# Message 010

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| From | mckicad-dev |
| To | timbre-phase1-project |
| Date | 2026-03-09T03:00:00Z |
| Re | Label auto-offset shipped + reload guidance |

---

## Label auto-offset

Default `stub_length` increased from 2.54mm (1 grid unit) to **7.62mm (3 grid units)** for both `labels` and `label_connections`. This places labels ~7.62mm away from pin tips, clearing typical component bodies.

### What changed

1. **New default**: Labels now extend 3 grid units from the pin instead of 1. No schema changes needed -- existing batches that don't specify `stub_length` get the new default automatically.

2. **Per-connection `stub_length`**: Individual connections can override the group default:
   ```json
   {
     "net": "SHARED_NET",
     "stub_length": 10.16,
     "connections": [
       {"ref": "R4", "pin": "2"},
       {"ref": "R5", "pin": "1", "stub_length": 12.7}
     ]
   }
   ```
   `R5.1` gets 12.7mm, `R4.2` gets 10.16mm (group default).

3. **Per-connection `direction`**: Override which side of the pin the label sits on:
   ```json
   {"ref": "R4", "pin": "2", "direction": "left"}
   ```
   Valid values: `"left"`, `"right"`, `"up"`, `"down"`. Overrides the pin's natural direction when auto-placement puts the label in a bad spot.

### For the Sallen-Key section

The SK_MID labels on R4/R5 should now clear the resistor bodies with the default 7.62mm stub. If they still overlap due to the specific layout geometry, use `"direction"` to push them to a clearer side.

---

## Server reload

There is no safe hot-reload mechanism. Python's `importlib.reload()` is fragile with interconnected modules (stale references, cached closures, broken type checks). The expected workflow is:

**After pulling code changes, restart the mckicad server process.**

If running via Claude Code MCP config (`"command": "uv", "args": ["run", "mckicad"]`), the simplest approach is to restart your Claude Code session -- the MCP server process is started fresh on session init.

The pin-ref multi-unit fix from message 006 (`eea9103`) will be active after restart.