bim is a command-line tool that gives AI coding tools -- Claude Code, Cursor, Codex -- direct access to a live Revit 2024, 2025, or 2026 model, without a running MCP server or a Revit 2027 upgrade.
They want their AI coding tool to drive Revit. Read schedules. Write parameters across hundreds of elements. Export sheets to PDF. Run arbitrary API logic against a live model.
MCP is one way to get there. A CLI is another. Which fits depends on your Revit version and setup — here's how they line up.
| Revit 2027 MCP | bim | |
|---|---|---|
| Revit version | 2027 only | 2024-2027 |
| Setup | Config file + server process | One PowerShell line |
| Works with | MCP-enabled clients | Any tool with a terminal |
| Discovery | MCP tool manifest | bim describe --json |
| Offline | Yes | Yes |
| Admin rights | No | No |
MCP requires a running server, a client-side config file, and client support for the protocol. A CLI requires a binary in PATH.
Every AI coding tool — Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot, Aider — already has a terminal. They call bim the same way they call git, curl, or any other command-line program. bim describe --json returns the full verb/arg surface in one call, giving the agent the same discoverability that MCP would provide, without the setup overhead. See headless Revit for a full walkthrough of what an AI assistant can do once bim is installed.
bim communicates with a small add-in running inside your Revit session. Your AI tool calls it from its terminal:
bim revit status # running instance, open model
bim revit exec --code "<C#>" # run arbitrary C# against the live API
bim revit schedule export "Door Schedule" # export a named schedule as rows
bim revit sheets list # all sheets with number, name, discipline
bim revit param set --by Mark # write parameters from stdin
Every command returns JSON. Every command composes with pipes. For scripted and scheduled workflows, see Revit automation.
iwr -useb https://bimcli.com/install.ps1 | iex
Per-user. No admin rights. No account. Works with Revit 2024, 2025, and 2026.
After install, paste the bootstrap prompt from the home page into your AI coding tool and describe the work.
Open-source projects like revit-mcp take a different approach: a Revit plugin that exposes model data over a local MCP socket. They work well for interactive AI sessions where a human is present and Revit is open.
bim-cli is not a Revit MCP server. The distinction:
| Community revit-mcp | bim | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Plugin inside Revit | CLI binary outside Revit |
| Use case | Interactive model queries | Headless export + output pipeline |
| PDF output | None | Production PDFs + BIM sidecars |
| Headless operation | No | Yes |
| CI / scheduled jobs | No | Yes |
| Composable with pipes | No | Yes |
| Revit version | 2023-2027 | 2024-2026 |
A workflow can use both: revit-mcp for element queries in an AI session, bim-cli for the export and delivery pipeline. They complement rather than compete.