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01 - Development Setup

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.10+
  • Windows OS with COM support
  • CAD application (AutoCAD, ZWCAD, GstarCAD, or BricsCAD)

Installation

1. Install uv

uv is the recommended Python package manager for this project. To install it on Windows:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

For other methods or platforms, see the official uv installation guide.

2. Clone and Setup

# Clone
git clone https://github.com/AnCode666/multiCAD-mcp.git
cd multiCAD-mcp

# Install dependencies (creates .venv automatically)
uv sync --dev
uv run python -m pip install --upgrade pywin32

# Verify
uv run pytest tests/ -v
uv run python src/server.py

Note: If you get an execution policy error: 

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "multiCAD": {
      "command": "C:\\path\\to\\multiCAD-mcp\\.venv\\Scripts\\python.exe",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\multiCAD-mcp\\src\\server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Important: Use the full path to .venv\Scripts\python.exe created by uv sync, not the system py.

Project Structure

multiCAD-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── server.py              # FastMCP entry point
│   ├── __version__.py         # Version (0.2.0)
│   ├── config.json            # Runtime configuration
│   ├── core/                  # Abstract interfaces
│   │   ├── cad_interface.py   # CADInterface ABC
│   │   ├── config.py          # ConfigManager singleton
│   │   ├── exceptions.py      # Exception hierarchy
│   │   └── models.py          # Data models and schemas
│   ├── adapters/              # CAD implementations
│   │   ├── autocad_adapter.py # Composite class (102 lines)
│   │   ├── adapter_manager.py # AdapterRegistry
│   │   └── mixins/            # 11 mixin modules
│   ├── mcp_tools/             # Server infrastructure
│   │   ├── constants.py       # COLOR_MAP, etc.
│   │   ├── helpers.py         # Utilities
│   │   ├── decorators.py      # @cad_tool
│   │   ├── shorthand.py       # Command parsing logic
│   │   ├── validator.py       # Spec validation and correction
│   │   └── tools/             # 7 unified tools
│   ├── ui/                    # UI resources and templates
│   └── web/                   # Web dashboard API and static files
├── tests/                     # 181 pytest tests
├── docs/                      # Documentation
└── logs/                      # Auto-generated logs

Key Commands

uv run pytest tests/ -v                    # Run tests
uv run mypy src/                           # Type check
uv run ruff check src/                     # Lint code
uv run ruff format src/                    # Format code
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run python src/server.py  # MCP Inspector

Git Workflow

Repository

URL: https://github.com/AnCode666/multiCAD-mcp

Branch Naming

  • feature/<description> - New features
  • fix/<description> - Bug fixes
  • refactor/<description> - Refactoring
  • docs/<description> - Documentation

Commit Convention

Use the following format: <type>(<scope>): <subject> - feat: New feature - fix: Bug fix - docs: Documentation - refactor: Code refactoring - test: Tests - chore: Build, dependencies

Example: git commit -m "feat(blocks): add insert_block tool"

Development Tips

  1. Type hints everywhere - enables IDE autocomplete
  2. Absolute imports - from core import X, not from ..core
  3. Log operations - use logger.info() and logger.debug()
  4. Test first - add tests before committing (uv run pytest tests/ -v)
  5. Format & Lint - run uv run ruff check src/ and uv run mypy src/ before push

Next Steps