create/docs/src/guide/silo.md

Silo

Silo is an item database and part management system for Kindred Create. It provides revision-controlled storage for CAD files, configurable part number generation, BOM management, and team collaboration.

• Submodule path: mods/silo/
• Source: git.kindred-systems.com/kindred/silo-mod

Architecture

Silo has three components:

┌──────────────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│  FreeCAD Workbench   │────▶│  Go REST API  │
│  (Python commands)   │     │  (silod)      │
└──────────────────────┘     └──────┬───────┘
         │                          │
         │  silo-client             │
         │  (shared API lib)        │
         │                    ┌─────┴─────┐
         │                    │           │
         │               PostgreSQL    MinIO
         │               (metadata)  (files)
         │
    Local .FCStd files

• Go REST API server (cmd/silod/) — 38+ routes, backed by PostgreSQL and MinIO
• FreeCAD workbench (freecad/) — Python commands integrated into Kindred Create
• Shared API client (silo-client/) — Python library used by the workbench (nested submodule)

The silo-mod repository was split from a monorepo into three repos: silo-client (shared Python API client), silo-mod (FreeCAD workbench), and silo-calc (LibreOffice Calc extension).

Workbench commands

Document lifecycle

Command	Shortcut	Description
Silo_New	Ctrl+N	Schema-driven item creation form — domain/subcategory picker, dynamic property fields loaded from the schema API, live part number preview, sourcing fields, and project tagging
Silo_Open	Ctrl+O	Search and open items — combined dialog querying both the database and local files
Silo_Save	Ctrl+S	Save locally to canonical path, collect document properties, upload to MinIO as auto-revision
Silo_Commit	Ctrl+Shift+S	Save as a new revision with a user-provided comment
Silo_Pull	—	Download from MinIO with revision selection, conflict detection, and progress tracking
Silo_Push	—	Batch upload — finds local files not yet synced to the server, compares timestamps

Information and management

Command	Description
Silo_Info	Show item metadata, project tags, and revision history table with status and labels
Silo_BOM	Two-tab view: BOM (children) and Where Used (parents). Add, edit, remove entries with quantity and unit tracking
Silo_TagProjects	Multi-select dialog for assigning project tags to items
Silo_Rollback	Select a previous revision and create a new revision from that point with optional comment
Silo_SetStatus	Change revision lifecycle status: draft → review → released → obsolete

Administration

Command	Description
Silo_Settings	Full settings UI — API URL, SSL verify, custom CA cert, API token management, authentication status
Silo_Auth	Session-based login: /login → /api/auth/me → /api/auth/tokens; stores API token in preferences
Silo_ToggleMode	Switch between Silo workbench and other workbenches (menu only)

Origin integration

Silo registers as a file origin via the FileOrigin interface in src/Gui/. The SiloOrigin class in silo_origin.py implements:

Capability	Value
id	"silo"
name	"Kindred Silo"
type	PLM (1)
tracksExternally	true
requiresAuthentication	true
supportsRevisions	true
supportsBOM	true
supportsPartNumbers	true
supportsAssemblies	true

The origin delegates to the workbench commands for all operations (new, open, save, commit, pull, push, info, BOM). Registration happens via a deferred QTimer (1500ms after startup) in src/Mod/Create/InitGui.py.

Configuration

FreeCAD parameters

Stored in User parameter:BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/KindredSilo:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
ApiUrl	String	(empty)	Silo server URL
SslVerify	Bool	true	Verify SSL certificates
CaCertPath	String	(empty)	Path to custom CA certificate
ApiToken	String	(empty)	Stored authentication token
FirstStartChecked	Bool	false	Whether first-start prompt has been shown
ProjectsDir	String	~/projects	Local directory for checked-out files

Environment variables

Variable	Default	Description
SILO_API_URL	http://localhost:8080/api	Override for server API endpoint
SILO_PROJECTS_DIR	~/projects	Override for local projects directory

Server

The Silo server is documented in detail in the Silo Server section:

• Configuration — YAML config, database, MinIO, auth settings
• Deployment — Docker Compose, systemd, production setup
• Specification — Full API specification with 38+ routes
• Authentication — LDAP, OIDC, and local auth backends

Directory structure

mods/silo/
├── cmd/
│   ├── silo/                  # CLI tool
│   └── silod/                 # API server
├── internal/
│   ├── api/                   # HTTP handlers, routes, templates
│   ├── config/                # Configuration loading
│   ├── db/                    # PostgreSQL access
│   ├── migration/             # Property migration utilities
│   ├── partnum/               # Part number generation
│   ├── schema/                # YAML schema parsing
│   └── storage/               # MinIO file storage
├── freecad/
│   ├── InitGui.py             # SiloWorkbench registration
│   ├── schema_form.py         # Schema-driven item creation dialog (SchemaFormDialog)
│   ├── silo_commands.py       # 14 commands + dock widgets
│   ├── silo_origin.py         # FileOrigin backend
│   ├── silo_start.py          # Native start panel (database items, activity feed)
│   └── resources/icons/       # 10 silo-*.svg icons
├── silo-client/               # Shared Python API client (nested submodule)
│   └── silo_client/
│       ├── client.py          # SiloClient HTTP wrapper
│       └── settings.py        # SiloSettings config management
├── migrations/                # 10 numbered SQL scripts
├── schemas/                   # Part numbering YAML schemas
└── deployments/               # Docker Compose + systemd configs

Further reading

• mods/silo/README.md — server quickstart and CLI usage
• mods/silo/ROADMAP.md — strategic roadmap (6 phases, Q2 2026 → Q4 2027)