mcp-after-effects

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/index.ts:447-473 (handler)

  The handler function for the 'create-composition' tool. It writes the command 'createComposition' with parameters to a temp file for After Effects to execute and returns a confirmation message.

  async (params) => {
    try {
      // Write command to file for After Effects to pick up
      writeCommandFile("createComposition", params);
      
      return {
        content: [
          {
            type: "text",
            text: `Command to create composition "${params.name}" has been queued.\n` +
                  `Please ensure the "MCP Bridge Auto" panel is open in After Effects.\n` +
                  `Use the "get-results" tool after a few seconds to check for results.`
          }
        ]
      };
    } catch (error) {
      return {
        content: [
          {
            type: "text",
            text: `Error queuing composition creation: ${String(error)}`
          }
        ],
        isError: true
      };
    }
  }

• src/index.ts:434-446 (schema)

  Zod schema defining the input parameters for the create-composition tool, including name, dimensions, duration, frame rate, and background color.

  {
    name: z.string().describe("Name of the composition"),
    width: z.number().int().positive().describe("Width of the composition in pixels"),
    height: z.number().int().positive().describe("Height of the composition in pixels"),
    pixelAspect: z.number().positive().optional().describe("Pixel aspect ratio (default: 1.0)"),
    duration: z.number().positive().optional().describe("Duration in seconds (default: 10.0)"),
    frameRate: z.number().positive().optional().describe("Frame rate in frames per second (default: 30.0)"),
    backgroundColor: z.object({
      r: z.number().int().min(0).max(255),
      g: z.number().int().min(0).max(255),
      b: z.number().int().min(0).max(255)
    }).optional().describe("Background color of the composition (RGB values 0-255)")
  },

• src/index.ts:431-474 (registration)

  The server.tool() call that registers the 'create-composition' tool with its description, schema, and handler function.

  server.tool(
    "create-composition",
    "Create a new composition in After Effects with specified parameters",
    {
      name: z.string().describe("Name of the composition"),
      width: z.number().int().positive().describe("Width of the composition in pixels"),
      height: z.number().int().positive().describe("Height of the composition in pixels"),
      pixelAspect: z.number().positive().optional().describe("Pixel aspect ratio (default: 1.0)"),
      duration: z.number().positive().optional().describe("Duration in seconds (default: 10.0)"),
      frameRate: z.number().positive().optional().describe("Frame rate in frames per second (default: 30.0)"),
      backgroundColor: z.object({
        r: z.number().int().min(0).max(255),
        g: z.number().int().min(0).max(255),
        b: z.number().int().min(0).max(255)
      }).optional().describe("Background color of the composition (RGB values 0-255)")
    },
    async (params) => {
      try {
        // Write command to file for After Effects to pick up
        writeCommandFile("createComposition", params);
        
        return {
          content: [
            {
              type: "text",
              text: `Command to create composition "${params.name}" has been queued.\n` +
                    `Please ensure the "MCP Bridge Auto" panel is open in After Effects.\n` +
                    `Use the "get-results" tool after a few seconds to check for results.`
            }
          ]
        };
      } catch (error) {
        return {
          content: [
            {
              type: "text",
              text: `Error queuing composition creation: ${String(error)}`
            }
          ],
          isError: true
        };
      }
    }
  );

• src/index.ts:156-170 (helper)

  Supporting utility function that writes the command name and arguments to a JSON file in the system temp directory, which is monitored by the After Effects MCP bridge script.

  function writeCommandFile(command: string, args: Record<string, any> = {}): void {
    try {
      const commandFile = path.join(process.env.TEMP || process.env.TMP || '', 'ae_command.json');
      const commandData = {
        command,
        args,
        timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
        status: "pending"  // pending, running, completed, error
      };
      fs.writeFileSync(commandFile, JSON.stringify(commandData, null, 2));
      console.error(`Command "${command}" written to ${commandFile}`);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("Error writing command file:", error);
    }
  }