Tapir
Free, open-source (MIT) Archicad add-on from ENZYME-APD that registers extra JSON/Python automation commands on top of Graphisoft's official API, with a companion Grasshopper plugin for no-code automation.
Tapir is a free, open-source (MIT license) Archicad add-on maintained by ENZYME-APD that registers additional JSON and Python automation commands on top of Graphisoft's own official Archicad API. Rather than replacing Archicad's native automation, it extends it -- giving developers and power users a richer set of commands to build custom automation workflows than what Graphisoft's official API surface alone provides.
For users who don't want to write code directly, Tapir ships with a companion Grasshopper plugin, letting non-programmers build no-code automation workflows using Grasshopper's familiar visual node-based interface -- a meaningful accessibility bridge for Archicad users who may be comfortable with Grasshopper (perhaps from parallel Rhino workflows) but don't want to write raw JSON or Python commands directly.
Version and platform support is broad and current: Tapir supports Archicad 25 through 29, with separate builds for Windows (.apx files) and macOS (.zip files) for each supported version -- meaningful given Archicad's own strong native Mac presence, since a Mac-only Archicad shop isn't left with a Windows-only automation tool.
As a fully MIT-licensed open-source project, Tapir carries zero licensing cost and no restrictions on inspecting, modifying or extending its own source code -- consistent with the broader pattern in this catalog where the strongest free/open-source AEC automation tools (pyRevit, Dynamo, EF-Tools) tend to cluster specifically around extending one BIM platform's own official API rather than being commercial products in their own right.
A related project worth noting: an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server has been built on top of Tapir by a separate developer (lgradisar/archicad-mcp), extending Tapir's JSON command surface into the same AI-agent-connectivity pattern seen elsewhere in this catalog -- letting Claude or another MCP-compatible AI client drive Archicad automation through Tapir's own extended command set, rather than Archicad's more limited official API alone.
Editor’s takeBIM•STACK editor's take: Tapir fills a role for Archicad that pyRevit and Dynamo fill for Revit -- a free, open-source automation-extension layer maintained by the community rather than the platform vendor itself, with a no-code on-ramp (Grasshopper) for non-programmers and a code-first path (JSON/Python) for developers. For Archicad-based firms without an equivalent free automation extensibility layer previously, Tapir is a genuinely valuable, zero-cost addition, and the emerging MCP layer on top of it suggests the same AI-agent-connectivity trend reshaping Revit automation is starting to reach Archicad too.
Tapir's learning curve splits cleanly along the same lines as its two automation paths. Users adopting the companion Grasshopper plugin for no-code automation face a curve comparable to learning Grasshopper itself -- approachable for anyone with prior visual-programming exposure, and genuinely accessible to non-programmers with some patience.
Users working directly with Tapir's JSON/Python commands need real comfort with scripting and Archicad's API structure specifically -- a steeper, developer-oriented curve closer to what pyRevit's custom-tool-writing path requires on the Revit side. Because Tapir extends rather than replaces Archicad's official API, developers already familiar with that official API generally find Tapir's additional commands a natural, incremental extension rather than an entirely new system to learn from scratch.
- Archicad firms wanting free automation extensibilityFills a role equivalent to pyRevit/Dynamo on the Revit side, at zero licensing cost.
- Non-programmers wanting visual, no-code Archicad automationThe companion Grasshopper plugin provides that path without writing raw code.
- Developers wanting a richer Archicad automation APIExtends Graphisoft's official API with additional JSON/Python commands.
- Firms exploring AI-agent connectivity to ArchicadThe community MCP layer built on top of Tapir offers an early path toward that capability.
- You need guaranteed vendor supportThere's no formal support contract behind this open-source community tool -- confirm your risk tolerance accordingly.
- Your primary platform is Revit, not ArchicadpyRevit or Dynamo serve the equivalent automation-extensibility role for Revit specifically.
- You need a mature, long-established automation ecosystemRevit's pyRevit/Dynamo communities are considerably larger and longer-established than Tapir's newer Archicad-focused one.
What does Tapir do?
It's a free, open-source Archicad add-on that registers extra JSON/Python automation commands on top of Graphisoft's official Archicad API.
Is Tapir free?
Yes -- it's fully free and open source under the MIT license.
Do I need to know how to code to use Tapir?
No for the companion Grasshopper plugin's no-code path; yes for direct use of Tapir's JSON/Python commands.
What Archicad versions does Tapir support?
Archicad 25 through 29, with separate builds for Windows (.apx) and macOS (.zip).
Who maintains Tapir?
ENZYME-APD, an open-source community organization, maintains the project on GitHub.
