How to Install CAD Skills for Agent Platforms: The Complete Setup Guide

To install CAD Skills for agent platforms, clone the earthtojake/text-to-cad repository, switch to the develop branch, install the core Python runtime from packages/cadpy, and use pip install -e skills/<skill-name> to mount individual skills such as URDF or STEP processing into your agent environment.

The earthtojake/text-to-cad repository provides a modular collection of CAD Skills designed for integration with Python and JavaScript agent platforms. Each skill is a self-contained package under the skills/ directory that can be installed independently without pulling in unnecessary dependencies. This guide walks through the exact steps to install CAD Skills for agent platforms using the repository's standardized workflow.

Prerequisites and Repository Setup

Begin by cloning the repository and checking out the active development branch. All recent skill updates and stability improvements live in the develop branch.

git clone https://github.com/earthtojake/text-to-cad.git
cd text-to-cad
git checkout develop

Create an isolated Python environment to avoid conflicts with system packages.

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Installing the Core CAD Runtime

Before adding individual skills, install the shared CAD utilities located in packages/cadpy. This package provides the geometric primitives, STEP parsing, and topology helpers that all skills depend on.

pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
pip install -e .

The -e . flag installs the repository in editable mode, ensuring that changes to the source code are immediately available to your agent without reinstallation.

Discovering Available CAD Skills

The repository includes a canonical discovery script that scans the skills/ directory and lists every available capability. Run scripts/utils/list-skills.sh to see which CAD Skills are ready for installation.

scripts/utils/list-skills.sh

Example output:

• urdf – Convert URDF robot descriptions to CAD models
• step – Parse STEP files and generate geometric primitives

This script is the single source of truth for available skills and their descriptions.

Installing Individual CAD Skills

Each skill is a lightweight Python package with its own dependency declarations. Install only the skills your agent platform requires.

Python-Based Skills

Navigate to the skill directory and install it in editable mode. For example, to install the URDF skill:

pip install -e skills/urdf

The skill's setup.py or pyproject.toml automatically resolves any extra dependencies. You can verify the installation by importing the skill's CLI module located at skills/urdf/scripts/urdf/cli.py:

from urdf import cli
cli.main(['--help'])

JavaScript Runtime Helpers

If your agent platform runs on Node.js, install the shared JavaScript CAD runtime located in packages/cadjs and packages/implicitjs:

npm --prefix packages/cadjs install
npm --prefix packages/implicitjs install

These packages power viewer-side rendering and provide Node-based agents with CAD processing capabilities.

Verifying Your Installation

Validate that the CAD Skill is correctly integrated by running its unit tests or checking its version.

pytest tests/python/skills/urdf

Alternatively, use a Python one-liner to confirm the package is importable:

python -c "import urdf; print(urdf.__version__)"

Integrating with Agent Platforms

Most agent platforms expose a skill loader that points to installed packages. For Python-based agents, add the skill name to your configuration file:

skills:
  - urdf

For Node.js platforms, require the shared runtime module directly in your agent code:

const cadjs = require('@earthtojake/cadjs');

// Example: Load a STEP file and extract its bounding box
cadjs.loadStep('models/gear.step').then(model => {
  console.log('Bounding box:', model.boundingBox);
});

The strict separation between skills (in skills/) and shared packages (in packages/) ensures that installing a CAD Skill for your agent platform pulls in only the necessary code.

Summary

• Clone the develop branch of earthtojake/text-to-cad to access the latest CAD Skills.
• Install the core runtime via pip install -e . to enable geometric processing utilities from packages/cadpy.
• Discover available skills by running scripts/utils/list-skills.sh.
• Install individual skills using pip install -e skills/<skill-name> for Python agents or npm install in packages/cadjs for Node agents.
• Verify integration by importing the skill in Python or executing its test suite in tests/python/skills/<skill-name>.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I install multiple CAD Skills simultaneously?

Yes. Run separate pip install -e commands for each skill directory, or list them all in a requirements file. Each skill in the skills/ directory is isolated and can coexist without dependency conflicts.

What Python version is required to install CAD Skills?

The repository requires Python 3.8 or higher. The requirements-dev.txt file in the repository root pins compatible versions of geometric libraries like NumPy and OpenCASCADE bindings used by packages/cadpy.

How do I update a CAD Skill after installation?

Since skills are installed in editable mode (-e), pulling the latest changes from the develop branch automatically updates the skill. Run git pull origin develop in the repository root, and the changes are immediately available to your agent without re-running pip.

Can I use CAD Skills in a non-Python agent platform?

Yes. The JavaScript runtime in packages/cadjs provides CAD capabilities for Node.js agents. For other languages, you can wrap the Python skills in a microservice or use the CLI interfaces exposed by modules like skills/urdf/scripts/urdf/cli.py as subprocess calls.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}