About PartCAD
PartCAD describes parts, assemblies, materials, and requirements in text-based packages, then renders, tests, analyzes, and documents them for hardware designers and AI agents. It keeps product specifications, verification, and supply-chain details in one source.
Key features
- 01Render, test, and analyze CAD models
- 02Support varied part and assembly formats
- 03Generate bills of materials and instructions
- 04Run simulations and engineering analyses
- 05Cache outputs and support procurement
Use cases
- 01Inspect and export parts in hardware packages
- 02Verify assembly interfaces and physical properties
- 03Create assembly manuals with bills of materials
- 04Evaluate manufacturing and sourcing options
MCP support
PartCAD provides an MCP server through `pc mcp` for other AI agents to use its part and assembly workflows.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
uvx partcadPC_PATHThe PartCAD package to serve: a directory with a partcad.yaml, or the file. The working directory when unset.Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
12Saved tool list · updated 4d ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| kind | enum | No | What to list.packages | parts | sketches | assemblies | scenes | interfaces | materials | software |
| package | any | No | The package, as '//package/path' or relative to the workspace's own; the workspace's own package when left out. |
| recursive | boolean | No | Also list the packages below this one. |
Details
From the project READMEPartCAD
PartCAD is the programming language for manufacturable things.
A package is a Git repository with a partcad.yaml that declares parts (CAD scripts or files), assemblies,
materials and requirements. PartCAD renders, tests, simulates, analyses and documents them, and produces the
bill of materials, the sourcing and the assembly instructions from that same source. Everything is text, so it
is versioned, reviewed and generated like software, by people and by AI agents.
Documentation · Website · Demos · Discord
Install
Pick one. Every option ends up with the same pc command line tool and the same packages.
| You have | Install |
|---|---|
| Nothing yet | The PartCAD IDE: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/partcad/partcad/main/install.sh | sh -s -- --ide, or the Windows and macOS installers on the releases page |
| Python | pip install -U partcad |
| Visual Studio Code | code --install-extension PartCAD.partcad-official (marketplace) |
| Claude Code | /plugin marketplace add partcad/partcad@plugin-dist, then /plugin install pc@partcad, then /pc:setup |
The standalone command line tools without Python, the snap, the FreeCAD add-on, the MCP server for other AI agents, and the per-OS notes are all in Installation.
Try it
pc init # a package in the current directory, with agent skills for Claude Code and Cursor
pc ide view my_part # show it in the Digital Thread of the IDE or the extension
pc render my_part # SVG, PNG, DXF... from any angle
pc test # the ports, interfaces, physics and simulations the objects declare
pc instructions my_assembly # the assembly instruction book, PDF or HTML, with the bill of materials
Or, in Claude Code, /pc:gen a mounting bracket with four M4 holes: the agent writes the CAD script, renders
it and checks the result against what was asked.
The tutorial walks through a first package, and
examples/ has one directory per feature.
What it does
- Parts from CadQuery, build123d, OpenSCAD, Chili3D, SDF, STEP, BREP, STL, 3MF, OBJ, glTF, KiCad EDA PCBs, FreeCAD documents, and any format a plugin package adds (SolidCraft, Rhino, IGES).
- Assemblies and scenes in Assembly YAML, URDF or a STEP file, with interfaces and mating as objects.
- Outputs: STEP, BREP, STL, 3MF, OBJ, IGES, glTF, URDF, Gazebo and MuJoCo worlds, 2D projections, dimensioned drawings, Markdown documentation and PDF or HTML instruction books.
- Engineering: FEA, modal, thermal and CFD analysis (
pc cae), simulation in MuJoCo or Gazebo (pc sim), 2.5D toolpaths (pc cam), and materials and manufacturing methods carried into the bill of materials. - Supply chain: a Build vs Buy decision per line item, stock-based procurement for made parts, and automated purchasing from the command line.
- AI agents: Agent Skills for Claude Code and Cursor, an MCP server (
pc mcp), and plain-text--no-ansioutput on every command. - Caching in memory, on disk, in memcached and in S3, so a team or a CI fleet renders each model once.
The full list of what is supported, and what is still in progress, is in Supported formats and features.
Why
PartCAD is not a drawing tool. It is the layer under the drawing tools: the specification of a manufacturable product, kept in a form that a human, a CI job and an AI model can all read, change and verify. Keeping that specification on-prem, in Git, and portable between CAD tools and manufacturers is the point. See Introduction and Use cases.
Community
Questions and feedback go to Discord; bugs and ideas to GitHub issues. Follow LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter/X for releases. To contribute, start with Contributing.
Licensed under Apache 2.0.
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.