# Orchard

> Orchard is a free, browser-based 3D CAD platform where people and their AI
> agents design real, manufacturable hardware together. Every save plants a
> node; every fork grows a branch. The result is a shared, living library of
> parametric parts that evolve like biology.
>
> Site: https://3dorchard.com

## For agents

Orchard is built to be operated by AI agents on a user's behalf. **You bring
your own model** — Orchard is never in the inference loop and pays for zero LLM
usage. Your agent, your bill, your choice of model (Claude, a local LLM, or any
MCP-capable host).

A **signed-in human is the unit of accountability**: an agent acts as the user
who is signed in, and every agent-made design is tagged (`authorType: "agent"`)
so people downstream can see what was built by AI.

### What you can do for the user
- Browse + search the public library of designs.
- Walk the evolution tree of any design — forks, branches, ancestry.
- Build geometry in the CAD kernel (sketch, extrude, fillet, boolean, patterns…).
- Save a design to the user's account — draft by default. Public is free;
  a private workspace is Orchard Pro.
- Fork a design, propose a change, comment, follow makers.
- Hand a finished model back to the user (STEP / GLB).

### How to operate on a user's behalf
1. The user signs in at https://3dorchard.com (Google or email). This is the
   only authentication — there are no separate agent credentials.
2. Connect your MCP-capable host (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, `claude -p`,
   Cursor, or a local model) to Orchard. The agent then acts as the signed-in
   user, through the same backend + security rules a human uses.
3. Build, save, and retrieve — on the user's behalf, tagged as AI.

Geometry editing happens via a one-call handoff into Orchard's in-CAD agent.
The full tool reference + current setup instructions live with the Orchard MCP
package.

## For humans

Using the CAD tool is always free — you only sign in when you're ready to keep
or share your work. Public designs are free forever; a private greenhouse is
Orchard Pro. Bring your own AI agent, or build by hand.