CADProps lets you inspect a supported CAD file from a Claude conversation, review its geometry properties and continue in the CADProps web workspace. Guest processing does not require a CADProps account.
Add CADProps to Claude
- Open Claude on the web or desktop and go to Settings → Connectors. Some versions label this Customize → Connectors.
- Choose Add custom connector (or Add → Custom → Web), name it CADProps and enter the remote MCP server address:
https://www.cadprops.com/api/v1/mcp. - If Claude asks for an authentication method, choose No sign in. Add the connector and enable CADProps for your conversation.
For current menu names and organization settings, see Claude's connector instructions. A team administrator may need to enable custom connectors first. These instructions describe adding CADProps by its address; directory availability depends on Claude's listing review.
Upload a file and check the result
- Ask Claude: “Use CADProps to inspect a CAD file. Call inspect_cad and give me an upload link.”
- Open the returned CADProps upload link in your browser. Select one supported file and upload it. The limit is 50 MiB (52,428,800 bytes).
- Return to the same conversation and say: “Done, I uploaded it. Use CADProps to check the result.”
The upload link lasts up to 30 minutes, accepts one file and cannot be reused after a completed upload. Use this browser upload workflow to deliver the file to CADProps.
The result reports the format, dimensions, volume, surface area, source units and accuracy where available. Read the processing and assembly warnings: an incomplete assembly's values cover only the loaded parts. Units may be verified, assumed or unknown; do not treat assumed units as confirmed.
Properties measured from exact CAD geometry are labelled separately from approximate triangle-mesh measurements. Calculated model properties are not an inspection of a manufactured part. Saved thumbnails and drawings do not provide the same geometry or measurements as a supported 3D model. See supported formats and limitations and how to interpret the numbers.
Preview and convert
When an embedded preview is available, rotate and zoom it in the conversation. A visible preview does not by itself mean exact geometry is ready. Creo files and CATIA CATProduct connector results are limited to saved thumbnails where available.
Ask Claude: “Use CADProps to convert this file to STL,” or request GLB. STL and GLB are triangle-mesh formats; they do not preserve an editable CAD solid. Available STEP exports are identified as solid B-Rep or triangulated mesh. A triangulated STEP is not a recovered parametric solid. If the source is already STEP, requesting STEP returns a same-format explanation rather than a new conversion.
Conversion availability depends on the source format and processing result. Open the returned download link before it expires. The format specifications explain the wider service's limits.
Continue in the CADProps workspace
Ask Claude: “Open this file in the CADProps workspace,” then open the returned one-time handoff link within 15 minutes. The link transfers the source and its conversions to your browser's guest session or signed-in account. After transfer, the old connector references, previews and download links stop working; continue with the file in the website.
Handoff does not automatically save the file or extend its expiry. The workspace shows its current deadline and available file controls. If you choose to save it to your account, the normal saved-file retention rules apply. See the privacy policy for those rules.
Limits and expiry
| Item | Default limit or lifetime |
|---|---|
| File upload | One file per upload link, up to 50 MiB |
| Guest files and results | Automatically deleted about 1 hour after upload |
| Preview token | Up to 10 minutes |
| Conversion download link | Up to 30 minutes |
| Upload link | 30 minutes, one completed upload |
| Workspace handoff link | Up to 15 minutes, one use |
Links can expire sooner when the file expires or is transferred to the workspace. Follow the expiry returned with each result. Upload, conversion and request quotas may return a retry time; wait until that time before trying again. A busy processing queue can also ask you to retry later.
Troubleshooting and support
- No upload link: explicitly ask Claude to call
inspect_cadwithout a file and show the returned upload link. - Expired or already-used upload link: request a fresh link and upload again. A completed upload link cannot accept a second file.
- Invalid file reference during conversion or handoff: ask Claude to use the file reference from the inspection result, rather than the upload ticket. If it is unavailable or expired, start a fresh upload.
- Preview unavailable: read the text result and ask to open the file in the CADProps workspace. A failed preview alone does not invalidate a completed calculation.
- Unsupported or incomplete file: check format coverage, file version and assembly dependencies. Saved thumbnails cannot be converted into exact geometry.
- Quota reached: follow the returned retry time. Repeated requests do not bypass the limit.
Contact support@cadprops.com with the operation, error message and approximate time. Do not email active upload, preview, download or handoff credentials. The privacy policy and terms of service explain how uploaded files are handled and deleted.
Original article: CADProps · https://www.cadprops.com/connector/