T-IA Copilot : GenAI Bridge for Siemens PLCs

Submission for the GenAI Zürich Hackathon 2026 — Siemens Challenge

Tagline: Bridging LLMs and Siemens TIA Portal safely. Generates deterministic PLC logic (SCL/ISA-88) from natural language using Sovereign GenAI models.

🚀 Get started in 5 minutes! Download the core engine at t-ia-connect.com and enjoy a 14-day full-featured free trial.

About This Repository

This repository contains the Generative AI bridging components built specifically during the hackathon.

Note: The core proprietary engine (the deterministic SimaticML XML builder and the TIA Portal Openness API connector) remains private. This open-source repository demonstrates how we successfully connected Sovereign LLMs to our deterministic industrial backend.

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MCP Integration (Claude Desktop & Cursor)

You can easily connect T-IA Connect to your favorite AI Assistant using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Add the following configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tia-connect": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\T-IA Connect\\TiaPortalApi.App.exe",
      "args": ["--mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Key MCP Tools Available

Once connected, the AI gains access to 120+ TIA Portal capabilities, including:

• get_project_overview: Understand the entire PLC program structure instantly.
• list_blocks / get_block_details: Explore specific folders, OBs, FBs, and FCs.
• create_scl_block / import_scl_source: Inject AI-generated logic directly into your project.
• compile_device: Trigger TIA compilation directly from the chat.
• plcsim_start_simulation / plcsim_write_tag: Automate testing using PLCSim Advanced.

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Quick Start — Headless API Blueprint

Prerequisites

• T-IA Connect installed (t-ia-connect.com)
• Siemens TIA Portal V17, V18, V19, V20 or V21
• A TIA Portal project file (.ap17 / .ap18 / .ap19 / .ap20)

1. Launch in Headless Mode

# No GUI, no WPF window — just a REST API ready to receive commands
TiaPortalApi.App.exe --headless

# Output:
#   T-IA Connect — Headless Mode
#   API: http://localhost:9000/
#   Swagger: http://localhost:9000/swagger
#   Press Ctrl+C to stop.

2. Open a TIA Portal Project (silently)

curl -X POST http://localhost:9000/api/projects/open `
  -H "X-API-Key: your-key" `
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" `
  -d '{ "projectPath": "C:\\Projects\\WaterPlant.ap20" }'

3. Generate a PLC Block from Natural Language

curl -X POST http://localhost:9000/api/blocks/generate `
  -H "X-API-Key: your-key" `
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" `
  -d '{
    "deviceName": "PLC_1",
    "blockType": "FB",
    "blockName": "FB_WaterPump",
    "description": "Water pump with Start/Stop, thermal fault (TON 5s), Manual/Auto mode",
    "language": "SCL"
  }'

4. Compile — Done

curl -X POST http://localhost:9000/api/blocks/compile `
  -H "X-API-Key: your-key" `
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" `
  -d '{ "deviceName": "PLC_1", "blockName": "FB_WaterPump" }'

No TIA Portal window ever opened. The block is compiled and ready.

Full Automated Script

See examples/Run-Headless-Demo.ps1 for a complete end-to-end script.

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Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐     ┌───────────────┐
│   AI Agent      │     │  T-IA Connect    │     │  TIA Portal   │
│  (Claude, etc.) │────▶│  REST API        │────▶│  Openness API │
│                 │ MCP │  + Deterministic │     │  (headless)   │
│  "Create a pump │ or  │    XML Engine    │     │               │
│   sequence..."  │ HTTP│                  │     │  ┌─────────┐  │
└─────────────────┘     └──────────────────┘     │  │ FB_Pump │  │        
                                                 │  │ compiled│  │    
                                                 │  └─────────┘  │
                                                 └───────────────┘

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Key Hackathon Components

1. Sovereign AI Integration (src/OpenAiProvider.cs)

• Custom C# provider connecting to European-hosted AI models (OVHcloud AI Endpoints)
• Ensures sensitive PLC logic never leaves the EU
• Tested with Qwen3-Coder-30B-Instruct for precise SCL generation

2. MCP Bridge E2E Tests (tests/)

• Demonstrates headless WPF boot → TIA Portal silent open → MCP tools/call execution
• Full lifecycle orchestration without any user interaction

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How It Works (The T-IA Copilot Workflow)

Step	What happens	Who does it
1. Prompt	"Generate a pump sequence with a thermal fault"	Engineer or AI Agent
2. AI Reasoning	LLM designs the state machine logic (SCL/JSON)	Sovereign LLM (Qwen)
3. Deterministic Compile	C# engine builds strict SimaticML XML (no AI hallucination)	T-IA Connect
4. Deploy	Block imported + compiled headlessly in TIA Portal	Openness API

Result: Chat prompt → Compiled PLC block in under 30 seconds.

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Skills, Prompts, and Resources

To maximize your efficiency with T-IA Connect, we have included the following:

• Skills (MCP Tools): 120+ specialized tools to interact with TIA Portal (Blocks, Tags, HMI, PLC Simulation, etc.).
• Prompts: A guide to the best natural language prompts to generate industrial-grade PLC code.
• Resources: T-IA Connect provides read-only access to your project structure via specialized resources, allowing the AI to "browse" your project tree without manual intervention.

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Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Backend	C# / .NET Framework 4.8
Target	Siemens TIA Portal V17-V21 (Openness API)
AI Models	Qwen3-Coder-30B via OVHcloud AI Endpoints
Protocol	MCP (Model Context Protocol) by Anthropic
API	REST + SignalR (real-time job notifications)
Tools	126 MCP tools for full TIA Portal orchestration

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Links

• Website: t-ia-connect.com
• DevPost: T-IA Copilot on DevPost
• Hackathon: GenAI Zürich 2026