This document describes a safe, repeatable workflow for maintaining a fork that tracks an upstream repository while also integrating:

• your local feature branches (those you maintain in your fork)
• upstream PRs/MRs you want to include before they're merged into the upstream

The core idea: keep your base branch (usually main/master) a pristine mirror of upstream/base, and create a disposable integration branch that composes a specific mix of upstream mainline, selected upstream PRs, and your local feature branches into a buildable copy of the software.

Why this helps

This document explains how to implement a KiCad plugin using the IPC (Inter-Process Communication) API. This approach allows plugins to run as separate processes, providing better stability, support for modern Python environments (independently of KiCad's internal Python), and a cleaner isolation between the UI and CAD logic.

The examples and patterns described here are based on the Ki-PIDA plugin implementation.