SwpilotCLI
Puts a Claude Code or Codex assistant inside the SolidWorks task pane to automate feature work in plain language.
What it does and how it connects
SwpilotCLI is a SolidWorks add-in that embeds Claude Code or Codex CLI in the SolidWorks task pane so an agent can automate feature work from plain language. It can turn a hand-drawn sketch into a part, write macros, and organize SolidWorks files. It can also see the SolidWorks screen, so the agent can inspect and validate results, not only drive them.
Its workflow is tool learning: the user describes a task, SwpilotCLI creates a tool for it, and after the task completes the user promotes the tool to sup_tools so later tasks reuse it directly instead of regenerating code. Generated tools are open code in C#, visible and editable. The project queries the SolidWorks API through the author's swapi-pilot-solidworks-mcp, configured as an MCP server named swapi-pilot.
It needs Windows with SolidWorks installed and a Claude Code or Codex CLI; the README lists Claude Code Pro and Codex Pro at $20 each as third-party subscription costs, not a price for SwpilotCLI itself. Installation runs through an install prompt inside the CLI, which builds, registers the add-in and configures the MCP connection.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- dsh-solidworks (tian-yu200)
A DeepSeek Harness plugin that automates SolidWorks at a safe, high level through the SolidPilot base, with task-level tools and confirmation gates, rather than a task-pane assistant that learns reusable tools.
- solidworks-GPT-plugin
A Codex plugin that adds a knowledge-backed design and validation workflow for SolidWorks, rather than a task-pane assistant.
- solidworks-mcp (haunchen)
An MCP server that creates SolidWorks engineering drawings from any MCP client through COM automation, rather than embedding an assistant in the task pane.
- solidworks-api-mcp
An MCP server that searches the SolidWorks API documentation, rather than driving SolidWorks itself.
- MecAgent
A commercial agent product for mechanical CAD work, rather than an open-code SolidWorks add-in.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- Saving an assembly can trigger rebuilds that break mates and randomly alter mate dimensions.Error Index
- Large assemblies can lock up on open with the feature tree failing to populate.Error Index
- Even simple save/check-in operations can take minutes on capable hardware.Error Index
- A shipped SolidWorks agent skill called interference-check API methods that do not exist (InterferenceDetection, GetInterference(index), GetComponents) and called Done() before computing, so its core validation step could never complete on a real machine. The check silently never ran.Error Index
- A SolidWorks MCP bridge returned success JSON and even a normal-looking PDF export while the live document was wrong: a sketch asked for the Right plane silently landed on Front, and a macro call reported success=False with zero errors while never running. Only visual inspection inside SolidWorks itself revealed it.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing for SwpilotCLI itself (no price stated; the README lists third-party CLI subscription costs only)
- Real user voices (the repository's only issues are contributor pull requests)
- Standalone website (no vendor site; the swapi-pilot.com address in the README is an MCP endpoint)
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.