Overview
The PVX.AI installer includes an extension for Claude Desktop, Anthropic’s desktop app. With it installed, Claude can work with the drawing open in AutoCAD: read the design, answer questions about it, and run PVX.AI tools when you ask. For example, you can ask Claude to summarise the plant’s capacity and string count, list strings without a transformer, place racks in a PV area, or run cabling.
The extension is called PVX.AI Solar Design in Claude Desktop. It talks only to the AutoCAD session on the same computer.
Prerequisites
- Windows, with PVX.AI installed (version 2.9.8 or later) in AutoCAD 2023 or newer.
- Claude Desktop installed and signed in.
- A PVX.AI license that includes the Claude (MCP) integration.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Install the extension in Claude Desktop
Open the PVX.AI installation folder, %ProgramFiles%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\PVXAI.Cad.bundle, and double-click pvxai-solar-design.mcpb. Claude Desktop opens and installs the extension. Restart Claude Desktop.
2. Check that it is enabled
In Claude Desktop’s settings, open the extensions list and check that PVX.AI Solar Design is listed and switched on.
3. Start AutoCAD and open a drawing
Start AutoCAD with PVX.AI and open the drawing you want to work on. There is nothing to switch on in PVX.AI: the connection starts by itself when PVX.AI loads with a licensed seat. AutoCAD and Claude Desktop can be started in either order.
4. Ask Claude about the design
Start a chat in Claude Desktop and ask about the open drawing, for example: “How many racks and strings are in this drawing, and what is the DC capacity?” Claude reads the drawing through the extension and answers. Reading the design does not change anything.
5. Ask Claude to make changes
Ask for a change in plain words, for example “Place fixed racks in PV-2 with the same settings as PV-1” or “Run cabling for PV-1”. Claude runs the PVX.AI tools and reports what it did. Before it clears racks, electrical design or terrain, or rebuilds roads, it runs a preview first and needs a second step to apply it.
6. Check the result in AutoCAD
Look at the drawing after each change. To reverse a change, press Ctrl+Z in AutoCAD; Claude cannot undo for you. A request that ran several steps may need several Ctrl+Z.
Tips & Recommendations
- Tools that use the PVX.AI cloud (such as cabling and the cloud design pipeline) use credits, the same as when you click them on the ribbon.
- Claude cannot click through PVX.AI dialogs. If a dialog is open in AutoCAD, close it, or Claude’s request waits and times out.
- Claude cannot open, close or save drawings under a new name, and it cannot run scripts. Open the drawing yourself first.
- Save your drawing before asking for large changes, so you have a clean copy to go back to.
- If Claude says the PVX.AI plugin is not running: make sure AutoCAD is open with the PVX.AI tab on the ribbon, then send your message again. If it still fails, check that your license includes the Claude integration, and restart Claude Desktop.
- If the tools do not show up in Claude: restart Claude Desktop and check that the extension is enabled.
- If Claude Desktop will not install the .mcpb file (an older Claude Desktop version, or a company policy that blocks extensions), ask your IT team or support@pvx.ai for the manual setup.
- Every change Claude makes is written to a log in %LOCALAPPDATA%\PVXAI\Logs.