solidworks-mcp: Skill for Claude Code

SolidWorks Modeling Skill

Use this skill when the task involves editing a SolidWorks part or assembly through MCP tools, especially for interference fixes, topology-driven selection, sketch-based feature work, or assembly verification.

Core Rules

• Confirm the active document first. Do not assume the visible window is the part you intend to edit.
• Opening a document is not the same as activating it. If a document is already open, explicitly confirm that it became the active document before reading components, replacing parts, or editing geometry.
• Treat SolidWorks as a selection-first UI. Use the FeatureManager tree to identify the real target object, then use commands or MCP tools against that confirmed target.
• For assembly interference issues, identify the actual component file paths before changing geometry.
• In large or nested assemblies, do not stop at the top-level component list. Prefer ListComponentsRecursive to locate the concrete part file that owns the interfering geometry.
• Before any sketch-based operation, clear the current selection, select a real planar face on the target solid, and only then start the sketch.
• Do not create sketches in free space when the intent is to modify model geometry. Face-hosted sketches are materially more stable.
• When reasoning about SolidWorks APIs, prefer official API names and official preconditions. Do not invent wrapper-style method names and then reason from those invented semantics.
• Before reading the FeatureManager tree or deleting features or loose sketches, call GetEditState first. If IsEditing is true, finish the active sketch before ListFeatureTree, DeleteFeatureByName, or DeleteUnusedSketches.
• If a face-based cut or boss fails, verify the feature direction. A top-face relief cut often needs the direction flipped so the feature goes into the body.
• In localized SolidWorks environments, do not rely on English plane labels. Prefer semantic plane resolution or topology-driven selection.
• If the target part is reused in the assembly, first determine how many instances reference that same part file and explicitly tell the user which other placements will also change before editing the geometry.
• If only one reused placement needs to change, prefer replacing that single instance with a separate part file instead of editing the shared source part.
• ReplaceComponents2 only replaces top-level components in the active assembly. For nested content, open the owning subassembly, activate it, replace the child there, save, then return to the parent assembly for verification.
• Preserve functional geometry unless the user explicitly requests otherwise. For pulley brackets, keep pulley hole size and pulley center position unchanged while adjusting only clearance material.
• Prefer the smallest edit that removes the issue, such as a shallow relief cut or reducing a non-functional top surface.
• Treat extrude, cut, revolve, shell, and other shape-changing feature edits as high-risk operations. After each such edit, export and inspect at least front, top, and right views before trusting the result.
• Never rely on a single view after a high-risk geometry edit. If the shape still looks ambiguous, also inspect an isometric view.
• If the three-view check shows an unexpected silhouette, floating geometry, or any unclear result, stop and show the views to the user before continuing with more edits.
• Save the edited part before reopening or checking the parent assembly.
• After saving, verify the result in the assembly and confirm there is visible clearance rather than coplanar overlap.
• After any replacement-based fix, rerun a directed interference check against the intended target pair. An alternate part name or file does not prove that clearance now exists.
• When named selection is unreliable, inspect topology first and select faces or edges by index.
• If document or assembly queries suddenly start failing with 0x800706BA, assume the cached COM session may be stale and verify Hub health before editing geometry.