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AI CAD add-in checklistbefore you install an assistant beside CAD files
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. Review the current terms, the files the add-in could reach, and the dated copies you still hold, before you install.
Nothing you tick is sent anywhere. This page cannot inspect an installer, and it cannot show what a tool uploaded.
Check the add-in you are about to install
Tick what is true of the current terms, the files on the machine, and the copies you still hold. You get a shareable result and clear next steps. Nothing you tick is sent to TimeBinder.
Your choices stay on this page. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere or tied to your name.
Tick everything that is true before you install an AI CAD add-in
This looks at the current terms, the files the add-in could reach, and the dated copies you still hold. It cannot inspect an installer, and it cannot show what a tool uploaded.
What to do now
What should I check before I install an AI CAD add-in? The short answer
Read the current terms and privacy policy for the exact plan you will use, including any free-tier data or training terms. Do not install on a machine that holds client, employer or export-controlled files without a written OK from the person who owns them.
Keep a dated copy of the parts, assemblies or drawings you care about, stored separately. This checklist cannot inspect the installer. A TimeBind of a file you already hold can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It is not legal advice.
Why this came up in late October 2026
On 30 October 2026, engineer Mike Kalil posted that a Reddit thread on the SolidWorks subreddit was circulating about MecAgent, an AI add-in that calls itself the "Cursor for CAD." The post, which recorded 121 likes and 14,461 impressions on 12 November 2026, pointed to a user report that the software "scans your drives for CAD files and uploads them." That is a user report, not a finding by this page.
3Druck and MODEL summarised the thread and, where they could, a company reply: an apology for unclear wording; a statement that paid-plan data is not collected and that free-tier data had not been used for training; a pause of the free tier and of free-tier collection. MODEL compared an Internet Archive snapshot of the English terms on 13 October 2026 (Version 2.0.1, dated 30 September 2026, section 5.2, "Consent to Local File Scanning and Collection") with Version 2.0.2, updated 30 October 2026, in which that scanning-consent heading was gone. SolidBoris later reported that the free plan returned on 2 November 2026 with Version 2.0.3 still allowing automatic collection of open CAD files and referenced files on the free tier, and a perpetual, irrevocable licence, including for training and for sharing with third parties. Those are secondary readings of published terms. Vendors change their terms. Read the current text for the plan you will use.
The checks are written so they also help an engineer, an architect or anyone else about to install a different AI add-in beside CAD files. A longer prose version of the same terms story is in our article on what to keep before you install an AI CAD tool.
Sources: Mike Kalil's 30 October post, MODEL, 3Druck, and SolidBoris.
What this checklist does and does not do
The honest job of this page is to slow down an install until the current terms and a dated copy of the files are in hand, not to certify a vendor.
| Part | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Current terms | Gives you a reason to pause until you have read the plan you will use, including any free-tier licence. | Interpret the terms for you, or keep them from changing later. |
| Files the add-in could reach | Reminds you to write down which folders or projects it could see, and to get a written OK for client or export-controlled files. | Inspect the installer, or show what a tool uploaded. |
| A dated copy of the CAD files | Flags an install that has no separate, dated copy of the parts, assemblies or drawings you care about. | Stop an add-in from reading a file later, or recover a file you already overwrote. |
| A TimeBind of a CAD file you already hold | Records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. | Replace access control, or stand as legal advice. |
If a part, assembly or drawing is one you may need to stand behind later
Before an AI add-in is installed beside those files:
- Keep a dated copy in a place separate from the machine that will run the add-in.
- Make a TimeBind of each exact file you already hold. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device.
- Store the files, a copy of the terms you agreed to, and the Proof of Time Certificate together.
A TimeBind shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It does not stop an add-in from reading a file later, and it is not legal advice.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
AI CAD add-in checklist: FAQ
Can this tool show what an AI CAD add-in uploaded from my computer?
No. It cannot inspect an installer, read network traffic, or read a vendor's terms for you. It only helps you review whether you have read the current plan, kept a dated copy of the files you care about, and checked who owns those files.
Is this a verdict on MecAgent or on any other vendor?
No. One late-October 2026 report about MecAgent, and the published terms and vendor reply described in the press, are why this page was written. Vendors change their terms. Read the current terms for the exact plan you will use.
What should I keep before I install an AI add-in beside CAD files?
A dated copy of the parts, assemblies or drawings you care about, stored separately from the machine that will run the add-in, and a copy of the terms version you agree to. A TimeBind of an exact file you already hold can show that file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not stop an add-in from reading a file later.
Was it confirmed that the add-in uploaded files in the background?
A user reported that on Reddit, and press outlets summarised the report. TimeBinder did not inspect the software or the traffic. Treat the report as a report, and treat the published terms as the text you can actually read.
Is anything I tick sent to TimeBinder?
No. The checklist runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on the page.
Is this legal advice, or a way to satisfy export-control rules?
No. If the files are client, employer or export-controlled data, you need a written OK from the person who owns them, and advice from the person who is responsible for those rules. This checklist cannot give that advice.
Related guides and tools
- What to keep before you install an AI CAD toolThe October 2026 terms story in prose
- Architecture timestampingThe TimeBinder hub for architects
- Timestamping for design and engineering firmsDated records for a design or engineering practice
- Prove a CAD model existed before a dateWhat a dated copy of a model can and cannot show
- AI visualization handoff checkerA checklist before you send a generated or assisted view
- Free SHA-256 hash checkerMake a fingerprint of a file in your browser
- All free toolsPrivate, in-browser tools
Date the CAD file you already hold
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact part, assembly or drawing, kept before an add-in is installed beside it.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.