Tia Openness Roadmap

tia-openness-roadmap

Goal

Route the task to the correct implementation path and load the right skill files.

Mandatory policy

1. Honor the user's explicit implementation and scope constraints (including a request to skip MCP, Python, C#, or live operations).
2. Otherwise prefer TIA Portal MCP for interactive, single-step read/write operations when available.
3. Prefer TIA Scripting Python for scripted/multi-step automation only when the exact wrapper operation is documented.
4. Use C# TIA Portal Openness when requested or when its exact installed API is the appropriate/required surface.
5. Use MAC Module Builder for Modular Application Creator modules, lifecycle phases, .tiares, generated/custom ownership, and MAC packaging or qualification.
6. Do not invent wrapper, Openness, MAC, or Module Builder methods.
7. For multi-domain tasks, select all required skills.

Standalone analysis exclusion

For review/security/quality analysis of pasted or exported PLC code, use plc-code-analysis as a standalone skill and do not load this roadmap. That skill accepts raw SCL/ST, SIMATIC SD, and SimaticML without authorizing engineering writes or live TIA operations.

Implementation paths

MCP path

Direct tool calls — no code generation. Use when the TIA Portal MCP server is available.

Python path

Single skill owns all Python implementation:

tia-python contains its own reference file table that routes to the correct references/*.md file based on the task domain (PLC, HMI, library, project, portal).

C# path

Always starts with the common foundation skill, then domain skill(s):

MAC Module Builder path

Dedicated higher-level path for Siemens Modular Application Creator source and Module Builder workflows:

Use it for TiaEquipmentModule, MAC lifecycle/model/use-case code, .tiares, generated library wrappers, packaging, MacFunctionTest, and MacGenerationTest. If the module directly uses raw Siemens.Engineering objects, also route that part through the C# common and domain skills.

Add-In path

Standalone skill for TIA Portal Add-In development (always C#, VS Code workflow):

Routing rules

MCP vs Python vs C# vs MAC Module Builder decision rule

Apply the user's explicit implementation/scope choice before these defaults.

Choose MCP when:

• the task is a single read or targeted write (one block, one device, one compile check)
• the user wants to explore or inspect a project interactively
• no looping, no bulk changes, no code generation is needed
• the tia-portal MCP server is available (check mcp__tia-portal__* tools)

Choose Python when the exact required operation exists in the tia-python reference files.

Choose MAC Module Builder when the task's primary artifact is a Modular Application Creator module, Module Builder resource/generation input, or MAC package/test project. This path is source-first; it does not itself authorize a live generation run.

Choose C# when:

• the required operation is absent from the Python reference catalogue
• the task needs low-level object model traversal
• the task needs topology/network object manipulation
• the task needs drive-specific APIs
• the task needs advanced online/security/session/event APIs
• the task needs Teamcenter, VCI, advanced multiuser, or unsupported safety/Unified features
• the task needs SiVArc rules, definitions, layout exchange, expression resolution, or generation

Multi-skill execution order

1. project / portal
2. device selection
3. domain work
4. import/export
5. compile / compare / download / validation

Required response format

Use this exact structure:

• Use skill(s): ...
• Implementation path: MCP or Implementation path: Python or Implementation path: C# Openness or Implementation path: MAC Module Builder or Implementation path: Diagnostic probe
• Reason: ...
• Execution order: ...

Post-routing action — MANDATORY

If Diagnostic probe: read skills/tia-doctor/SKILL.md and run its probe command. Report the probe output and remediation items. Do not create or modify projects.

If MCP: read skills/tia-portal-mcp/SKILL.md. Use the MCP tools directly — no code generation.

If Python: read skills/tia-python/SKILL.md, then load the reference file(s) it points to for the task domain. Do NOT load domain skills — they are for C# only.

If MAC Module Builder: read skills/tia-mac-module-builder/SKILL.md, then load only the reference file(s) selected by its reference table. If direct raw Openness work is required, additionally follow the C# path for that domain.

If C#:

1. Read skills/tia-csharp-common/SKILL.md first — always, for every C# task.
2. Read the SKILL.md of each selected domain skill, then load only the references/*.md file(s) that skill's own reference table (or its reference_catalogue.md, where present) points to for the task.

If Add-In: read skills/addin-operations/SKILL.md. No other skills needed.

Do NOT write code based solely on the routing response — always load the skill files first.

Escalation rule

If implementation starts in Python and the required call is not documented:

• stop
• switch to the corresponding C# domain skill
• load tia-csharp-common first, then the domain skill
• keep the same task decomposition

Hard escalation triggers (always C#)

• device item slot/subslot operations
• subnet/node/IO-system/port/channel/address manipulation
• Teamcenter / ConnectSSO
• VCI / advanced multiuser
• advanced PLC online/security services
• advanced Unified internals
• drive-specific engineering
• SiVArc engineering or generation
• diagnostics / event handlers / self-description APIs