Desktop host connectivity - Speckle Docs

Decide publish, load, and integration depth before choosing add-in vs agent patterns below.

Host add-in or plugin

When to use: Code runs inside a CAD/BIM/structural desktop application (Revit, Rhino, Tekla Structures, ETABS, or a custom host). Users send or receive from that application’s UI. Typical stack:

C# / .NET in the host process
speckle-sharp-sdk — server and object APIs
speckle-sharp-connectors — DUI, converters, send/receive pipelines

Reference code: Tekla Structures · ETABS · All .NET connectors Docs: Authentication · .NET SDK · Data schema · Connector schemas

Native desktop agent

When to use: A standalone tray app, agent, or background service talks to Speckle and optionally calls host APIs (COM, export, file watch)—without living inside the host UI. Typical stack:

speckle-sharp-sdk or specklepy
GraphQL API for projects, models, and versions

Docs: GraphQL API · Python SDK

Data & build order — shared data model and build sequence
Cloud & automation · Middleware · Hybrid
Resources — SDK and repository index

Last modified on July 18, 2026