kernelcad

by com.kernelcad

Overview Discussions Admin

Inspect Model

inspect

Read-only

Use this when you need to read facts about a model. One reader, selected by of:

'assembly' — physical assembly inventory (parts, bboxes, connectors, mates, disconnected solids).
'robot' — URDF/SDFormat export preview (links, joints, planning groups, end-effectors, issues).
'step' — inspect an imported STEP file.
'shape' — volume / surfaceArea / bbox for one feature ({ feature_id? }).
'mass' — mass, centre of mass, centroidal inertia tensor (inertia6 + 3x3 inertiaMatrix), principalMoments/principalAxes, symmetry flags, and optionally the radius of gyration about an arbitrary axis ({ feature_id?, density?, gyration_axis? }); density in kg/m^3, defaults to 1000 (water).
'features' — features captured by the script (kind, id, params, transforms, suppression).
'assemblies' — assembly intent (assemblies, parts, connectors, joints).
'topology' — canonical face names + edge count for a feature ({ feature_id? }).
'edges' — edges of a shape with optional EdgeQuery ({ feature_id?, query? }); returns @kc[...] refs.
'face-edges' — boundary edges of a named canonical face ({ feature_id?, face_name }).
'faces' — faces of a shape with optional FaceQuery ({ feature_id?, query? }); returns @kc[...] refs.
'face-labels' — user-applied labels visible in the script.
'mates' — mates captured by the script.
'constraints' — sketch constraints captured by the script.
'part-stats' — bundled parts-catalog statistics.
'bend-table' — sheet-metal bend table for a flattened pattern.
'params' — declared model parameters.
'part-categories' — top-level part-catalog categories available in the bundled (and configured remote) catalog.
'part-families' — part families within a category ({ category? }); count + exemplar ids per family.
'bom' — bill of materials ({ assembly? }): one row per distinct part (grouped by geometry/catalog identity, not name) with real instance quantity, kind ('fabricated'|'purchased'), material, density, per-unit and total mass, bbox, a fabrication process hint, catalog provenance for purchased parts, and totals; bom.* diagnostics flag rows with no density source or missing catalog vendor info instead of guessing.
'section' — numeric cross-section probe of a shape: area, perimeter, loop/hole counts, 2D bbox at a plane ({ feature_id?, plane | at+axis, stack?: { from, to, count, axis? } }). stack scans evenly spaced slices and returns minAreaIndex/minAreaPosition — use it to find the neck/thinnest cross-section along an axis.
'continuity' — G0/G1/G2 classification of shared edges ({ feature_id?, edges? }); position gap, normal jump, curvature difference, worst-sample XYZ.
'curvature' — per-face Gaussian and mean curvature min/max/mean, inflections, spikes ({ feature_id?, faces?, spike_factor? }). All params except of are subject-specific and forwarded verbatim. Most subjects accept { file | code }.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`at`	No	of:'section' — single slice position along `axis` (mm).
`of`	Yes	Which facts to read.
`axis`	No	of:'section' — normal axis for `at` / `stack` (default 'z').
`code`	No	Inline kernelCAD script source.
`file`	No	Path to a .kcad.ts script file.
`edges`	No	of:'continuity' — optional EdgeQuery or @kc[...] ref(s) limiting which shared edges are sampled.
`faces`	No	of:'curvature' — optional FaceQuery or @kc[...] ref(s) limiting which faces are sampled.
`plane`	No	of:'section' — section plane. Either a cardinal name string 'xy'\|'xz'\|'yz', { plane: 'xy'\|'xz'\|'yz', offset? }, or { origin: [x,y,z], normal: [nx,ny,nz] }. Omit to use `at`+`axis`.
`query`	No	of:'edges'\|'faces' — optional EdgeQuery/FaceQuery filter.
`stack`	No	of:'section' — dense scan: `count` slices evenly spaced from `from` to `to` along `axis`; response reports minAreaIndex/minAreaPosition.
`density`	No	of:'mass' — material density in kg/m^3 (steel 7850, aluminium 2700, ABS 1050). Defaults to 1000 (water); the response echoes the value used and flags when it was defaulted.
`assembly`	No	of:'assembly'\|'robot'\|'bom' — assembly name; defaults to the first captured assembly.
`category`	No	of:'part-families' — optional top-level category to filter families by.
`face_name`	No	of:'face-edges' — canonical face name (required for that subject).
`feature_id`	No	of:'shape'\|'mass'\|'topology'\|'edges'\|'faces'\|'face-edges'\|'face-labels' — FeatureId; defaults to the last returned shape.
`spike_factor`	No	of:'curvature' — spike sensitivity as a multiple of the face's Gaussian stddev (default 6).
`gyration_axis`	No	of:'mass' — optional axis in shape-local mm to report the radius of gyration about. Omit for centroidal quantities only; the result is density-independent and returned in mm.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`ok`	No	Whether the read succeeded.
`error`	No	Failure message (present on failure).
`errorCode`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed12 schema fields changedSep 21, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / assembly / description

Previous value: -"of:'assembly'|'robot' — assembly name; defaults to the first captured assembly."New value: +"of:'assembly'|'robot'|'bom' — assembly name; defaults to the first captured assembly."

addedInput schema / properties / at

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'section' — single slice position along `axis` (mm).",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / axis

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'section' — normal axis for `at` / `stack` (default 'z').",
+  "enum": [
+    "x",
+    "y",
+    "z"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / density

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'mass' — material density in kg/m^3 (steel 7850, aluminium 2700, ABS 1050). Defaults to 1000 (water); the response echoes the value used and flags when it was defaulted.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / edges

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'continuity' — optional EdgeQuery or @kc[...] ref(s) limiting which shared edges are sampled."
+}

addedInput schema / properties / faces

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'curvature' — optional FaceQuery or @kc[...] ref(s) limiting which faces are sampled."
+}

changedInput schema / properties / feature_id / description

Previous value: -"of:'shape'|'topology'|'edges'|'faces'|'face-edges'|'face-labels' — FeatureId; defaults to the last returned shape."New value: +"of:'shape'|'mass'|'topology'|'edges'|'faces'|'face-edges'|'face-labels' — FeatureId; defaults to the last returned shape."

addedInput schema / properties / gyration_axis

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'mass' — optional axis in shape-local mm to report the radius of gyration about. Omit for centroidal quantities only; the result is density-independent and returned in mm.",
+  "properties": {
+    "direction": {
+      "description": "Axis direction; normalised internally, so it need not be a unit vector.",
+      "items": {
+        "type": "number"
+      },
+      "maxItems": 3,
+      "minItems": 3,
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "origin": {
+      "description": "A point on the axis, shape-local mm.",
+      "items": {
+        "type": "number"
+      },
+      "maxItems": 3,
+      "minItems": 3,
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "origin",
+    "direction"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / of / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "assembly",
-  "robot",
-  "step",
-  "shape",
-  "features",
-  "assemblies",
-  "topology",
-  "edges",
-  "face-edges",
-  "faces",
-  "face-labels",
-  "mates",
-  "constraints",
-  "part-stats",
-  "bend-table",
-  "params",
-  "part-categories",
-  "part-families"
-]New value: +[
+  "assembly",
+  "robot",
+  "step",
+  "shape",
+  "mass",
+  "features",
+  "assemblies",
+  "topology",
+  "edges",
+  "face-edges",
+  "faces",
+  "face-labels",
+  "mates",
+  "constraints",
+  "part-stats",
+  "bend-table",
+  "params",
+  "part-categories",
+  "part-families",
+  "bom",
+  "section",
+  "continuity",
+  "curvature"
+]

addedInput schema / properties / plane

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'section' — section plane. Either a cardinal name string 'xy'|'xz'|'yz', { plane: 'xy'|'xz'|'yz', offset? }, or { origin: [x,y,z], normal: [nx,ny,nz] }. Omit to use `at`+`axis`.",
+  "type": [
+    "string",
+    "object"
+  ]
+}

addedInput schema / properties / spike_factor

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'curvature' — spike sensitivity as a multiple of the face's Gaussian stddev (default 6).",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / stack

Added value: +{
+  "description": "of:'section' — dense scan: `count` slices evenly spaced from `from` to `to` along `axis`; response reports minAreaIndex/minAreaPosition.",
+  "properties": {
+    "axis": {
+      "description": "Scan axis (default 'z').",
+      "enum": [
+        "x",
+        "y",
+        "z"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "count": {
+      "description": "Number of evenly spaced slices (>= 1).",
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "from": {
+      "description": "Start position along the axis (mm).",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "to": {
+      "description": "End position along the axis (mm).",
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "from",
+    "to",
+    "count"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedJun 15, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "properties": {
+    "error": {
+      "description": "Failure message (present on failure).",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "errorCode": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "ok": {
+      "description": "Whether the read succeeded.",
+      "type": "boolean"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [],
+  "type": "object"
+}

AddedJun 13, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations declare readOnlyHint=true and destructiveHint=false, which already cover the read-only nature. The description adds some behavioral detail, such as for 'mass': 'density in kg/m^3, defaults to 1000 (water)' and flags when defaulted, and for 'bom': 'flag rows with no density source... instead of guessing.' However, it does not disclose edge cases like error behavior on invalid `of` values, or the fact that many subjects require a pre-existing script (file or code). Given annotations cover safety, a 3 is appropriate: it adds context but not extensive behavioral nuance.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is long (about 300 words) but is necessarily so given 23 subjects. It is front-loaded with the core purpose and the `of` parameter, then organizes each subject as a bullet-like line in the list. There is minimal redundancy; each line adds new information. However, the density of subjects might overwhelm some agents, but for a tool with such broad scope, this is acceptable. Slightly reducing detail per subject could improve conciseness, but it remains well-structured.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the tool's complexity (17 parameters, 23 enum values, nested objects), the description is remarkably complete. It explains each `of` value, key parameters like `stack` for section, `gyration_axis` for mass, and units (mm, kg/m^3). It also notes that most subjects accept `{ file | code }` and that params are forwarded verbatim. Since an output schema exists, return values are not the description's burden. Nothing critical for an agent to call this tool correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so every parameter is documented in the schema with subject-specific descriptions (e.g., 'of:'section' — single slice position along `axis` (mm)'). The description adds a global note that parameters are 'subject-specific and forwarded verbatim' and provides in-text semantics for each `of` value, but the schema already describes parameters in detail. Thus the description adds marginal value over the schema, consistent with the baseline 3 for high coverage.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description starts with a clear, specific purpose: 'read facts about a model.' It then enumerates 23 distinct subjects, each with a concise explanation of what facts are returned, e.g., 'assembly — physical assembly inventory (parts, bboxes, connectors, mates, disconnected solids).' This strongly distinguishes it from sibling mutation tools like add_feature or capture_animation, and even from read-ish tools like mesh_summary or diff_geometry by listing exactly what it inspects.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description begins 'Use this when you need to read facts about a model,' clearly scoping its use to read-only inspection. It does not explicitly name alternatives, but the sibling list is full of write or specialized tools (add_*, solve_*, run_fea, render_preview), and the description implicitly contrasts by focusing exclusively on reading facts, leaving specialized reads (mesh_summary, diff_geometry) to their own subjects. The explicit 'All params except `of` are subject-specific' also guides parameter selection.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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