AnkusDrive
CLI and MCP server that turns FreeCAD into a mechanical design workbench for LLM agents with 280 plus tools for parametric CAD, drawings, FEM and CFD simulation, manufacturing checks and a design control layer with ECOs and revision tracking.
What it does and how it connects
AnkusDrive is a CLI and MCP server that drives FreeCAD through its Python API so LLMs, and humans at a terminal, can design mechanical parts and run FEM simulations without clicking through the GUI. The MCP server exposes 280 plus structured tools for modeling, inspection, and simulation, and the CLI offers one shot commands for scripts, CI, and quick iteration.
Beyond core CAD and structural FEM, the README describes a broad simulation surface covering thermal, CFD and CHT, EM, acoustics, FSI, injection molding, granular and DEM, optics, and multibody work, plus a design control layer with item and part numbers, recipes, variant families, lifecycle and revision, ECO change orders, and versioned interfaces. It also describes a multi-agent orchestration layer that lets a team of agents partition one product into components, build them in parallel, and merge them back with joints fitting.
The target environment is FreeCAD 1.1.x, with the freecadcmd binary auto discovered per OS. Bundled Python, CalculiX, and gmsh already ship inside every FreeCAD install, so core CAD and structural FEM work on macOS, Linux, and Windows with no extra install, per the README.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- build123d-mcp (pzfreo)
A CAD toolbox for build123d models through MCP, rather than a CLI and MCP server driving FreeCAD with FEM and CFD simulation.
- Agent-CAD
An open source AI CAD workbench that turns natural language into build123d solids and 2D drawings, rather than a FreeCAD CLI and MCP server.
- fusion-cad-mcp
A typed MCP tool surface over Autodesk Fusion and its own MCP server, rather than a FreeCAD workbench with FEM and CFD simulation.
- MecAgent
A commercial desktop copilot that acts inside an open SolidWorks session, rather than an open source CLI and MCP server for FreeCAD.
- C33D
A browser based research preview where an LLM authors designs as an editable node graph, rather than a FreeCAD workbench driven through its Python API.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- A pocket operation sometimes drops its final depth pass, producing 3 Z layers instead of 4.Error Index
- Every recompute of a PartDesign Pad piles more geometry onto the same topology, slowing previews from 415 ms to 950 ms after 20 drags.Error Index
- Section View hangs on a big CNC assembly, requiring a force-quit after 5 minutes.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- No independent user voice found: recent repo activity is maintainer issues and pull requests, plus dependency bot pull requests.
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.