feat(automation): local TCP socket transport for --serve

OpenCADStudio --serve --port <N> listens on 127.0.0.1:<N> and serves the
same line-based JSON protocol over the socket (one client at a time; the
document session persists across reconnects), as an alternative to
stdin/stdout. ocs.py grows a port= option to connect either way.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/automation/README.md

@@ -4,12 +4,14 @@ Open CAD Studio can run without a GUI and be driven over a line-based JSON
 protocol — for scripts, batch jobs, or AI agents.
 
 ```sh
-OpenCADStudio --serve
+OpenCADStudio --serve              # stdin/stdout transport
+OpenCADStudio --serve --port 4242  # listen on 127.0.0.1:4242 instead
 ```
 
-It reads one JSON request per line on **stdin** and writes one JSON response per
+It reads one JSON request per line and writes one JSON response per line — over
-line on **stdout**. The active document persists across requests, so a caller
+**stdin/stdout**, or over a **local TCP socket** with `--port`. The active
-can act → observe → act.
+document persists across requests (and, on the socket, across reconnects), so a
+caller can act → observe → act.
 
 ## Protocol
 

docs/automation/ocs.py

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Each call returns the parsed response dict and raises `OcsError` on `ok: false`.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import json
+import socket
 import subprocess
 from typing import Any, Optional
 
@@ -28,26 +29,45 @@ class OcsError(RuntimeError):
 
 
 class Ocs:
-    def __init__(self, binary: str = "OpenCADStudio") -> None:
+    """Connect by spawning the server (default) or over a TCP socket.
-        self.proc = subprocess.Popen(
+
-            [binary, "--serve"],
+    - `Ocs()` spawns `OpenCADStudio --serve` and talks over stdin/stdout.
-            stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+    - `Ocs(port=4242)` connects to a server started with `--serve --port 4242`.
-            stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+    """
-            text=True,
+
-            bufsize=1,
+    def __init__(
-        )
+        self,
+        binary: str = "OpenCADStudio",
+        port: Optional[int] = None,
+        host: str = "127.0.0.1",
+    ) -> None:
+        self.proc: Optional[subprocess.Popen] = None
+        self.sock: Optional[socket.socket] = None
+        if port is not None:
+            self.sock = socket.create_connection((host, port))
+            io = self.sock.makefile("rw")
+            self._r, self._w = io, io
+        else:
+            self.proc = subprocess.Popen(
+                [binary, "--serve"],
+                stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+                stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                text=True,
+                bufsize=1,
+            )
+            self._r, self._w = self.proc.stdout, self.proc.stdin
         self._read()  # the {"ready": true} greeting
 
     # ── protocol ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     def _read(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
-        line = self.proc.stdout.readline()
+        line = self._r.readline()
         if not line:
             raise OcsError("server closed the connection")
         return json.loads(line)
 
     def _send(self, **req: Any) -> dict[str, Any]:
-        self.proc.stdin.write(json.dumps(req) + "\n")
+        self._w.write(json.dumps(req) + "\n")
-        self.proc.stdin.flush()
+        self._w.flush()
         resp = self._read()
         if not resp.get("ok", False):
             raise OcsError(resp.get("error", "unknown error"))
@@ -114,12 +134,17 @@ class Ocs:
 
     # ── lifecycle ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     def close(self) -> None:
-        if self.proc.stdin:
-            self.proc.stdin.close()
         try:
-            self.proc.wait(timeout=5)
+            self._w.close()
-        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+        except Exception:
-            self.proc.kill()
+            pass
+        if self.proc is not None:
+            try:
+                self.proc.wait(timeout=5)
+            except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+                self.proc.kill()
+        if self.sock is not None:
+            self.sock.close()
 
     def __enter__(self) -> "Ocs":
         return self

src/app/automation.rs

@@ -21,17 +21,40 @@ use serde_json::{json, Value};
 
 use super::OpenCADStudio;
 
-/// Run the headless JSON server until stdin closes.
+/// Run the headless JSON server. Default transport is stdin/stdout; with
+/// `--port <N>` it instead listens on `127.0.0.1:<N>` and serves one client at
+/// a time (the document session persists across reconnects).
 pub fn serve() {
     let mut app = OpenCADStudio::new();
+    match port_arg() {
+        Some(port) => serve_socket(&mut app, port),
+        None => serve_stdio(&mut app),
+    }
+}
+
+/// `--port <N>` if present on the command line.
+fn port_arg() -> Option<u16> {
+    let mut args = std::env::args();
+    while let Some(a) = args.next() {
+        if a == "--port" {
+            return args.next().and_then(|s| s.parse().ok());
+        }
+    }
+    None
+}
+
+fn ready() -> Value {
+    json!({ "ok": true, "ready": true, "version": env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION") })
+}
+
+fn serve_stdio(app: &mut OpenCADStudio) {
     let stdin = std::io::stdin();
     let stdout = std::io::stdout();
-
+    {
-    emit(
+        let mut o = stdout.lock();
-        &stdout,
+        let _ = writeln!(o, "{}", ready());
-        json!({"ok": true, "ready": true, "version": env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION")}),
+        let _ = o.flush();
-    );
+    }
-
     for line in stdin.lock().lines() {
         let Ok(line) = line else { break };
         let line = line.trim();
@@ -39,14 +62,42 @@ pub fn serve() {
             continue;
         }
         let resp = app.automation_op(line);
-        emit(&stdout, resp);
+        let mut o = stdout.lock();
+        let _ = writeln!(o, "{resp}");
+        let _ = o.flush();
     }
 }
 
-fn emit(stdout: &std::io::Stdout, value: Value) {
+fn serve_socket(app: &mut OpenCADStudio, port: u16) {
-    let mut o = stdout.lock();
+    let listener = match std::net::TcpListener::bind(("127.0.0.1", port)) {
-    let _ = writeln!(o, "{value}");
+        Ok(l) => l,
-    let _ = o.flush();
+        Err(e) => {
+            eprintln!("--serve: cannot bind 127.0.0.1:{port}: {e}");
+            return;
+        }
+    };
+    eprintln!("OpenCADStudio --serve listening on 127.0.0.1:{port}");
+    for stream in listener.incoming().flatten() {
+        let Ok(read_half) = stream.try_clone() else {
+            continue;
+        };
+        let reader = std::io::BufReader::new(read_half);
+        let mut writer = stream;
+        let _ = writeln!(writer, "{}", ready());
+        let _ = writer.flush();
+        for line in reader.lines() {
+            let Ok(line) = line else { break };
+            let line = line.trim();
+            if line.is_empty() {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let resp = app.automation_op(line);
+            if writeln!(writer, "{resp}").is_err() {
+                break;
+            }
+            let _ = writer.flush();
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 fn err(msg: impl std::fmt::Display) -> Value {