Three minutes. Then ask your AI to make something.

  1. 1

    Install Kiln

    Here’s what happens: you’ll install two free tools (Kiln and OpenSCAD — the engine Kiln designs with), connect Kiln to your AI app, then ask it to make something. There’s a download or two, so give it a few minutes.

    Have Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or another AI agent that can run commands on your computer? Copy this and paste it to them — it does the whole setup for you, on any operating system, with no account needed.

    Set up Kiln (kiln3d.com) on this computer and connect it to you, then show me it works. I'm not technical: do the technical parts yourself, explain in plain words, and never accept Kiln's Terms for me — only I can (step 3). 1. Install Kiln in its own sandbox (no admin): run uv tool install kiln3d. If uv isn't installed, install it first with its official one-line installer for my OS, then continue. (uv brings its own Python — don't install Python separately.) The kiln command may not be on your PATH yet; it installs to my user bin folder (commonly ~/.local/bin/kiln; "uv tool list" shows where). Use that full path for every kiln command below. 2. Install OpenSCAD, the engine Kiln designs with — the DEVELOPMENT SNAPSHOT, not the normal version (the normal one is years old and silently breaks designs). macOS: brew install --cask openscad@snapshot. Windows/Linux: get the latest snapshot from https://openscad.org/downloads#snapshots. Confirm it's 2024 or newer. If installing it needs me to click something, walk me through it. 3. Terms: I accept these myself — you must NOT (if you run the accept command, it silently agrees without showing me anything). Paste me the key points from https://www.kiln3d.com/terms — especially: Free and Pro are for personal use, selling prints needs the Business tier, fulfillment has a fee, no warranty. Then tell me how to open my Terminal and run <kiln full path> accept-terms there myself, and wait until I confirm. If I'm away, stop and leave me just that one step. Never use --yes or KILN_ACCEPT_TERMS. 4. Only after I confirm I accepted: run <kiln full path> install-mcp --force (the --force means I don't have to create an account), then <kiln full path> doctor. Note: doctor calls OpenSCAD "optional" and skips its version, so don't rely on it for OpenSCAD — trust your own step-2 check instead. 5. Don't restart or close yourself. As your final message, tell me by name which app to fully quit and reopen so Kiln loads (it's the app I'm chatting with you in), and to open a fresh terminal. Then tell me to come back and type: Kiln, design me a coaster. I should see a 3D preview in a few seconds; if not, I'll paste the error back to you. Don't run kiln signin during setup (it needs my browser and would stall you). But in your final message, tell me I can run <kiln full path> signin any time to create a free account — my designs save on this machine either way, and the free account switches on the parts of Kiln that run on Kiln's servers, starting with 3 decorations or textures a month — and that it's my choice.
    Rather run the commands yourself?Also the route for Claude Desktop, which can’t run Terminal commands for you

    Install Kiln

    Recommended: uv — installs Kiln in its own sandbox, no admin, and brings its own Python (nothing else to set up first):

    brew install uvuv tool install kiln3d

    No Homebrew? Get uv with its one-line installer first: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

    Prefer pipx? Also isolated, works the same:

    brew install pipx && pipx ensurepathpipx install kiln3d

    Install OpenSCAD

    OpenSCAD is the engine Kiln designs with — install it once:

    brew install --cask openscad@snapshot

    Install from Source

    git clone https://github.com/codeofaxel/Kiln.gitcd Kiln && pip install -e ./kiln

    One-Line Installer

    Clones the repo and installs via pipx automatically:

    git clone https://github.com/codeofaxel/Kiln.git ~/.kiln/src && ~/.kiln/src/install.sh

    Install Kiln

    Recommended: uv — installs Kiln in its own sandbox, no admin, and brings its own Python (nothing else to set up first):

    curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | shuv tool install kiln3d

    Prefer pipx? Also isolated, works the same:

    # Debian / Ubuntu (Fedora: sudo dnf install pipx)sudo apt install pipx && pipx ensurepathpipx install kiln3d

    Install from Source

    git clone https://github.com/codeofaxel/Kiln.gitcd Kiln && pip install -e ./kiln

    One-Line Installer

    Clones the repo and installs via pipx automatically:

    git clone https://github.com/codeofaxel/Kiln.git ~/.kiln/src && ~/.kiln/src/install.sh

    Install OpenSCAD & a slicer

    OpenSCAD is the engine Kiln designs with; PrusaSlicer prepares your prints.

    # OpenSCAD (current build) = design engine, PrusaSlicer = slicing for printingsudo snap install openscad --edge && sudo apt install prusa-slicer

    Install Kiln

    Open PowerShell and install uv — it puts Kiln in its own sandbox and brings its own Python, so there’s no separate Python install and no PATH surgery:

    winget install --id=astral-sh.uv -e

    Close PowerShell and open it again so it picks up uv. Then:

    uv tool install kiln3d

    No winget? Use uv’s own installer instead: powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

    Install OpenSCAD

    OpenSCAD is the engine Kiln designs with — install the current build from openscad.org/downloads#snapshots (the development snapshot; the older stable build is slow and has SVG bugs).

    Connect your AI agent

    Create your free account (it saves your designs and syncs them across devices), accept Kiln’s terms (one time — it has to be you, not your AI), then wire Kiln into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Codex:

    kiln signinkiln accept-termskiln install-mcp

    Restart your agent afterward, then confirm everything works with kiln doctor. Rather not create an account yet? Use kiln install-mcp --force instead of signin — local still works, and you can sign in later.

    Already living in Claude Code? Even simpler — install the Kiln plugin instead: claude plugin marketplace add codeofaxel/Kiln, then claude plugin install kiln@kiln. (Needs uv — it’s free and takes one line to set up.)

    You’re on the right tab

    This setup lets Kiln find your 3D printer on your home network by itself — nothing to look up or type in. The WSL 2 tab next to it is a niche option for advanced Linux setups; if you’re not sure you need it, you don’t.

    Install Kiln

    Inside your WSL 2 Ubuntu terminal — recommended: uv (no admin, brings its own Python, nothing else to set up first):

    curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | shuv tool install kiln3d

    Prefer pipx? Also isolated, works the same:

    sudo apt install pipx && pipx ensurepathpipx install kiln3d

    Install from Source

    git clone https://github.com/codeofaxel/Kiln.gitcd Kiln && pip install -e ./kiln
    WSL 2 Networking Note

    mDNS printer discovery (kiln discover) does not work in WSL 2 because of NAT networking. Use your printer's IP address directly instead (works for Ethernet and Wi-Fi LAN setups):

    # Connect directly by IP addresskiln auth --name my-printer --host http://192.168.1.x:port --type octoprint --api-key YOUR_KEY

    Install OpenSCAD & a slicer

    OpenSCAD is the engine Kiln designs with; PrusaSlicer prepares your prints.

    # OpenSCAD (current build) = design engine, PrusaSlicer = slicing for printingsudo snap install openscad --edge && sudo apt install prusa-slicer

    Which did you just do?

    Pasted it to your AI

    Nothing left to install. Your AI already handled the terms and the wiring.

    Skip ahead to step 3 — you’re already connected.

    Ran the commands yourself

    Kiln is on your machine, but your AI app can’t see it yet.

    Three short commands connect them.

    Carry on to step 2.

  2. 2

    Connect your AI only if you ran the commands yourself

    Three quick commands. signin creates your free account. accept-terms shows Kiln’s terms for you to read and agree to (one time, and it has to be you, not your AI). install-mcp wires Kiln into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Codex.

    kiln signin        # create your free account — designs save + sync
kiln accept-terms  # one time: read + agree to the terms
kiln install-mcp   # connect Kiln to your AI apps

    Restart your AI app and it can run your printer.

    Rather not create an account yet?

    Everything local works without one — skip signin and add --force:

    kiln accept-terms          # one time: read + agree to the terms
kiln install-mcp --force   # connect without an account

    You can run kiln signin to create your free account any time later. Your designs save to this machine either way — the account is what switches on Kiln’s cloud side, and anything in Pro.

    How you’ll know it worked: ask your AI “is Kiln connected?” and it’ll confirm Kiln is loaded and ready. That’s it — you’re set up.

    Using a different AI app? Paste the config yourself

    kiln install-mcp --print prints the exact snippet for your machine — it pins the full path, so it works even when kiln isn’t on that app’s PATH. It looks like this:

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "kiln": {
      "command": "kiln",
      "args": [
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}
  3. 3

    Ask — and here’s what to say first

    Once Kiln is connected, just describe what you want in your own words — no special commands. Try something like:

    I have a Bambu A1, make me a coaster with my dog’s photo on it

    Kiln thinks with your AI — so for designs you care about, use the most capable model you have, and give it room to think. That’s where great results come from.

    Made something you like? If you haven’t signed in yet, run kiln signin — free, one second. Switches on the parts of Kiln that run on our side, starting with your 3 decorations or textures a month.

You’re ready to print.

Free covers your first prints. Pro covers the rest of the workflow — version your designs, modify them mid-print, and leave the room while your agent handles the rest.

Get Pro →

$49 / month

Once installed, Kiln tells you when there’s a new version — run kiln self-update to upgrade, so you never have to check back here.

Stuck on install? See common questions →