kernelCAD - CAD runtime for agents

kernelCAD turns mechanical intent into editable .kcad.ts source, deterministic review evidence, and exportable manufacturing artifacts.

The core loop is source-first: design brief -> editable .kcad.ts -> evaluated model -> deterministic validation -> guided revision -> export package.

kernelCAD is not trying to be a browser clone of Fusion, Onshape, or SolidWorks. Replicad/OpenCASCADE are the kernel layer. kernelCAD is the agent-first workflow layer above the kernel: deterministic CAD source, feature history, diagnostics, validation, variants, and human review.

Philosophy

1. Agent-First: The primary interface is .kcad.ts, CLI, and MCP. The UI reviews and steers generated designs.
2. Editable Source: Geometry is deterministic source code with explicit feature history, params, assemblies, and diagnostics.
3. Validation-Centered: Useful CAD output needs deterministic review for constraints, hardware fit, clearances, and exportability.
4. Workflow Over Primitives: Product progress is measured by intent-level workflows, not by copying every traditional CAD button.

Agent workflow

For agents and contributors, .kcad.ts source is the design source of truth. Rendered PNG/MP4 files, STEP/STL exports, score JSON, and capture-run metadata are generated evidence or deliverables. Prompt briefs, source files, and provenance metadata remain source. Change source first, regenerate explicit targets, and avoid broad artifact refreshes unless you are intentionally rebuilding a demo or release bundle.

Use deterministic checks before visual judgment:

kernelcad evaluate model.kcad.ts
# then run review_cad from an MCP client connected through `kernelcad mcp`
kernelcad export step model.kcad.ts -o model.step
kernelcad export stl model.kcad.ts -o model.stl

When a rendered artifact is produced, inspect the image/video itself and report what is visible: proportions, interfaces, floating geometry, occlusion, camera framing, and whether required features are legible. Passing tests are not a substitute for visual evidence.

When visual evidence matters, keep a deterministic inspection bundle:

kernelcad render inspect model.kcad.ts model.inspect

The v1 bundle writes a manifest and canonical RGB views. It can also emit machine-readable mask, depth, and normals channels:

kernelcad render inspect model.kcad.ts model.inspect --channels rgb,mask,depth,normals

Use --focus <names> or --hide <names> when a specific feature id or assembly part needs isolated review. Keep richer channels in the same manifest packet; do not replace the canonical RGB views.

For real hardware, prefer catalog/vendor geometry via lib.fromSTEP(...) instead of fake placeholder boxes or cylinders. This keeps mounts, clearances, and mechanism checks tied to physical components.

Features

• Headless Core: Run CAD operations in Node.js or Web Workers without a DOM.
• Agent API: kernelCAD APIs for params, assemblies, NURBS, SDF bodies, sheet metal workflows, introspection, and feedback loops.
• Review Cockpit: Browser-based 3D preview for inspecting generated designs and validation results.
• Standard Exports: STEP/STL generation.
• Robust Kernel: Built on OpenCASCADE, with Replicad kept as a kernel implementation detail where it is still used.

Get Started

npm install -g kernelcad

Drop this in bracket.kcad.ts:

const w = param('Width', 60, { unit: 'mm' });
const h = param('Height', 40, { unit: 'mm' });
const t = param('Thickness', 5, { unit: 'mm' });

const base = box(w, h, t);
const hole = cylinder(t + 2, 4).translate(w / 2, h / 2, -1);
return base.subtract(hole).fillet(1);

Run it:

kernelcad evaluate bracket.kcad.ts
kernelcad export stl bracket.kcad.ts -o bracket.stl

That's it. For agents: kernelcad mcp runs an MCP server with dynamic model introspection tools. See SKILL.md (bundled with the install) for the full API surface and authoring guide.

Use with Claude Desktop

kernelCAD runs as an MCP server, so Claude Desktop can drive it locally. After npm install -g kernelcad, add an entry to your Claude Desktop config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kernelcad": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "kernelcad", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The kernelCAD MCP tools (review_cad, model introspection, export helpers, etc.) appear in the tools list.

For prompt-driven authoring against the hosted gateway, sign in at app.kernelcad.com/connect and use the generated kernelcad mcp --cloud --token <…> snippet. The hosted surface adds generate_kcad_from_prompt (turn a natural-language brief into a .kcad.ts source) on top of the introspection and review tools, and serves the kernelcad-authoring skill as an MCP resource so Claude Desktop loads it automatically on connect. Free tier: 3 LLM-generated parts per month; introspection and review tools are unlimited.

A one-shot kernelcad install --claude-desktop command that edits this config for you is on the next slice — until then the snippet above is the interim path.

Contributing

Web app + dev workflow (clone the repo, npm install, npm run dev) for contributors who want to hack on the kernel or the visual debugger:

git clone https://github.com/w1ne/kernelCAD-web.git
cd kernelCAD-web
npm install
npm run dev          # web visual debugger at localhost:5173
npm run build:cli    # build the CLI bundle into dist/cli/
npm run test         # full vitest suite
npm run qc           # quick quality gate (lint + typecheck + tests)

Attribution and referral links

Exported files name kernelCAD in their metadata field (STEP FILE_NAME, GLB asset.generator, the STL header, a DXF or XML comment), and public viewer pages show a small "Made with kernelCAD" link. Some tools return vendor links that can carry a referral tag; results with a tagged link include the disclosure "Some links are referral links; kernelCAD may earn a commission." A vendor with no tag gets the clean URL. Self-hosters and forks change all of it in two files, or with KERNELCAD_REFERRAL_<VENDOR> and KERNELCAD_REFERRALS=off. See ATTRIBUTION.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE. The kernelCAD name is covered by the trademark policy.