The full upstream README, mirrored here for reference. Install config, tool schemas, adoption signals, and an original overview live on the Adobe MCP listing page.
Drives After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro (and Character Animator puppet authoring) from Claude, plus Blender and Substance 3D Painter for 3D look-dev and cinematic animation. See ROADMAP.md for the full tool matrix and what is next.
Bridge: MCP client → this server → AppleScript DoScript → AE → temp result file → back.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
run_extendscript | Run arbitrary JSX; return <value> comes back as JSON. Auto undo-grouped. |
get_project_state | Project item tree, or one comp's layers in detail (comp_name). |
save_frame | Render a comp frame to PNG, returned inline so Claude can see its work. |
list_ae_scripts | List .jsx/.jsxbin tools in scripts/ with descriptions from header comments. |
run_ae_script | Execute a library script, like File → Scripts → Run Script File. |
Two Python bridges extend the server beyond ExtendScript so one agent can take a shot from blocking to final composite:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
blender_run_python | Run bpy code (result = ... returns JSON). mode: live (running Blender), background (headless, optional blend_file / save_as), auto. |
blender_get_state | Scene summary: frame range, fps, engine, motion blur, camera lens/DoF, passes, every object. |
blender_render_frame | Render a low-sample preview frame through the scene camera, returned inline. |
blender_render_animation | Render the frame range with the scene's output settings and register the output as an asset. |
substance_run_python | Run Python in Substance 3D Painter (substance_painter.*). |
substance_get_state | Texture sets, resolutions, stacks, channels, root layers. |
substance_bake_mesh_maps | Start the async mesh-map bake (curvature/AO feed smart materials). |
substance_export_textures | Export PBR maps with a preset (default PBR Metallic Roughness); registers each map. |
vfx_plan_creature_shot | Turns a brief ("a photo-real dinosaur walking past the camera while turning its neck") into physically derived timing plus the ordered tool calls for every stage. |
Free CC0 texture & HDRI libraries (Poly Haven, ambientCG): everything both publish is public domain, so it's free for commercial work with no attribution.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
texture_search | Search both libraries for PBR materials (type=texture) or HDRIs (type=hdri); returns ids, tags, thumbnails. |
texture_download | Download one asset at 1k–8k into <workspace>/textures (cached), maps renamed <id>_BaseColor/_Roughness/_Normal/_Height/_Metallic/_ARM/_AO. |
blender_apply_texture | Build a Principled material from a library asset or a local map folder (e.g. a Substance export) and assign it: correct colour spaces, OpenGL normals, true displacement, ARM unpacking, real-world tile_m scale, tri-planar projection for meshes without UVs. |
blender_set_hdri | Light the scene with a library HDRI (strength, rotation) to match the plate. |
The downloaded folder also works as texture_dir for Creature_Walk_Cinematic.py. Set
POLYHAVEN_API / AMBIENTCG_API to point at a mirror if you need to.
Library scripts (run with run_script, parameters via params):
scripts/blender/Creature_Walk_Cinematic.py: a heavy-biped walk timed from physics. Speed comes
from the Froude number, stride from Alexander (1976), and feet stay planted with zero slide. The
neck and tail lag 3 frames per joint, the head is gaze-stabilised and turns toward the lens, and
the chest breathes. The camera is a handheld rig with operator lag and footfall impact shake. The
render setup is Cycles with a 180° shutter, a shadow catcher, and beauty/shadow/mist PNG sequences
plus a multilayer EXR. Tested headless against Blender 5.0.1 (bpy); it also handles the 4.x APIs.scripts/substance/Creature_Skin_LookDev.py: optional bake, then a matte "aged scales" base,
a cavity-masked wetness layer, and glossy eye/mouth sets, all in one undo step. Optional export.scripts/ae/Cinematic_3D_Composite.jsx: imports the passes, multiplies the shadow, adds a
precomped edge light wrap, depth haze from mist, an optional depth lens blur, CG softening, and
grain on the CG only.Setup:
bridges/blender/adobe_mcp_bridge.py, then enable it (listens on 127.0.0.1:9877; override with
BLENDER_MCP_PORT). Background mode needs no add-on; it finds /Applications/Blender*.app
or blender on PATH (override with BLENDER_PATH).open -a "Adobe Substance 3D Painter" --args --enable-remote-scripting (port override:
SUBSTANCE_PAINTER_PORT).The server ships with a curated knowledge base (knowledge/lessons.jsonl) seeded from real
production sessions — matchName gotchas, API quirks, parameter-type traps, and techniques
(blueprint line extraction, seamless wind loops, QE transitions, Auto Reframe...).
Three mechanisms keep it useful and growing:
*_run_extendscript call is matched against the
lesson keywords; hits are appended to the error message the client sees (e.g. hit
Illegal Parameter type in Premiere and the fix for autoReframeSequence's string preset
arrives with the error). Failures are also logged to $WORKSPACE/error-log.jsonl as raw
material for new lessons.knowledge_search / knowledge_add tools — agents consult lessons before attempting
unusual scripting, and record new gotchas when they solve one that wasn't auto-suggested.
Runtime lessons persist to $WORKSPACE/learned.jsonl (survives repo updates, per-install).The scripts/ per-app libraries are the executable side of the same idea — distilled,
reusable skills (list_scripts / run_script): blueprint line extraction (PS), seamless
wind loops and kinetic typography rigs (AE), one-call vertical Auto Reframe (Premiere).
adobe-mcp-x.y.z.mcpb from Releases and double-click it (or drag it onto Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions). Claude Desktop bundles its own Node runtime — nothing else to install.Upgrading? Remove the old version first (Settings → Extensions → Adobe Creative Cloud → Uninstall), then install the new .mcpb — in-place installs over an existing version can leave stale files behind while reporting the new version number.
Requires Node 18+ installed system-wide (nodejs.org installer or brew install node — note GUI apps often cannot see nvm-managed installs). No clone, no npm install: every client config below just runs
Premiere Pro only: the ppro_* tools need the bundled CEP panel installed once — copy cep/mcp-bridge to ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/ and enable PlayerDebugMode (see Notes), then open Window → Extensions → MCP Bridge inside Premiere.
This is a standard stdio MCP server — any MCP-capable client can drive it (Claude Code,
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code Copilot agent mode, Zed, Cline, Goose, ...).
Everything below is the same one-liner expressed in each client's config format:
run npx -y @ajsmonty/adobe-mcp over stdio (or node .../server.mjs for a source checkout).
--scope user = available in all projects; use --scope project from inside a repo to share via .mcp.json with your team. Verify: claude mcp list.
Settings → Developer → Edit Config, add to claude_desktop_config.json:
Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
Settings → MCP → Add server, or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) / .cursor/mcp.json (per-project):
Enable it under Settings → MCP, then use Agent mode (composer) — tool calls appear with approval prompts.
.vscode/mcp.json in the workspace (or user mcp.json via the "MCP: Add Server" command):
~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json — same mcpServers shape as Claude Desktop/Cursor above.
If the client supports MCP over stdio, point it at npx -y @ajsmonty/adobe-mcp and you are done.
ae_save_frame, ps_save_preview, ai_save_preview,
ppro_save_frame) return MCP image content. Claude clients and Cursor render these inline;
clients without image rendering still get the metadata text, and the model can fall back to
exporting a file and reading it from disk.instructions field; most clients pass them to the model, but if yours does not, the same
rules are baked into the tool descriptions and knowledge_search.Drop .jsx / .jsxbin files into scripts/ — they're immediately available via list_ae_scripts / run_ae_script.
run_extendscript..jsx panels with a separable core function can often be driven headlessly by evaluating the source with the UI kickoff stripped.⚠️
scripts/may contain third-party/purchased tools. Keep this repo private unless you've cleared redistribution rights, or addscripts/to.gitignore.
/Applications (newest "Adobe After Effects *"). Override with env var AE_APP_NAME, e.g. "env": {"AE_APP_NAME": "Adobe After Effects 2025"} in the Desktop config or --env AE_APP_NAME=... in claude mcp add.save_frame needs AE 2022+.let/const, JSON, Array.map.project.items, comp.layers, property groups) are 1-indexed."ADBE Glo2-0002"), not display name — display names collide..property() miss throws a native error whose own stringification throws — wrap e.toString() in its own try/catch or your error handler dies too.ADBE Anchor Point).setTemporalEaseAtKey, regardless of dimensions.ADBE Grid-0002 = 3) before animating the anchor, or your "scroll" resizes cells instead.With AE open, ask Claude: "Use get_project_state to show me what's in my AE project, then create a 1920x1080 comp called 'Test' with a headline text layer and show me a frame."
PRs welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md. All merges to main and dev require
maintainer approval (branch protection + CODEOWNERS). Lessons for the knowledge base are the
easiest high-value contribution. Read SECURITY.md before installing: this
server executes scripts in your Adobe apps by design.