Add global-install support and document installation in README

- scripts/generate_global_tables.py generates sym-lib-table.global /
  fp-lib-table.global using a custom env var (default MIKILAB) instead
  of ${KIPRJMOD}, for use across every KiCad project
- README §1 now has concrete, tested install steps for this machine's
  KiCad 10.0 setup (per-project vs. global), including a merge script
  and a note about stale kicad-personal-library entries already
  present in the user's global sym-lib-table

scripts/check_library.py

@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ ROOT = lc.LIBRARY_ROOT
 
 EXPECTED_TOP_LEVEL = {
     "symbols", "footprints", "3dmodels", "docs", "legacy", "scripts",
-    "sym-lib-table", "fp-lib-table", "MANIFEST.csv", "MANIFEST.md",
+    "sym-lib-table", "fp-lib-table", "sym-lib-table.global", "fp-lib-table.global",
+    "MANIFEST.csv", "MANIFEST.md",
     "README.md", ".git", ".claude", ".gitignore", ".DS_Store",
 }
 

scripts/generate_global_tables.py

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+generate_global_tables.py
+==========================
+
+sym-lib-table / fp-lib-table at the library root use ${KIPRJMOD}, which
+KiCad only resolves when this directory *is* (or is symlinked as) the
+currently open project's directory. To use this library globally, across
+every KiCad project, you instead need a custom environment variable (this
+script defaults to MIKILAB) defined once in KiCad's Configure Paths, plus
+a copy of the two tables that reference that variable instead of
+${KIPRJMOD}.
+
+This script writes:
+    sym-lib-table.global
+    fp-lib-table.global
+
+at the library root, identical in content to sym-lib-table/fp-lib-table
+except for the environment variable used in each URI. See README.md
+section 1 for the full install steps.
+
+Usage:
+    python3 scripts/generate_global_tables.py [--env-var MIKILAB]
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).resolve().parent))
+
+import lib_common as lc
+
+ROOT = lc.LIBRARY_ROOT
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument("--env-var", default="MIKILAB", help="KiCad environment variable name to use (default: MIKILAB)")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    sym_entries = lc.build_sym_table_entries(ROOT, env_var=args.env_var)
+    fp_entries = lc.build_fp_table_entries(ROOT, env_var=args.env_var)
+
+    (ROOT / "sym-lib-table.global").write_text(
+        lc.render_lib_table("sym_lib_table", sym_entries), encoding="utf-8"
+    )
+    (ROOT / "fp-lib-table.global").write_text(
+        lc.render_lib_table("fp_lib_table", fp_entries), encoding="utf-8"
+    )
+
+    print(f"Wrote sym-lib-table.global ({len(sym_entries)} libraries, using \\${{{args.env_var}}})")
+    print(f"Wrote fp-lib-table.global ({len(fp_entries)} libraries, using \\${{{args.env_var}}})")
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())

scripts/lib_common.py

@@ -155,27 +155,27 @@ class LibEntry:
     options: str = ""
 
 
-def build_sym_table_entries(root: Path) -> list[LibEntry]:
+def build_sym_table_entries(root: Path, env_var: str = "KIPRJMOD") -> list[LibEntry]:
     used: set[str] = set()
     entries = []
 
     for path in discover_symbol_libraries(root):
         relative = path.relative_to(root)
         nickname = unique_nickname(sym_nickname(path), used)
-        uri = "${KIPRJMOD}/" + str(relative)
+        uri = "${" + env_var + "}/" + str(relative)
         entries.append(LibEntry(nickname=nickname, uri=uri, descr=path.stem))
 
     return entries
 
 
-def build_fp_table_entries(root: Path) -> list[LibEntry]:
+def build_fp_table_entries(root: Path, env_var: str = "KIPRJMOD") -> list[LibEntry]:
     used: set[str] = set()
     entries = []
 
     for path in discover_footprint_libraries(root):
         relative = path.relative_to(root)
         nickname = unique_nickname(fp_nickname(path), used)
-        uri = "${KIPRJMOD}/" + str(relative)
+        uri = "${" + env_var + "}/" + str(relative)
         entries.append(LibEntry(nickname=nickname, uri=uri, descr=path.name))
 
     return entries