# Working with an AI assistant

pycodecad is built so an AI assistant can work on a part the same way you do: it edits the file, runs it from a terminal and looks at the result. You keep the window open and decide when to reload.

# 1. Give it the context

Click Copy AI context in the window (or run pycodecad context part.py) and paste the text into your assistant. It contains:

  • the script's path and the files in its folder, with sizes (two levels deep, up to 60 files; hidden files, venv, .venv, node_modules and __pycache__ skipped),
  • the current state: each object with its size, center and volume, the error with its file and line, warnings and what the script printed,
  • the exposed parameters and the values of the last run,
  • how pycodecad runs scripts, the commands below, the pycodecad API (with a link to these docs) and a short build123d guide.

pycodecad context runs the script fresh to get the state; the window's button uses the window's last run. On Windows the generated commands are for PowerShell, including quoted executable paths.

# 2. It edits and checks

The assistant edits the file directly and checks its work without a window:

pycodecad check part.py                                   # JSON: ok, error, where, objects...
pycodecad render part.py out.png --views iso,front,top,right   # then it looks at out.png
pycodecad render part.py out.png --views window           # exactly what you see in the window
pycodecad render part.py out.png --set width=80           # other values for expose()

With --views iso,front,top,right the assistant sees the part from four labeled views in one picture (Command line shows one).

Every run, in the window or from the command line, also leaves its result in .pycodecad/part.py.last-run.json next to the script (the JSON of check), so the assistant can read the latest error, including one from your last Run in the window. See Files.

# 3. You reload

The window never reloads by itself. When the assistant saves the file, the top bar says Changed on disk: press Reload, then Run. If you had unsaved edits, the notice warns that Reload replaces them. See The window.

# Tips

  • Keep one part per folder with its helper modules and assets, and use relative paths: the assistant sees the folder listing and the commands work from that folder (Scripts).
  • Ask for parameters with expose() for measures you will change often (Parameters).
  • Move the view in the window to what you want to discuss before the assistant runs render --views window.