Prepare engineering files
Use the agent already working in your engineering folder. Give it a bill of materials (BOM), the relevant design exports and your priorities; have it prepare a brief with sources and open questions. You do not need to create a new agent.
The current Maglev CLI can inventory files locally, review explicitly mapped CSV/TSV BOM exports, and send a structured brief. It does not interpret native CAD, upload a folder, synchronize a design workspace or certify that a design can be manufactured. File interpretation depends on your agent’s available tools and your review.
Folder review in hosted CLI 0.6.14 combines literal text, mapped BOMs, source conflicts and missing-input prompts.
Start with the job
Section titled “Start with the job”Tell the agent what you want done now. For example:
Review revision B for a 100-unit pilot. Dimensional quality comes before price. Sampling and assembly must happen in the US; component origin is still undecided. Prepare the missing questions and a shortlist. Do not contact suppliers yet.
That is enough to begin useful work. Preserve the distinctions: a preferred price is different from a spending limit, and assembly location is different from component origin. See intent and factory selection.
Export from the tools you use
Section titled “Export from the tools you use”Keep the native design as the engineering source. Add readable exports for the tools your agent actually has.
| Starting point | Useful handoff | Check before using it |
|---|---|---|
| SOLIDWORKS / PDM | A BOM export, drawing and configuration/revision note | Which configuration, and whether quantities describe a top-level, indented or parts-only list |
| KiCad | BOM plus the selected design variant and relevant board/assembly exports | Whether DNP parts, filters, grouping or excluded items affect the list |
| Fusion | The BOM export supported by your workspace, plus design/drawing revision | Whether the export contains the intended assembly and levels |
| Shared engineering folder | The selected source files and a short release note | Which revision is intended; conflicting copies remain unresolved until someone identifies the authority |
SOLIDWORKS PDM documents CSV export, and SOLIDWORKS notes that BOM quantities depend on the configuration. Export availability and options depend on the product you use.
KiCad lets you choose fields, grouping, filters and delimiters. Excluded-from-BOM components and DNP (do not populate) components have different export behavior. Record those settings with the file. KiCad BOM documentation.
Fusion’s Electronics workspace documents a local BOM export; its Design workspace BOM has separate availability conditions. These are export paths, not claims that Maglev has native integrations with those applications.
Preview the selected folder
Section titled “Preview the selected folder”After installing the CLI, run:
maglev context preview ./engineering-release --json > context-manifest.jsonKeep the output outside the selected folder. Otherwise a later preview would include the previous manifest as another input file.
The result contains relative paths, byte counts and SHA-256 hashes, with interpretation: "not_parsed", localOnly: true and uploaded: false. It also reports skipped files. Review that count; a successful preview does not mean every item in a large folder was included. Hidden/sensitive names, symlinks, unsupported formats and resource limits can exclude files.
A hash lets you notice that bytes changed. It does not establish that the file is the released revision, that the file was interpreted correctly, or that another service can read it. A local path in a brief is a reference, not an upload.
Resolve quantity and revision before costing
Section titled “Resolve quantity and revision before costing”Use a short table like this when reviewing a BOM with your agent:
| Field | What to preserve | What to ask if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Exact internal part number, manufacturer and manufacturer part number where applicable | Is this a custom item or a purchased part? A descriptive name is not a unique purchasable part. |
| Revision and variant | Part/drawing revision, assembly configuration and population option | Which version is in scope for this build? |
| Quantity basis | Quantity per parent assembly or already-expanded build quantity, with unit | Does “4” mean four per product or four for the whole lot? |
| Hierarchy | Parent-child relationship or an explicitly flattened list | Have child quantities already been multiplied? |
| Substitutions | Approved alternatives and the decision owner | Can an equivalent be proposed, or must the exact part be quoted? |
| Evidence | Source file revision/hash plus row, sheet, drawing page or note | Which source supports this value? |
For example, four screws per unit and 100 units imply a base requirement of 400 screws. An explicit extra allowance may change the purchase quantity. Do not multiply again if the BOM already states the build total. Preserve fractional material quantities, such as cable length in metres, instead of rounding everything to whole parts.
Missing values stay unknown. Do not infer a manufacturer part number from a generic resistor value, treat a planned test as a passed test, or assume an unlisted option is approved. Retain DNP status rather than turning it into an accidental purchase requirement.
Carry the reviewed quantity into each action
Section titled “Carry the reviewed quantity into each action”quote_request uses the confirmed current manufacturing-intent quantity, otherwise the project target or one explicit quote band. Missing or unconfirmed current quantity stays unresolved. Additional bands must include the current batch, and future pilot/forecast quantities never silently become an order. Other action kinds have their own schemas; pass the intended quantities explicitly.
First define what one quoted unit contains:
| Intended request | Quantity to explain to the supplier |
|---|---|
| 12 finished devices | 12 devices, with the assembly scope stated |
| Two identical brackets in each of those devices | 24 individual brackets before any approved spare allowance |
| A BOM already expanded for the 12-device build | Use its reviewed totals; do not multiply them by 12 again |
For a bracket-only RFQ, "quantities": [24] must be accompanied by part notes explaining that each quoted unit is one physical bracket. If requesting several quantity bands, state whether they are alternative quote scenarios or separate committed batches. A price break is not a purchase commitment.
This action does not provide deterministic BOM expansion or a unit-aware purchasing calculation. Its quantityPerUnit and quantity bands accept positive integers. Preserve fractional material consumption, such as 0.35 metres of cable per device, in the BOM summary/notes and resolve the supplier’s selling unit instead of rounding it into a false piece count. Use separate requests when the items need different counting units or totals.
Review the returned quantities, subject and both language versions before approving a delivery. Changing the project quantity does not rewrite an existing draft; follow manage design revisions.
Ask only the consequential missing questions
Section titled “Ask only the consequential missing questions”First extract what the files already say. Then group the remaining decisions:
- What is this build? Revision, variant, intended quantity and which source wins when files conflict.
- What must be true? Critical dimensions, acceptance evidence, location constraints and any firm budget/date limits.
- What may change? Alternatives, finish, process or schedule tradeoffs the founder is willing to consider.
- What may the agent do? Prepare drafts, contact named counterparties with selected information, or perform other explicitly authorized work.
Use a source-specific question: “The BOM is revision B, but the drawing says A. Which drawing should the RFQ use?” Avoid asking the founder to repeat a quantity already stated consistently in both files.
Save a brief, then request a draft
Section titled “Save a brief, then request a draft”Follow from files to a quote request for runnable examples. Carry reviewed requirements, source references and open questions into the project brief; request a readiness action only after checking its current schema.
The current project request is limited to 12,000 bytes, while action requests allow 64,000 bytes. The CLI’s file limit is a separate 64 KiB limit. Keep briefs focused; do not paste an entire CAD file or silently truncate a BOM to make it fit. Use the separately authorized selected-file transfer and reviewed engineering access workflows for supported technical files. A local path or BOM review does not upload content.
Read action.output.result and the saved status. A draft can identify missing evidence; it is not a drawing approval, supplier quotation or production release. Use the revision workflow when an input changes and the authority guide before sharing with a supplier.