Installation
Installation Overview
Set up PLC Assist with your IDE
PLC Assist connects to your IDE through a small local bridge. Choose your platform below to get started.
Choose your platform
CODESYS
Runs inside CODESYS V3.5 SP21 or later
Beckhoff TwinCAT
Standalone app for TwinCAT XAE 3.1 or later
Supported platforms
| Platform | Status | Bridge type |
|---|---|---|
| CODESYS V3 (V3.5 SP21+) | Fully supported | Runs inside CODESYS |
| Beckhoff TwinCAT 3.1+ | Fully supported | Standalone Windows app |
How the bridge works
The bridge is a lightweight local process that connects your IDE to PLC Assist's cloud agent. It:
- Reads your project structure (function blocks, global variables, data types, libraries)
- Applies AI-generated changes back to your project
- Builds the project when asked and reports the IDE's own diagnostics
- Talks to PLC Assist over a secure cloud relay — no inbound ports, no firewall changes
For each AI request, only the snippets needed to answer it (typically the function block being edited and any direct references) are sent to the AI provider. PLC Assist's own servers don't store your code beyond the chat history that you can view yourself.
The bridge installs nothing into CODESYS or TwinCAT permanently — closing the IDE removes it from memory, and deleting the bridge file removes it from disk.