/mouser

name: mouser
description: Search Mouser Electronics for electronic components — secondary source for prototype orders. Find parts, check pricing/stock, download datasheets, analyze specifications. Use with KiCad for BOM creation and part selection. Also supports batch MPN-list seeding (`--mpn-list`) for bulk datasheet workflows without a KiCad project. Use this skill when the user specifically mentions Mouser, when DigiKey is out of stock or has worse pricing, when comparing prices across distributors, or when searching for parts that DigiKey doesn't carry. For package cross-reference tables and BOM workflow, see the `bom` skill.

Mouser Electronics Parts Search & Analysis

Related Skills

| Skill | Purpose | |-------|---------| | `kicad` | Schematic analysis — extracts MPNs for part lookup | | `bom` | BOM management — orchestrates sourcing across distributors | | `digikey` | Primary prototype source (prefer for datasheets — direct PDF links) | | `spice` | Uses Mouser parametric data for behavioral SPICE models |

Mouser is the **secondary source for prototype orders** — use when DigiKey is out of stock or has worse pricing. For production orders, see `lcsc`/`jlcpcb`. For BOM management and export workflows, see `bom`. For datasheets, prefer DigiKey's API (direct PDF links) — Mouser blocks automated PDF downloads.

API Credential Setup

Mouser uses **simple API key authentication** — no OAuth, no tokens, no callback URLs. The Search API key is a UUID passed as a query parameter.

Getting Your API Key

1. Go to [mouser.com](https://www.mouser.com) → My Mouser → My Account 2. Under "APIs" section, click "Manage" 3. Register for **Search API** key — this is the one needed for part lookups and datasheet downloads 4. Search API keys may require approval (status shows "pending authorization" initially)

Setting Credentials

Set the environment variable before running the scripts:

export MOUSER_SEARCH_API_KEY=your-search-api-key-uuid

If credentials are stored in a central secrets file (e.g., `~/.config/secrets.env`), load them first:

export $(grep -v '^#' ~/.config/secrets.env | grep -v '^$' | xargs)

Mouser Search API Reference

All search endpoints use the Search API key as a query parameter: `?apiKey=<key>`. Content-Type is `application/json` for all POST requests.

V1 Endpoints

Keyword Search

POST /api/v1/search/keyword?apiKey=<key>

{
  "SearchByKeywordRequest": {
    "keyword": "100nF 0402 ceramic capacitor",
    "records": 50,
    "startingRecord": 0,
    "searchOptions": "InStock"
  }
}

• `searchOptions`: `"None"` | `"Rohs"` | `"InStock"` | `"RohsAndInStock"`
• `records`: max 50 per request
• `startingRecord`: offset for pagination

Part Number Search

POST /api/v1/search/partnumber?apiKey=<key>

{
  "SearchByPartRequest": {
    "mouserPartNumber": "GRM155R71C104KA88D|RC0402FR-0710KL",
    "partSearchOptions": "Exact"
  }
}

• Up to **10 part numbers**, pipe-separated (`|`)
• Works with both Mouser part numbers AND manufacturer part numbers (MPNs)
• `partSearchOptions`: `"Exact"` | `"BeginsWith"` | `"Contains"`

V2 Endpoints

V2 adds manufacturer filtering and pagination by page number.

Keyword + Manufacturer Search

POST /api/v2/search/keywordandmanufacturer?apiKey=<key>

{
  "SearchByKeywordMfrNameRequest": {
    "keyword": "LMR51450",
    "manufacturerName": "Texas Instruments",
    "records": 25,
    "pageNumber": 1,
    "searchOptions": "InStock"
  }
}

Note: the wrapper object name is `SearchByKeywordMfrNameRequest` (not `SearchByKeywordMfrRequest` — the V1 name is deprecated).

Part Number + Manufacturer Search

POST /api/v2/search/partnumberandmanufacturer?apiKey=<key>

Manufacturer List

GET /api/v2/search/manufacturerlist?apiKey=<key>

Returns the full list of manufacturer names for use in filtered searches.

V1 Deprecated Endpoints

These still work but V2 equivalents are preferred:

• `POST /api/v1/search/keywordandmanufacturer` → use V2
• `POST /api/v1/search/partnumberandmanufacturer` → use V2
• `GET /api/v1/search/manufacturerlist` → use V2

Search Response Structure

All search endpoints return the same response format:

{
  "Errors": [],
  "SearchResults": {
    "NumberOfResult": 142,
    "Parts": [...]
  }
}

Key Part Fields

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `MouserPartNumber` | string | Mouser's internal part number (prefixed, e.g., `81-GRM155R71C104KA88`) | | `ManufacturerPartNumber` | string | Manufacturer's part number (MPN) — use for cross-distributor matching | | `Manufacturer` | string | Manufacturer name | | `Description` | string | Product description | | `Category` | string | Product category | | `DataSheetUrl` | string | URL to datasheet PDF (Mouser-hosted — see Datasheet section) | | `ProductDetailUrl` | string | URL to Mouser product page | | `ImagePath` | string | Product image URL | | `Availability` | string | Human-readable stock text (e.g., "2648712 In Stock") | | `AvailabilityInStock` | string | Numeric stock quantity (as string) | | `AvailabilityOnOrder` | array | Incoming stock: `[{Quantity, Date}]` | | `LeadTime` | string | Factory lead time (e.g., "84 Days") | | `LifecycleStatus` | string\|null | "New Product", "End of Life", etc. | | `IsDiscontinued` | string | "true" or "false" (string, not boolean) | | `SuggestedReplacement` | string | Replacement MPN if discontinued | | `Min` | string | Minimum order quantity (as string) | | `Mult` | string | Order multiple (as string) | | `Reeling` | bool | Tape-and-reel packaging available | | `ROHSStatus` | string | RoHS compliance status | | `PriceBreaks` | array | Tiered pricing: `[{Quantity, Price, Currency}]` | | `ProductAttributes` | array | Parametric specs: `[{AttributeName, AttributeValue}]` | | `AlternatePackagings` | array\|null | Alternate packaging MPNs: `[{APMfrPN}]` | | `SurchargeMessages` |