VibeCAD is an AI-native parametric CAD platform for designing real 3D parts through conversation, focused modeling tools, and editable geometry history.

You need either a ChatGPT subscription or an API key for the provider you select. VibeCAD runs both ChatGPT-subscription and OpenAI-API-key requests through its bundled Codex runtime, connects directly to Anthropic, and can route Codex through OpenAI-compatible endpoints such as xAI, Ollama, and other local model servers.

Store the key in one of these places:

• OS keyring (recommended): paste the key in VibeCAD Preferences, click Save Key, and then click Validate.
• A selected .env file: create the file yourself, select it in VibeCAD Preferences, and click Validate. VibeCAD does not search for .env files automatically.

API keys are not stored in ordinary application preferences. ChatGPT OAuth credentials are owned and refreshed by the bundled Codex app-server; VibeCAD does not read or copy those tokens.

Download the latest build from VibeCAD Releases.

chmod +x VibeCAD*.AppImage
./VibeCAD*.AppImage

Run this command from the directory containing the downloaded package:

sudo apt install ./vibecad_*_amd64.deb

The leading ./ is required when installing a local package with apt.

Download the Windows installer, run it, and launch VibeCAD from the Start menu. A portable archive is also available for installations that should not modify the system.

SHA256 files are published beside release artifacts so downloads can be verified before installation.

Open Preferences, then select VibeCAD > VibeCAD.

1. Enable Use online provider.
2. Select ChatGPT subscription, OpenAI API key (Codex), or Anthropic under Provider.
3. For ChatGPT, use the account sign-in controls described below. For an API provider, configure its key and leave the base URL blank unless you use a compatible or local endpoint.
4. Configure the selected provider's authentication.
5. Click Fetch models, then select a returned model.
6. Choose a supported Reasoning effort. Use none when a model does not support thinking or reasoning parameters.
7. Click Apply or OK to save the provider, model, endpoint, and .env path settings.

1. Select ChatGPT subscription as the provider.
2. Click Sign in with ChatGPT and complete the browser flow. Use Use device code when the browser callback cannot reach VibeCAD.
3. Click Fetch models and select a subscription model, or leave Use account default selected.
4. Choose a reasoning effort offered by that model, then click Apply or OK.

ChatGPT credentials are stored in a private VibeCAD Codex credential directory and refreshed by the bundled, version-pinned app-server. Logout asks that runtime to remove the account. VibeCAD never imports credentials from another Codex installation and never falls back to an ambient API key.

ChatGPT subscription, OpenAI-compatible, Anthropic, and offline/debug turns all use the same active-workbench resolver. The assistant always authors through VibeScript and receives only the active workbench's exact VibeScript API plus any focused read tools owned by that workbench. Human ribbon commands remain available normally, but they are not exposed to the AI as an alternate authoring system.

1. Select the provider first. Keys are stored separately for OpenAI and Anthropic.
2. Paste the provider key into API key.
3. Click Save Key. The field clears after VibeCAD hands the key to the operating system's credential store.
4. Click Validate. A successful check reports verified in Auth status.
5. Click Fetch models and choose the model to use.

Logout removes only the selected provider's keyring entry. It does not remove a process environment variable or edit a selected .env file.

Create a text file containing the variable for the selected provider:

# OpenAI and OpenAI-compatible providers, including xAI
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key-here

# Anthropic
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here

In VibeCAD Preferences:

1. Click Browse beside .env path and select that exact file.
2. Leave the API key field empty; Save Key is only for the OS keyring.
3. Click Validate, then Fetch models.
4. Click Apply or OK so the selected path is used by future sessions.

Do not commit a .env file containing a real key to source control.

VibeCAD resolves a key in this order:

1. The provider's process environment variable.
2. The .env file explicitly selected in Preferences.
3. The OS keyring.

This order matters when a valid key appears to be ignored. For example, an old OPENAI_API_KEY exported by the shell overrides both the selected .env file and a newer key saved in the keyring.

xAI exposes an OpenAI-compatible API, so Grok uses VibeCAD's Codex transport with OpenAI API-key authentication:

1. Obtain an API key from xAI.
2. Select OpenAI API key (Codex) as the provider.
3. Set OpenAI base URL to https://api.x.ai/v1.
4. Paste the xAI key, click Save Key, and then click Validate.
5. Click Fetch models and select the Grok model returned by xAI.
6. Choose a reasoning effort supported by that model, then click Apply or OK.

When using a .env file for xAI, use OPENAI_API_KEY; VibeCAD resolves that key normally and supplies it only to the bundled Codex process.

1. Create or open a CAD document and save it. VibeCAD keeps the assistant disabled for unsaved documents so the conversation, design record, references, and generated source have a durable project location.
2. Select the workbench that matches the work you are doing. VibeCAD exposes the focused tool surface for the active workbench.
3. Open View > Panels > VibeCAD Assistant if the assistant is not visible.
4. Describe the intended result, including the dimensions, interfaces, material, manufacturing process, and constraints that matter.
5. Use Attach Image for a reference design, or paste an image into the message box with Ctrl+V. Use Attach View to include the current viewport in the next model request only; it is consumed after that delivery.
6. Choose Build to let Codex edit the document, or Plan to let it inspect and propose work with only read/view CAD tools. Then click Send. While work is running, the same input becomes Steer, so corrections stay in the same conversation. Stop ends the run after the current provider or CAD step returns.
7. Save the CAD document normally. Reopening it restores the associated VibeCAD conversations and project records.

Be explicit about functional intent, not only appearance. For an existing model, identify what should be preserved and what should change. For a new part, provide mating geometry and critical dimensions whenever they are known.

The conversation selector at the top of the assistant opens prior conversations for the current CAD document. The new-conversation button starts a clean thread without deleting earlier work. This makes it possible to separate a redesign, manufacturing discussion, or analysis task while retaining the project's history.

Saved conversations remain available to the human in this selector, but VibeCAD does not replay the project transcript or persisted tool traces into a model request. The model receives the current message exactly once. Intent Memory remains available as an explicit human project record, but it is not compiled after every turn or injected automatically.

Turn-start CAD context is deliberately small: active workbench/domain, document identity and object count, edit object, exact selection, and the editable VibeScript source targets for that workbench. Each target represents one part or program and includes its exact source ID, revision, affected outputs, vibescript.read_source arguments, and vibescript.edit_source arguments. vibescript.read_api returns the active workbench API. Focused workbench read tools can describe human-created native state without exposing human mutation commands. Newly attached reference images and Attach View are delivered once.

There is no assistant modeling-engine selector. The active workbench selects one dedicated, source-backed VibeScript domain automatically. Tools from different workbenches are never combined, and native human mutation commands never enter the provider surface.

VibeScript keeps source, inputs, diagnostics, revisions, and accepted outputs with the project. It runs in an isolated windowless worker and publishes only validated results. The Model Code Editor lists programs for the active workbench domain and opens with no program selected.

All 16 supported user-workbench VibeScript interfaces are production-ready: Part Design, Sketcher, Draft, Surface, Assembly, Spreadsheet, Material, Mesh, MeshPart, Points, Reverse Engineering, Inspection, Robot, FEM, CAM, and TechDraw. Every domain exposes the same provider-facing vibescript.read_source, vibescript.read_api, and vibescript.edit_source tools for ordinary source changes, plus domain-qualified create, input-only, contract-reconfiguration, and delete operations. Program source is addressed by its stable per-program ID, and API inspection contains only the active workbench's canonical runtime operations and typed outputs.

Geometry, solver, mesh, reconstruction, projection, and toolpath work runs in the isolated worker. The live document receives only independently validated, precomputed native state under stable program/output identities. This includes native sketches and Draft proxies, Assembly links and joints, sheets and material assignments, meshes and point clouds, reconstruction and inspection records, Robot trajectories, FEM analyses/results, Path jobs/toolpaths, and TechDraw pages/views/dimensions. Failed candidates remain inspectable without replacing the accepted revision, and publication/deletion paths explicitly restore accepted state when FreeCAD transaction rollback is incomplete.

Part, MeshPart, Points, CAM, and TechDraw deliberately collapse equivalent variants behind selectors or one ordered pipeline instead of advertising redundant operations. There are no forwarding wrappers for removed Part operations. Startup, test, unknown, or future unimplemented workbenches resolve to an exact unavailable surface; VibeCAD never substitutes another workbench's tools.

For Ollama or another local OpenAI-compatible server, select OpenAI API key (Codex) and configure its endpoint. A common Ollama setup is:

OpenAI base URL: http://localhost:11434/v1
Model: select a model returned by Fetch models
API key: any non-empty value accepted by the local server
Reasoning effort: none

The local server must already be running and expose an OpenAI-compatible API. Some local models reject reasoning parameters even when the server supports the endpoint; use none for those models.

• not_configured: VibeCAD could not find the selected provider's environment variable, a valid key in the selected .env file, or a keyring entry.
• No ChatGPT subscription is signed in: open Preferences, select ChatGPT subscription, and complete browser or device-code sign-in.
• No CAD authoring tools are shown: select a supported modeling workbench.
• configured_unverified: a key was found but has not been checked against the configured endpoint. Click Validate.
• invalid: the endpoint rejected the key. Confirm the selected provider, base URL, credential precedence, and account access.
• offline: the key could not be verified because the configured endpoint could not be reached.
• No models are listed: validate authentication first, then click Fetch models.
• The model does not support thinking: set Reasoning effort to none.
• The assistant input is disabled: save the active CAD document.
• The assistant panel was closed: reopen it from View > Panels > VibeCAD Assistant.

VibeCAD is under active development. The current focus is reliable, readable AI-assisted part design with explicit human control over the document, workbench, and design direction.

Release packaging details are documented in docs/vibecad-release-packaging.md.

The single-workbench Part and Part Design model, compatibility boundary, and Body/tree behavior are documented in docs/part-design-consolidation.md.

The removed BIM and architectural surface, existing-document behavior, and rollback path are documented in docs/bim-architecture-removal.md.

• The VibeLight and VibeDark themes are based on OpenTheme by Obelisk79.
• VibeCAD is built on the work of the FreeCAD project. Thank you to the contributors and the wider FreeCAD community whose CAD engine, workbenches, documentation, and support made this project possible.