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Step Parts

  • 5.4k installs
  • 11k repo stars
  • Updated July 11, 2026
  • earthtojake/text-to-cad

step-parts searches step.parts catalog, downloads verified STEP files for purchasable parts, and hands off to cad-viewer.

About

The step-parts skill finds and downloads common purchasable CAD parts from the hosted step.parts catalog before creating placeholder geometry. Use https://api.step.parts as canonical API origin. Workflow interprets parts into q search tokens plus optional category, family, standard, or tag facets, searches /v1/parts, presents ambiguous matches, prefers exact actuator STEP downloads when found, and verifies sha256 checksums on download. Network failures are inconclusive: retry with network permission before reporting unavailable. Named servos and motors need alias retries like STS3215 versus ST3215 and family facets. Bundled scripts/download_step_part.py supports search, --id download, facet filters, --all bulk download, and JSON stdout. After creating or updating local STEP files, always hand explicit paths to cad-viewer when installed. API reference in references/step-parts-api.md covers parts index, schema, and OpenAPI. Search guidance notes ANDed query tokens, ORed facet values, and millimeter attributes like thread and lengthMm.

  • Hosted step.parts API at api.step.parts; do not scrape HTML or use stale local files.
  • Search with q plus category family standard tag facets; retry aliases for actuators.
  • download_step_part.py for search download checksum verify with JSON stdout.
  • Prefer exact off-the-shelf STEP over placeholder envelopes when match found.
  • Mandatory cad-viewer handoff with explicit file path after STEP create or update.

Step Parts by the numbers

  • 5,426 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +705 installs in the week ending Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #62 of 2,742 Automation & Workflows skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
At a glance

step-parts capabilities & compatibility

Capabilities
step.parts api search with facet filters · alias retry for actuator and servo model numbers · step download with sha256 verification · download_step_part.py bundled script · cad viewer handoff after file creation
Use cases
orchestration
From the docs

What step-parts says it does

Use the hosted step.parts machine endpoints instead of scraping HTML or relying on local repository files.
SKILL.md
npx skills add https://github.com/earthtojake/text-to-cad --skill step-parts

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs5.4k
repo stars11k
Security audit2 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 11, 2026
Repositoryearthtojake/text-to-cad

How do I find and download standard purchasable CAD parts from step.parts instead of placeholder geometry?

Search step.parts catalog, resolve purchasable CAD parts, download verified STEP files, and hand off to cad-viewer.

Who is it for?

CAD workflows needing catalog screws, bearings, actuators, and connectors as verified STEP files.

Skip if: Skip when you need custom organic modeling without catalog parts or offline-only CAD with no API access.

When should I use this skill?

User needs step.parts search, standard part download, actuator model lookup, or STEP checksum verification.

What you get

Selected part record with local STEP path, sha256 verification, and cad-viewer handoff when available.

  • Downloaded STEP files with checksums
  • Selected part metadata JSON
  • cad-viewer handoff path

By the numbers

  • Canonical API api.step.parts
  • sha256 verification on download
  • Alias search for actuator model numbers

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

CAD Parts

Provenance: maintained in earthtojake/text-to-cad. Use the installed local skill files as the runtime source of truth; the repository link is only for provenance and release review.

Overview

Use the hosted step.parts machine endpoints instead of scraping HTML or relying on local repository files. Treat https://api.step.parts as the canonical API origin and https://www.step.parts as the site/static-asset origin unless the user provides a different hosted mirror. Network/DNS failures are inconclusive: if api.step.parts cannot be reached from the sandbox, retry once with network permission before reporting a miss or using placeholder geometry. Do not describe a part as unavailable unless the API was reachable and returned no relevant candidates.

When a CAD assembly includes named off-the-shelf actuators, servos, motors, electronics boards, connectors, or other purchasable components, search step.parts before creating simplified placeholder geometry. For named servos, motors, and actuators, search both exact model strings and common aliases/vendor spellings before giving up. For example, STS3215 may also appear as ST3215, 3215, Waveshare Feetech ST3215, or under family=feetech. If the API was reachable and no exact or near-exact match is available, record the search miss and then use a documented envelope or simplified stand-in.

Quick Workflow

1. Interpret the requested part into search terms and optional facets:

  • q for fuzzy tokens, standards, aliases, dimensions, source/product URLs, and attribute names/values.
  • category, family, standard, or tag when the user gives an exact facet.

2. Search /v1/parts and inspect items, total, and facets. For actuator model numbers, retry likely aliases, dropped letters, vendor names, and relevant family facets before treating an empty result as a miss. 3. If results are ambiguous, present the best few options with id, name, standard, and key attributes before choosing. If one result clearly matches, return the selected record details without downloading unless the user asked for a local STEP file. 4. When an exact or near-exact off-the-shelf actuator model is found, prefer downloading and using its STEP file unless there is a clear assembly-time reason to use a simplified envelope. Record that choice explicitly. 5. When the user asks to download or save a STEP file, download its stepUrl, then verify the file with the record's sha256 when present. 6. Return the local path when downloaded, plus the selected part id and page/API URLs so the user can trace provenance.

CAD Viewer Handoff

After completing step.parts work that creates or updates a local .step or .stp file, you must ALWAYS hand the explicit file path to $cad-viewer when that skill is installed. $cad-viewer must start CAD Viewer if it is not already running and return link(s) to the relevant created or updated file(s); if $cad-viewer is unavailable or startup fails, report that instead of silently omitting the handoff.

Bundled Downloader

Use scripts/download_step_part.py for deterministic search, download, and checksum verification:

python scripts/download_step_part.py "M3 socket head 12" --download
python scripts/download_step_part.py --id iso4762_socket_head_cap_screw_m3x12 --download
python scripts/download_step_part.py "bearing 608zz" --limit 5

Useful options:

  • --origin: override https://api.step.parts only when the user provides another hosted API origin.
  • --tag, --category, --family, --standard: repeatable facet filters.
  • --out-dir: override the download directory when the user asks for a specific destination.
  • --all: with --download, download every result on the returned page as individual STEP downloads.
  • --overwrite: replace an existing output file.

The script prints JSON to stdout. For searches, it prints matched records. For downloads, it prints saved file paths, checksums, and source URLs.

API Reference

Read references/step-parts-api.md when you need endpoint details, field meanings, or query semantics. Prefer:

  • /v1/parts for filtered search with absolute asset URLs.
  • /v1/parts/{id} for one enriched record.
  • Returned stepUrl for STEP downloads.
  • /v1/catalog/parts.index.json for a compact discovery index.
  • /v1/catalog/schema for field and family attribute meanings.
  • /v1/openapi.json when generating a client or tool.

Search Guidance

  • Query tokens are ANDed by the API, so start specific but not overconstrained. For example, use M3 SHCS 12 before adding exact family and standard filters.
  • Values within one facet are ORed together, and selected tag, category, family, and standard fields are ANDed together. Use exact facets to narrow within known categories, then rank manually by name and attributes.
  • Standards can be queried as ISO 4762, ISO4762, or the exact standard.designation.
  • The attributes object contains family-specific facts such as thread, lengthMm, bore1Mm, material, profileSeries, slotSizeMm, and dimensions in millimeters.
  • Part, GLB, and PNG URL patterns are predictable on https://www.step.parts; STEP URLs are environment-aware and may resolve to GitHub LFS media in production. Use catalog/API stepUrl for downloads.

Related skills

How it compares

step-parts fetches catalog STEP files from step.parts, not generative CAD modeling from text alone.

FAQ

Who is step-parts for?

CAD developers searching step.parts for purchasable parts and downloading verified STEP files.

When should I use step-parts?

Before creating placeholder geometry when assemblies need named motors, screws, bearings, or connectors.

Is step-parts safe to install?

Review the Security Audits panel; downloads files from api.step.parts and www.step.parts.

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