What can you do with this server?

Summary: You can use Claude to inspect, edit, animate, render, and deliver projects in a running Adobe After Effects instance through validated MCP operations. * Inspect project, comp, layer, and AE version/context information, including batch layer/comp audits. * Render frames to PNG, multiple frames per call, contact sheets, and numeric image analysis for visual verification. * Execute 262 atomic operations across 31 categories, each wrapped in one undo group. * Animate with keyframe/easing tools, motion presets, kinetic text, PSD-to-animation pipelines, scene transitions, and speed ramps. * Build templates, lower thirds, title cards, logo reveals, and data-driven comps. * Manage expressions, layers, shapes, masks, effects, text, fonts, markers, footage, render queue, and Essential Graphics. * Export deliverables with presets, background renders, ffmpeg variants, and Premiere Pro round trips. * Save projects and export/import whole-project JSON, including dry-run validation. * Manage brand kits, logo libraries, project checkpoints, unused-footage review, and safe clean-up. * Read a built-in knowledge base on workflow, easing, typography, installed plugins/presets/MOGRTs, and client rules. * Use safety controls such as read-only mode, category scoping, dialog detection, and disabled arbitrary ExtendScript by default.

How do I use mcp-after-effects?

1. Click on "Deploy Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-after-effects animate this headline with a per-letter pop and eased keyframes" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

mcp-after-effects

by Miinwan

Overview Schema Source Related Servers Discussions Admin

TypeScript

Local

mcp-after-effects is a Model Context Protocol server that connects Claude (Desktop or Code) to a running Adobe After Effects. Instead of a thin wrapper around ExtendScript, it ships the motion designer's toolbox as ready-made operations: eased keyframe presets, per-letter kinetic text, a PSD-to-animation pipeline, scene transitions, speed ramps, a Premiere Pro round trip, delivery presets, post-delivery clean-up and a knowledge base Claude reads before it plans. Every edit is one undo step, and nothing leaves your machine except what your MCP client sends to the model.

Related MCP server: ae-mcp

Features

Area	What you get
Keyframe master	Write a whole keyframe list with easing in one call (`keyframe.apply`), set bezier influence and speed, shift, copy, rove. Match a source curve (spring, back, expo, bounce, cubic-bezier or sampled values) with keys fitted on whole frames (`keyframe.fit_curve`) and measure what AE plays against it (`keyframe.verify_curve`, 2 % / 1 frame). `anim.review` finds robotic motion (linear keys, no motion blur, no stagger) and `anim.polish` fixes it in place. `anim.adjust` retimes existing animation from feedback like "slower in" or "0.2 s later".
Motion presets	30+ entrances and exits that keep the layer's final values (fade, rise, slide, pop, whip, flip, swing, zoom blur…), expression loops on top (float, sway, pulse, hop, flutter, twinkle) with sliders you can tune by hand, and templates for lower thirds, title cards and logo reveals.
Kinetic text	Per-character, per-word or per-line text animators: typewriter, char pop, rise, drop, blur, wave, scale wave, jitter, tracking in. `anim.shine` sweeps light across text or across titles that are images.
PSD → animation	`psd.import` brings a layered PSD in as a ready-to-animate comp; `psd.plan` gives every layer a role (background, logo, headline, info, CTA, hero, decor) from its name or geometry; `psd.auto_animate` applies the plan as one undo step; `psd.animate_scenes` builds a whole multi-scene reel with a different look per scene.
Scene transitions	`anim.scene_transition`: push, slide up, whip pan with motion blur, 3D card flip, dream dissolve, zoom blur, timed on the cut.
Speed ramp	`anim.speed_ramp` with Time Remap: slow-mo on the hit, fast-slow, slow-fast, ramp in-out, stutter, or your own segments, always eased.
Premiere bridge	`bridge.from_premiere` rebuilds a clip sent from a Premiere MCP as a frame-accurate comp with handles; `bridge.to_premiere` renders it back as ProRes 4444 with alpha.
Export presets	`render.export` renders one ProRes master, then makes YouTube 4K/1080, Reels/TikTok 9:16, Feed 4:5, square, LED wall, watermarked review and PNG-alpha deliverables with ffmpeg, loudness-normalised and versioned (`V1`, `V2`…). Background renders through `aerender` keep After Effects usable.
Project clean-up	`project.review_unused` reports footage and files no delivered comp uses (recursively, proxies included); `project.clean_unused` removes them after you confirm, with a checkpoint first and Finder's Trash instead of permanent deletion.
Brand kits	Colours, fonts and logo per client (`brand.save`, `brand.apply`), a logo library finder that judges transparency and tone from the pixels, and colour extraction from finished artwork.
Knowledge base	`ae_guide` serves Markdown notes on workflow rules, easing and timing, kinetic typography, glow, grading, ExtendScript pitfalls, render order, export specs and the plug-ins, presets and MOGRTs actually installed on the machine. Add a note by dropping a file in the folder; nothing to rebuild.
Full After Effects surface	262 operations across 31 categories: comps, layers, shapes, masks, effects, expressions, text, fonts, markers, footage, render queue, Essential Graphics, preferences, instances.

How it works

flowchart LR
    U([You]) -- chat --> C[Claude Desktop / Claude Code]
    C -- MCP stdio --> S[mcp-after-effects<br/>Node.js server]
    S --- K[(Knowledge base<br/>Markdown notes)]
    S --- R[Operation registry<br/>262 ops, schemas, policy]
    S -- file IPC<br/>request / response JSON --> D[dispatcher.jsx<br/>inside After Effects]
    D -- ExtendScript<br/>one undo group per call --> AE[[Adobe After Effects]]
    S -. ffmpeg / aerender .-> O[(Deliverables)]
    S -. bridge handoff .-> P[[Premiere Pro MCP]]

Claude sees a small set of tools (ae_context, ae_catalog, ae_do, ae_render_frame, ae_guide…). ae_catalog lists the operations and their parameters, ae_do runs one, and ae_render_frame lets Claude look at the result before it reports back. Arguments are validated against a schema in Node and reach ExtendScript only as serialised values, never as concatenated code.

Quick start

Requirements

macOS (the code paths for Windows exist, but day-to-day use and testing happen on macOS)
Adobe After Effects 2026 (2024 and 2025 should work)
Node.js 20 or newer
Claude Desktop or Claude Code
Optional: ffmpeg on your PATH for render.export

1. Install and build

git clone https://github.com/Miinwan/mcp-after-effects.git
cd mcp-after-effects
npm install
npm run build

2. Prepare After Effects

Settings → Scripting & Expressions → Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network: on.
macOS will ask whether your MCP client may control After Effects the first time; allow it (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation). Accessibility permission is optional and makes dialog detection exact.

3. Register the server

Claude Desktop: add this to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "after-effects": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/mcp-after-effects/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOGO_DIR": "/path/to/Client Logos"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code:

claude mcp add after-effects -- node /path/to/mcp-after-effects/dist/index.js

Open a project in After Effects, start a chat, and ask Claude to describe the active comp. If it answers with the layer list, you are connected.

Using it from chat

You describe the result; Claude reads the relevant knowledge note, inspects the project, plans, applies and renders a frame to check its own work. Some prompts that work well:

Import ~/Desktop/poster.psd at 30 fps, 10 seconds, and animate it: the logo stays still, the headline pops in letter by letter, everything else rises in with a stagger.

The title comes in too fast. Make the entrance 0.3 s slower and softer, and add a light sweep after it lands.

Put a whip transition between Scene 1 and Scene 2, and a speed ramp with slow motion on the jump in the drone shot.

Review the animation in "Main" like a senior motion designer and fix the mechanical problems.

Export "Main" for YouTube 1080 and Reels, client "Acme", title "Launch teaser".

The job is delivered. Show me what footage and files are unused, then clean up after I confirm.

Main operations

Run ae_catalog for the full list with parameters. The ones you will meet most:

Category	Operations
`anim`	`anim.apply`, `anim.loop`, `anim.apply_plan`, `anim.adjust`, `anim.review`, `anim.polish`, `anim.speed_ramp`, `anim.scene_transition`, `anim.shine`
`text`	`text.animate`, `text.set_content`, `text.set_style`, `text.measure`, `text.qa`
`psd`	`psd.import`, `psd.plan`, `psd.auto_animate`, `psd.sequence_scenes`, `psd.animate_scenes`
`template`	`template.lower_third`, `template.title_card`, `template.logo_reveal`, `template.transition`
`keyframe`	`keyframe.apply`, `keyframe.add`, `keyframe.set_easing`, `keyframe.set_batch`, `keyframe.shift`, `keyframe.copy`, `keyframe.set_spatial`, `keyframe.fit_curve`, `keyframe.verify_curve`
`expression`	`expression.set`, `expression.apply_preset`, `expression.validate`, `expression.disable_all`, `expression.restore_all`
`render`	`render.export`, `render.export_status`, `render.background`, `render.frame_diff`, `render.variants`, `render.add_to_queue`
`bridge`	`bridge.from_premiere`, `bridge.to_premiere`
`project`	`project.checkpoint`, `project.review_unused`, `project.clean_unused`, `project.merge`, `project.open`, `project.import_file`
`brand`	`brand.save`, `brand.apply`, `brand.find_logo`, `brand.scan_logos`, `brand.colors_from_file`
`data`	`data.to_comps` (one comp per data row from a template)
`instance`	`instance.list`, `instance.start`, `instance.stop`, `instance.dialogs`, `instance.dismiss_dialog`

Top-level tools are listed in docs/TOOLS.md.

Safety

One undo group per call. Every ae_do call is a single step in After Effects' history, so one Cmd+Z reverts whatever Claude just did. Batches (anim.apply_plan, psd.auto_animate) are one step too.
Checkpoints. project.checkpoint saves and copies the .aep into a timestamped folder before big edits; destructive operations such as project.clean_unused take one automatically.
Dialog detection. A modal dialog freezes ExtendScript. The server detects it, quotes its text in a DIALOG_OPEN error instead of hanging, and instance.dismiss_dialog cancels it safely (nothing is saved or discarded).
Read-only mode. Set AE_MCP_READONLY=1 to inspect, audit and render frames without any write operation being available.
Scoped permissions. AE_MCP_ALLOW_CATEGORIES limits Claude to the categories you list (for example only keyframe,text).
No arbitrary code by default. Free-form ExtendScript (eval.run) is disabled unless you set AE_MCP_ENABLE_EVAL=1. Enabling it gives the model the same reach as any script on your machine.
Nothing is deleted permanently. File clean-up goes through Finder's Trash and only touches files inside the job folder.

CAUTION

Project contents Claude reads (comp and layer names, expressions, file paths) are sent to the model provider by your MCP client. For projects under NDA, check your provider's data policy first, and try new workflows on a copy of the.aep.

Configuration

Variable	Purpose
`AE_MCP_READONLY`	`1` disables every write operation.
`AE_MCP_ALLOW_CATEGORIES`	Comma-separated categories Claude may use.
`AE_MCP_ENABLE_EVAL`	`1` enables arbitrary ExtendScript (`eval.run`).
`AE_MCP_EXE`	Path to the After Effects executable when it is not in the standard location.
`AE_MCP_INSTANCE`	Default After Effects instance to address (see below).
`AE_MCP_KNOWLEDGE_DIR`	Use another folder as the knowledge base.
`AE_MCP_BRAND_DIR`	Where brand kits are stored.
`MCP_LOGO_DIR`	Client logo library (one folder per client).
`AE_MCP_AERENDER`	Path to `aerender` for background renders.

Machine-specific values can also live in config.local.json at the repo root (git-ignored). Copy config.local.example.json and set, for example, logoDir. Environment variables take precedence.

Multiple After Effects instances

After Effects can run several copies at once (-m). Instances started that way only receive scripts through a small resident agent, installed once per After Effects version:

node dist/index.js install-agent

Then every tool takes an optional instance argument, AE_MCP_INSTANCE sets the default, and instance.list shows what is live. instance.start { name, copyFrom } launches a worker on a copy of the project; project.merge brings its work back into the main project. node dist/index.js agent-status tells you when the agent needs reinstalling.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
Calls time out	After Effects running, a project open, "Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network" on, Automation permission granted.
`DIALOG_OPEN`	After Effects is showing a modal (often "files are missing", hidden behind the main window). Read the quoted text, then close it or call `instance.dismiss_dialog`. Opening projects with `project.open` suppresses the missing-files warning.
`NO_INSTANCE`	Instances started with `-m` need the agent, or several are live and none is named. The error lists the live ones.
Safe Mode "We detected a crash"	An After Effects process was killed. Dismiss the dialog on screen; prefer `instance.stop` over killing.
`render.export` fails	Install `ffmpeg` and make sure it is on the `PATH` of the app that runs the server.

Roadmap

Motion presets, kinetic text, PSD pipeline, scene transitions, speed ramp
Premiere Pro round trip, delivery presets, post-delivery clean-up
Knowledge base with installed plug-ins, presets and MOGRTs
Beat detection from music to time cuts and accents
Richer 3D (Advanced 3D renderer, camera moves from a brief)
Shape-layer icon and lottie-style loops library
Windows test pass

Development

npm run build          # compile TypeScript to dist/
npm test               # unit tests, incl. an offline After Effects mock that runs the generated JSX (e2e suites skip themselves without After Effects)
npm run check          # typecheck, lint, format, JSX ES3 lint, server.json, tool docs
npm run quet-plugin    # rescan installed plug-ins into the knowledge base

Architecture, the operation contract and how to add an operation are in CONTRIBUTING.md. Release notes are in CHANGELOG.md.

License

Adobe® and After Effects® are trademarks of Adobe Inc. This is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe.

Available Tools

12 tools

ae_catalogOperation catalogA

Read-only

Discover available atomic operations for ae_do. Without args: all categories with their operation names. With a category: detailed params per operation. Only operations this server will actually execute are listed.

Inputs: category.

ae_comp_infoComp infoA

Read-only

Detailed comp info: size, fps, duration, work area, motion blur, layer summaries. Pass a comp name or item id — or an ARRAY of them to fetch several comps in one call.

Inputs: nameOrId (required), instance.

ae_contextSession contextA

Read-only

Ambient context: project state, active comp, selected layers, item list, AE.* helpers, ES3 rules, and the undo contract (every call = one auto undo group). Call at session start; then rely on ae_do response context.

Inputs: instance.

ae_doExecute operationA

Destructive

Execute an atomic operation by name (from ae_catalog). Arguments are validated against the operation's declared parameters before anything reaches AE. Have more than one operation to run? Wrap them in ONE batch.run instead of several ae_do calls — read/verify steps (comp.info, layer.info, render.frame) can ride in the same batch. Every call is automatically wrapped in ONE undo group: a single Ctrl+Z (or project.undo) reverts the entire call, and a batch.run counts as one call. Never call app.beginUndoGroup/endUndoGroup in eval.run code — the wrapper already did. The exception is undo/redo itself (project.undo, command.execute id 16/2035): those run outside the group and cannot ride inside a batch.run. Response includes ambient context (active comp, selected layers, project state) at zero extra round trips. Example: ae_do({ operation: 'keyframe.add', args: { comp: 'Main', layer: 1, property: ['Transform','Position'], time: 2, value: [960,540] } })

Inputs: operation (required), args, instance, timeoutMs.

ae_guideKnowledge baseA

Read-only

The motion-design and studio knowledge this MCP carries: workflow rules, easing and timing, kinetic typography, PSD-to-animation recipes, the user's installed plugins / transitions / presets / MOGRTs and when to use them, client brand rules. Call with no arguments to list topics, topic to read one, query to search all of them. Read the relevant topic BEFORE planning a non-trivial animation or choosing an effect, so the plan uses what is actually installed.

Inputs: query, topic.

ae_layer_infoLayer infoA

Read-only

Full layer info: transform, effects, masks, text, shape contents, keyframes (incl. interpolation names and bezier ease speed/influence). layerIndex accepts one index, an ARRAY of indices, or 'all' — auditing a whole comp is one call. detail:'summary' drops properties still at their default value (unkeyed, no expression) — start there for audits; the full tree is often 100KB+ per comp. Set includeProperties=false to skip the property tree walk entirely.

Inputs: layerIndex (required), compNameOrId (required), detail, instance, +1 more.

ae_project_export_jsonExport project JSONA

Serialize the entire project to JSON (folders, comps, layers, keyframes, effects, shapes, markers, time remap, solids, file refs). Write to outPath or return inline.

Inputs: pretty, outPath, instance.

ae_project_import_jsonImport project JSONA

Destructive

Rebuild the project from JSON (produced by ae_project_export_json). Supports clearFirst, dryRun (validate-only), skipValidation.

Inputs: json, dryRun, inPath, instance, +2 more.

ae_project_infoProject infoA

Read-only

Project-level info: file path, dirty flag, all items with type/summary, active item. Start here.

Inputs: instance.

ae_render_frameRender frameA

Render one or more frames to PNG. Use to visually verify edits. The agent's 'eyes' — pair with mutations for a visual feedback loop. Headless and deterministic. Pass time for one frame, or times for several in ONE call (motion checks): files land at _.png and are listed in frames. contactSheet tiles every frame into one labelled PNG (_sheet.png) so a motion check is one image; analyze measures each capture (uniform edge bands = black bars / transparent margins, content bounds, coverage) so off-frame elements and letterboxing are caught numerically. In color-managed projects (workingSpace != None) the capture applies AE's own display transform via a transient OCIO Display Transform adjustment layer, and the PNG comes back viewer-accurate and sRGB-tagged. Where that layer cannot be used — read-only mode, an AE without the OCIO effect, or a failed capture calibration — the result falls back to a pure-math ACES conversion or to raw values with an explicit colorWarning; check colorPipeline / colorWarning on the response.

Inputs: outPath (required), compNameOrId (required), time, times, +7 more.

ae_save_projectSave projectB

Destructive

Save the project. Pass path for Save As.

Inputs: path, instance.

ae_version_infoVersion infoA

Read-only

AE version, build, capabilities (saveFrameToPng, app.effects, Socket). Call at session start to know what APIs are available.

Inputs: instance.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

Deploy Server

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

TDQS

A3.9/5.0

Scored 2026-10-23 10:25 across 12 tools

Disambiguation4/5

Most tools have clearly distinct purposes: info readers target specific AE objects, render/save/export/import are unambiguous, and ae_catalog/ae_do form an obvious discovery/execution pair. The only real overlap is the trio ae_project_info, ae_version_info, and ae_context, all of which claim to be 'call at session start' and return partially overlapping project state, which could cause a redundant call.

Naming Consistency3/5

The ae_ prefix is applied uniformly and names are readable, but conventions are mixed within that prefix: some are noun_style (ae_project_info, ae_comp_info, ae_layer_info), some are verb_noun (ae_render_frame, ae_save_project), and some are bare verbs or nouns (ae_do, ae_catalog, ae_guide). Predictable enough to navigate, but not a single consistent pattern.

Tool Count5/5

Twelve tools is well-scoped for a Creative-After-Effects bridge: a small set of read/render/persist tools plus ae_catalog+ae_do as a deliberate escape hatch for the long tail of operations. Nothing feels padded, and the generic dispatch tool avoids an explosion of per-operation endpoints.

Completeness4/5

The surface covers the full lifecycle — inspect (project/version/comp/layer), mutate (ae_do), verify visually (ae_render_frame with contact sheets and analysis), persist (save, export/import JSON), and learn (ae_guide, ae_context). Minor gaps exist around explicit undo/redo and error recovery entry points, but ae_do's project.undo/command.execute coverage means agents are unlikely to hit a dead end.

Maintenance

ActivityNo data

ResponsivenessSyncing

Resources

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Contents

Features

How it works

Quick start

Requirements

1. Install and build

2. Prepare After Effects

3. Register the server

Using it from chat

Main operations

Safety

Configuration

Multiple After Effects instances

Troubleshooting

Roadmap

Development

License

Available Tools

Tool Schema Changelog

TDQS

Maintenance

Resources

Related MCP Connectors

Related MCP Servers

adobe-mcp

ae-mcp

AfterEffectsMCP

after-effects