Solidworks-MCP-Server: Instructions file for Claude Code

CLAUDE.md

This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with code in this repository.

Project Overview

SolidWorks MCP Server bridges Claude AI with SolidWorks CAD via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling natural language creation and manipulation of 3D CAD models. Requires Windows + SolidWorks installed.

Commands

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Or install as an editable package (exposes `solidworks` and `server` for import)
pip install -e .

# Run all tests (closes open docs first, then runs all categories)
python test.py

# Interactive CLI test picker — select tests by number, range, or category
python test.py --gui

# Run a single category
python test.py --category "Sketch Tools"
python test.py --category "Feature Tools"
python test.py --category "Integration"

# Run a single test by name
python test.py --test basic_cube
python test.py --test sketch_line

# List all available tests
python test.py --list

# Run the server directly (normally launched by an MCP client such as Claude Desktop)
python server.py

# Dev server with hot reload (requires watchdog)
python dev_server.py

# Close all open SolidWorks documents (standalone utility)
python clean.py

Claude Desktop Configuration

The server is registered in %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "solidworks": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\solidworks-mcp\\server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Architecture

server.py                         # MCP server: registers tools, routes calls via dispatch map
solidworks/
  __init__.py                     # Package exports for all modules
  connection.py                   # COM connection to SolidWorks, template discovery, part creation
  state_tracker.py                # Centralized state tracker: stable IDs for features, sketches, entities
  state_query.py                  # MCP tools for querying tracked state (get_state, get_entity, get_sketch_entities)
  sketching.py                    # 2D sketch tools, dimensioning, and constraints with spatial tracking
  modeling.py                     # Core modeling (new_part, extrusion, cut-extrusion, mass_properties, list_features)
  selection_helpers.py            # Shared selection utilities (edge, face, plane, feature, axis)
  features.py                     # Boss/Base features (revolve, sweep, loft, boundary boss)
  cut_features.py                 # Cut features (cut revolve, cut sweep, cut loft, boundary cut)
  applied_features.py             # Applied features (fillet, chamfer, shell, draft, rib, wrap, intersect)
  patterns.py                     # Patterns (linear pattern, circular pattern, mirror)
  hole_features.py                # Hole features (hole wizard, cosmetic thread)
  reference_geometry.py           # Reference geometry (ref plane, ref axis, ref point, coordinate system)
  geometry_query.py               # Geometry inspection (body info, faces, edges, face edges, vertices) with feature tagging
  document_manager.py             # Document lifecycle (save, open, activate, close, list, capture_views)
  assembly.py                     # Assembly tools (new assembly, insert component, mates, interference, assembly queries)
  configurations.py               # Configurations (variants, per-config dims) and equations
  feature_tree.py                 # Timeline as structured data, renaming, folders
  com_utils.py                    # Shared late-bound COM helpers (com_prop)
test.py                           # Unified test suite with registry, CLI selector (--gui), category/test filters
clean.py                          # Close all open SolidWorks documents (standalone utility)
scripts/install.ps1               # End-user installer: installs uv, downloads latest release, sets up venv, patches Claude Desktop config