A specialized automation skill for controlling local Windows CAD applications including SolidWorks, CATIA, and Siemens NX through an AI agent.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install cad-skill
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install cad-skill using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is CAD Skills?
The CAD Skills package is a dedicated toolset designed for local workstation automation, enabling AI agents to interact directly with professional design software on Windows. By integrating these Openclaw Skills, users can bridge the gap between AI reasoning and heavy-duty engineering applications like SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, and Siemens NX (UG). It allows for seamless execution of application-level commands without requiring the user to manually navigate the Windows interface.
Designed with efficiency and security in mind, this skill avoids broad filesystem or registry scanning. Instead, it utilizes a targeted approach by checking predefined installation paths or user-defined configurations. This ensures that the AI agent remains performant and predictable while managing complex CAD environments.
CAD Skills Use Cases
- Automatically launching specific design software like SolidWorks or CATIA based on project requirements.
- Opening complex STEP or CAD files directly via AI commands for immediate review.
- Monitoring the running status of engineering applications to manage system resources effectively.
- Programmatically detecting which CAD application is currently the active window on a workstation.
- Setting and saving custom executable paths for CAD software installed in non-standard directories.
How CAD Skills Works
- The AI agent triggers a specific action, such as launching an app or opening a file, using the Openclaw Skills interface.
- The skill checks for the application's executable path using a hierarchy of local configuration files and predefined candidate paths.
- The command is passed to a skill runner which executes the process management logic on the Windows operating system.
- The skill monitors the process status and returns a success or error payload back to the AI agent to confirm the action.
CAD Skills Setup
To set up the CAD automation environment, ensure you are running on a Windows machine with the target CAD software installed.
- Use the
detect_app_pathaction to see if your software is automatically found. - If the software is in a custom location, provide the path to the AI agent and it will use the following internal structure to save it:
# Example command to register a custom path
{
"skill": "set_app_path",
"args": {
"app": "solidworks",
"path": "C:\\CustomPath\\SOLIDWORKS\\SLDWORKS.exe"
}
}
- Ensure your
config.jsonis writable to allow persistent storage of CAD application paths.
CAD Skills Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill manages application metadata and paths through a structured JSON configuration. Data interactions follow this schema:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| app | String | The name of the CAD app (solidworks, catia, creo, ug) |
| file_path | String | The absolute Windows path to the design file |
| auto_launch | Boolean | If true, launches the app before opening the file |
| wait_seconds | Integer | Delay to allow the application to initialize before further actions |
| force | Boolean | Used in close_app to terminate the process immediately |
CAD Skills Advanced Features
- Smart path resolution that prioritizes user-saved paths over generic defaults for faster execution.
- Active window detection to synchronize AI agent context with the user's current CAD task.
- Support for multiple concurrent CAD applications, allowing the agent to return a list of all running supported software.
- Automated file opening with configurable wait times to handle large CAD model loading sequences via Openclaw Skills.
SKILL.md
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