insert_part_from_library

Insert pre-designed 3D parts from FreeCAD's library into your CAD project using a relative file path to streamline design assembly.

Instructions

Insert a part from the parts library addon.

Args:
    relative_path: The relative path of the part to insert.

Returns:
    A message indicating the success or failure of the part insertion and a screenshot of the object.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`relative_path`	Yes

Implementation Reference

src/freecad_mcp/server.py:467-497 (handler)

MCP tool handler decorated with @mcp.tool(). Proxies the insertion request to FreeCADConnection RPC client and handles response with screenshot feedback.

@mcp.tool()
def insert_part_from_library(ctx: Context, relative_path: str) -> list[TextContent | ImageContent]:
    """Insert a part from the parts library addon.

    Args:
        relative_path: The relative path of the part to insert.

    Returns:
        A message indicating the success or failure of the part insertion and a screenshot of the object.
    """
    freecad = get_freecad_connection()
    try:
        res = freecad.insert_part_from_library(relative_path)
        screenshot = freecad.get_active_screenshot()
        
        if res["success"]:
            response = [
                TextContent(type="text", text=f"Part inserted from library: {res['message']}"),
            ]
            return add_screenshot_if_available(response, screenshot)
        else:
            response = [
                TextContent(type="text", text=f"Failed to insert part from library: {res['error']}"),
            ]
            return add_screenshot_if_available(response, screenshot)
    except Exception as e:
        logger.error(f"Failed to insert part from library: {str(e)}")
        return [
            TextContent(type="text", text=f"Failed to insert part from library: {str(e)}")
        ]

addon/FreeCADMCP/rpc_server/parts_library.py:8-17 (helper)

Core implementation in FreeCAD addon: constructs path to parts library FCStd file and merges it into active document.

def insert_part_from_library(relative_path):
    parts_lib_path = os.path.join(FreeCAD.getUserAppDataDir(), "Mod", "parts_library")
    part_path = os.path.join(parts_lib_path, relative_path)

    if not os.path.exists(part_path):
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Not found: {part_path}")

    FreeCADGui.ActiveDocument.mergeProject(part_path)

addon/FreeCADMCP/rpc_server/rpc_server.py:390-395 (helper)

RPC server's private GUI-thread-safe method that invokes the parts library insertion function.

def _insert_part_from_library(self, relative_path):
    try:
        insert_part_from_library(relative_path)
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        return str(e)

src/freecad_mcp/server.py:39-40 (helper)

Proxy method in FreeCADConnection class that forwards RPC call to XML-RPC server.

def insert_part_from_library(self, relative_path: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
    return self.server.insert_part_from_library(relative_path)

src/freecad_mcp/server.py:467-497 (registration)

The @mcp.tool() decorator registers this function as an MCP tool.

@mcp.tool()
def insert_part_from_library(ctx: Context, relative_path: str) -> list[TextContent | ImageContent]:
    """Insert a part from the parts library addon.

    Args:
        relative_path: The relative path of the part to insert.

    Returns:
        A message indicating the success or failure of the part insertion and a screenshot of the object.
    """
    freecad = get_freecad_connection()
    try:
        res = freecad.insert_part_from_library(relative_path)
        screenshot = freecad.get_active_screenshot()
        
        if res["success"]:
            response = [
                TextContent(type="text", text=f"Part inserted from library: {res['message']}"),
            ]
            return add_screenshot_if_available(response, screenshot)
        else:
            response = [
                TextContent(type="text", text=f"Failed to insert part from library: {res['error']}"),
            ]
            return add_screenshot_if_available(response, screenshot)
    except Exception as e:
        logger.error(f"Failed to insert part from library: {str(e)}")
        return [
            TextContent(type="text", text=f"Failed to insert part from library: {str(e)}")
        ]

FreeCAD MCP