Text-to-CAD License: Understanding the MIT License for earthtojake/text-to-cad

The earthtojake/text-to-cad repository is released under the MIT License, permitting commercial and private use with minimal attribution requirements.

The Text-to-CAD project is a modular open-source workbench that transforms natural-language prompts into 3-D CAD models. According to the repository structure and documentation, the entire codebase—including skills, packages, viewer components, and automation scripts—is governed by a permissive open-source license that facilitates both individual experimentation and enterprise integration.

What is the Text-to-CAD License?

The repository utilizes the MIT License, a permissive software license that places minimal restrictions on reuse. The full license text resides in the LICENSE file at the repository root (https://github.com/earthtojake/text-to-cad/blob/main/LICENSE), which grants users the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of the software.

This licensing choice aligns with the project's modular architecture, where skill isolation ensures each component under skills/<skill>/ remains independently distributable. The MIT License guarantees that developers can vendor shared functionality from packages/ into commercial applications without copyleft obligations.

Repository Structure and Licensing Implications

The permissive license covers all layers of the codebase, from Python automation scripts to the Vite-based web viewer.

Skills and Packages

Each skill (self-contained CAD generation pipelines) lives under skills/ and imports from packages/—shared libraries vendored into each skill at bundle time. Because the MIT License governs both directories, organizations can safely bundle these components into proprietary CAD workflows without exposing their own source code.

Key licensed components include:

• skills/urdf/scripts/urdf/cli.py – Command-line interface for URDF skill generation
• packages/cadpy/ – Core parametric modeling library referenced throughout the skills

Viewer and Automation Scripts

The CAD viewer (viewer/src/server/viewerServerInfo.mjs) and build automation (scripts/bundle/bundle.sh) fall under the same license terms. This means the lightweight web server that displays generated models from the models/ catalog can be modified, rebranded, or embedded in commercial 3-D visualization products.

Key Files and License References

File Path	Role	License Relevance
LICENSE	Root license text	Canonical MIT License terms
README.md	Project overview	References licensing context
AGENTS.md	Repository conventions	Documents contribution guidelines under MIT
VERSION	Release metadata	Used by CI/CD to tag MIT-licensed releases
scripts/github-workflows/check-builds.sh	CI validation	Ensures bundled artifacts comply with license

Using the Code Under the MIT License

The following examples demonstrate practical usage rights granted by the license, including modification and distribution of core functionality.

Install a specific skill (e.g., URDF generation) from the source:

# From repository root

scripts/install/install-skills.sh urdf

Launch the CAD viewer pointed at your model catalog:

npm --prefix viewer run serve -- \
  --host 127.0.0.1 \
  --dir "$(pwd)/models" \
  --shutdown-after 12h \
  --json

The command outputs a JSON line containing the bound port, generating a URL like http://127.0.0.1:<port>/?dir=/absolute/path/to/models where you can view MIT-licensed generated models.

Generate a STEP file from natural language using the URDF skill CLI:

python -m skills.urdf.scripts.urdf.cli \
  --prompt "Create a lightweight 30 mm hex bolt with a 5 mm head" \
  --output models/hex_bolt.step

This invocation parses the prompt via cadpy (the core package under packages/cadpy/) and writes the resulting STEP file to models/, actions fully permitted under the MIT License terms.

Summary

• The earthtojake/text-to-cad repository is licensed under the MIT License, located at LICENSE in the repository root.
• The license covers all architectural layers: skills, packages, viewer, tests, and automation scripts.
• Users may freely modify, distribute, and sublicense the code, including commercial applications, provided the original copyright notice and permission notice are included.
• Key implementation files like skills/urdf/scripts/urdf/cli.py and viewer/src/server/viewerServerInfo.mjs can be integrated into proprietary workflows without copyleft requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What license does Text-to-CAD use?

The project uses the MIT License, a permissive open-source license that allows free use, modification, and distribution of the code with minimal requirements. The complete legal text is available in the LICENSE file at the root of the earthtojake/text-to-cad repository.

Can I use Text-to-CAD for commercial projects?

Yes. The MIT License explicitly permits commercial use, including selling copies of the software or incorporating components like the cadpy package and URDF skill into proprietary CAD systems. You must include the original copyright notice and license text in any substantial portions used.

Where can I find the full license text?

The full MIT License text resides at https://github.com/earthtojake/text-to-cad/blob/main/LICENSE in the repository root. This file governs all code paths, including scripts/bundle/bundle.sh, the viewer server implementation, and all skill directories under skills/.

Do I need to attribute the original authors?

Yes. The MIT License requires preserving the copyright notice and permission notice found in the LICENSE file in all copies or substantial portions of the software. This applies whether you are using the raw source from tests/python/viewer/moveit2_server/test_protocol.py or the bundled viewer artifacts generated by the CI/CD pipeline.

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