Premiere Pro MCP

A local, authenticated Model Context Protocol server and Adobe Premiere Pro UXP panel. MCP clients communicate over stdio; the server binds an HMAC-authenticated WebSocket only to 127.0.0.1; the panel executes isolated, validated Premiere operations. No cloud service is used.

Codex / Claude / Cursor / VS Code
             | MCP stdio
       Node MCP server
             | signed WebSocket (loopback only)
       Premiere UXP panel
             | official UXP DOM
       Project / timeline / AME

Requirements

• Windows, Node.js 20+, npm 10+

• Premiere Pro 25.6+ and UXP Developer Tool 2.2+

• A project open for project/sequence tools; Adobe Media Encoder for queued exports

Related MCP server: Premiere Pro Full MCP

Install and run

1. npm install

2. Copy .env.example to .env. Generate a 32+ character random token and configure canonical media/export/backup directories. Lists use semicolons.

3. npm run build

4. Provision the same token once in the UXP Developer Tool console: require('uxp').storage.secureStorage.setItem('bridgeAuthToken', 'YOUR_TOKEN'). It is never displayed by the panel.

5. Load apps/premiere-uxp-plugin/dist/manifest.json in UXP Developer Tool, start the server with npm start, open Window > UXP Plugins > Premiere MCP, and click Connect.

Expected panel status is Connected, MCP server: Online, followed by the active project and sequence names. Run Diagnostics before invoking writes.

Codex on Windows

Install the Codex CLI according to OpenAI's current official instructions, then build this repository. Replace the example path:

codex mcp add premiere-pro --env-file "C:\absolute\path\premiere-pro-mcp\.env" -- node "C:\absolute\path\premiere-pro-mcp\apps\mcp-server\dist\index.js"
codex mcp list
codex mcp remove premiere-pro

Configuration-file alternative:

[mcp_servers.premiere-pro]
command = "node"
args = ["C:\\absolute\\path\\premiere-pro-mcp\\apps\\mcp-server\\dist\\index.js"]
env = { NODE_ENV = "production" }

Put the remaining variables in the launcher environment; do not commit the token. Ask Codex to list MCP tools and verify names beginning premiere_.

Generic Claude/Cursor/VS Code stdio configuration (consult each client's current location/schema):

{"mcpServers":{"premiere-pro":{"command":"node","args":["C:\\absolute\\path\\premiere-pro-mcp\\apps\\mcp-server\\dist\\index.js"],"env":{"BRIDGE_AUTH_TOKEN":"set-securely","ALLOWED_MEDIA_DIRECTORIES":"C:\\Media","ALLOWED_EXPORT_DIRECTORIES":"C:\\Exports","BACKUP_DIRECTORY":"C:\\Backups"}}}}

Safety model

• Level 1 reads run after validation.

• Level 2 non-destructive writes run after validation and path enforcement.

• Level 3 requires premiere_preview_operation, then a second premiere_confirm_operation call with a one-use, short-lived token. Safe mode blocks all Level 3 execution.

• Export preset enumeration and export cancellation return UNSUPPORTED_OPERATION: Premiere UXP documents neither API. AI editing features are typed but unimplemented and never report success.

Commands

npm run dev, build, start, lint, typecheck, test, test:integration, test:all, package:plugin, diagnostics, format, and clean are root workspace commands.

See API, architecture, manual testing, troubleshooting, and security.

For prompt-driven timeline changes, follow the mandatory validate → preview → explicit approval → execute workflow in AI editing. Supported plan operations cover clip insertion, movement, trimming, ripple removal, enable/disable, markers, playhead changes, and MOGRT insertion.

Known limitations

Real Premiere behavior cannot be verified without the host. Automated verification uses PREMIERE_MOCK=true. The initial UXP command set deliberately rejects handlers not yet backed by a documented call. Windows loopback ws:// is used; macOS requires TLS and is outside this build's stated scope.