross-Referencing & Missing Equivalents

LCSC part numbers are specific to the LCSC/JLCPCB ecosystem. Use the mfr field (MPN) to cross-reference on DigiKey/Mouser.

When an MPN has no exact LCSC match:

Search by key parameters (e.g., "100nF 0402 X7R 16V")
Look for pin-compatible alternatives from Chinese manufacturers
Verify specs and footprint match — pad dimensions can vary even within the same package size
As a last resort, mark as "consigned" and source separately

Tips

is_basic field matters — JLCPCB basic parts have no setup fee; extended parts cost $3 each
jlcsearch stock is JLCPCB assembly stock; the wmsc detail's stockNumber is LCSC's own stock — the two differ
MOQ and order multiples are no longer in the jlcsearch response — check the LCSC product page before ordering
Datasheet quality varies for Chinese manufacturers — cross-reference MPN on DigiKey for better docs

Publisher	aklofas
Repository	`kicad-happy`
Skill name	`lcsc`
Stars	1.2K
Forks	109
Bundled files	4
License	MIT
Links	Skill source Repository

Lcsc

Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

LCSC Electronics — Component Search, Datasheets & Ordering

Related Skills

Key Differences from DigiKey/Mouser

LCSC Part Numbers

Component Search

jlcsearch API Reference

General Search

Category-Specific Search

Response Format

LCSC Direct Product Detail (enrichment)

Rate Limits

Datasheet Download & Sync

Datasheet Directory Sync

Single Datasheet Download

LCSC Official API (Requires Approval)

Web Search Fallback

Cross-Referencing & Missing Equivalents

Tips

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

Set up your own AI workspace now

Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

LCSC Electronics — Component Search, Datasheets & Ordering

Related Skills

Key Differences from DigiKey/Mouser

LCSC Part Numbers

Component Search

jlcsearch API Reference

General Search

Category-Specific Search

Response Format

LCSC Direct Product Detail (enrichment)

Rate Limits

Datasheet Download & Sync

Datasheet Directory Sync

Single Datasheet Download

LCSC Official API (Requires Approval)

Web Search Fallback

Cross-Referencing & Missing Equivalents

Tips

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

Related AI Skills

Set up your own AI workspace now