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illustrator mcp server

日本語版はこちら / Japanese version

Illustrator MCP Server

npm License: MIT Platform Illustrator MCP

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for reading, manipulating, and exporting Adobe Illustrator design data.

Control Illustrator directly from AI assistants like Claude — extract design information for web implementation, verify print-ready data, and export assets.


Usage Examples

Extracting design data:

You:    Show me all the text information in this document
Claude:  → list_text_frames → get_text_frame_detail
         There are 12 text frames in the document.
         The heading "My Design" uses Noto Sans JP Bold 48px, color #333333 ...

SVG export:

You:    Export the "pc" artboard as SVG with outlined text
Claude:  → get_artboards → export
         Exported to /path/to/output.svg (text converted to outlines)

Pre-press preflight:

You:    Run a pre-press preflight check
Claude:  → preflight_check
         ⚠ 2 warnings:
         - Low resolution image: image_01.jpg (150dpi) — 300dpi or higher recommended
         - Non-outlined fonts: 3 text frames

Object manipulation:

You:    Create a red rectangle and place it in the top-left corner
Claude:  → create_rectangle
         Created a 200×100 red rectangle at (0, 0) (uuid: abc-123...)

Features

  • 26 tools — 15 read / 8 modify / 2 export / 1 utility

  • Web coordinate system — Y-axis down, artboard-relative (same as CSS/SVG)

  • UUID tracking — Stable object identification across tool calls


Prerequisites

  • macOS (osascript)

  • Adobe Illustrator CC 2024+

On first run, allow automation access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation.


Setup

Claude Code

claude mcp add illustrator-mcp -- npx illustrator-mcp-server

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "illustrator": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["illustrator-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

From source

git clone https://github.com/ie3jp/illustrator-mcp-server.git
cd illustrator-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
claude mcp add illustrator-mcp -- node /path/to/illustrator-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Verify

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx illustrator-mcp-server

Tool Reference

Read Tools (15)

Tool

Description

get_document_info

Document metadata (dimensions, color mode, profile, etc.)

get_artboards

Artboard information (position, size, orientation)

get_layers

Layer structure as a tree

get_document_structure

Full tree: layers → groups → objects in one call

list_text_frames

List of text frames (font, size, style name)

get_text_frame_detail

All attributes of a specific text frame (kerning, paragraph settings, etc.)

get_colors

Color information in use (swatches, gradients, spot colors, etc.)

get_path_items

Path/shape data (fill, stroke, anchor points)

get_groups

Groups, clipping masks, and compound path structure

get_effects

Effects and appearance info (opacity, blend mode)

get_images

Embedded/linked image info (resolution, broken link detection)

get_symbols

Symbol definitions and instances

get_guidelines

Guide information

get_selection

Details of currently selected objects

find_objects

Search by criteria (name, type, color, font, etc.)

Modify Tools (8)

Tool

Description

create_rectangle

Create a rectangle (supports rounded corners)

create_ellipse

Create an ellipse

create_line

Create a line

create_text_frame

Create a text frame (point or area type)

create_path

Create a custom path (with Bezier handles)

modify_object

Modify properties of an existing object

convert_to_outlines

Convert text to outlines

apply_color_profile

Apply a color profile

Export Tools (2)

Tool

Description

export

SVG / PNG / JPG export (by artboard, selection, or UUID)

export_pdf

Print-ready PDF export (crop marks, bleed, downsampling)

Utility (1)

Tool

Description

preflight_check

Pre-press check (RGB mixing, broken links, low resolution, white overprint, etc.)


Architecture

flowchart LR
    Claude <-->|MCP Protocol| Server["MCP Server\n(TypeScript/Node.js)"]
    Server <-->|execFile| osascript
    osascript <-->|do javascript| AI["Adobe Illustrator\n(ExtendScript/JSX)"]

    Server -.->|write| PF["params-{uuid}.json"]
    PF -.->|read| AI
    AI -.->|write| RF["result-{uuid}.json"]
    RF -.->|read| Server
    Server -.->|generate| JSX["script-{uuid}.jsx\n(BOM UTF-8)"]
    Server -.->|generate| AS["run-{uuid}.scpt"]

Coordinate System

All tools accept a coordinate_system parameter.

Value

Origin

Y-axis

Use case

artboard-web (default)

Artboard top-left

Positive downward

Web / CSS implementation

document

Pasteboard

Positive upward (Illustrator native)

Print / DTP


Testing

# Unit tests
npm test

# E2E smoke test (requires Illustrator running with a file open)
npx tsx test/e2e/smoke-test.ts

The E2E test suite runs all 30 cases automatically (16 read + 4 export + 2 utility + 8 modify).


Known Limitations

Limitation

Details

macOS only

Depends on osascript. Windows support may be considered in the future

Live effects

ExtendScript DOM limitations prevent reading parameters for drop shadows, etc.

Color profile conversion

Only profile assignment is supported; full ICC conversion is not available

Bleed settings

Not accessible via the ExtendScript API (undocumented)

WebP export

Not supported — ExportType does not include WebP in ExtendScript

Japanese crop marks

PageMarksTypes.Japanese may not be applied correctly in PDF export


Project Structure

illustrator-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts              # Entry point
│   ├── server.ts             # MCP server
│   ├── executor/
│   │   ├── jsx-runner.ts     # osascript execution + concurrency control
│   │   └── file-transport.ts # Temp file management
│   ├── tools/
│   │   ├── registry.ts       # Tool registration
│   │   ├── read/             # 15 read tools
│   │   ├── modify/           # 8 modify tools
│   │   ├── export/           # 2 export tools
│   │   └── utility/          # 1 utility tool
│   └── jsx/
│       └── helpers/
│           └── common.jsx    # ExtendScript common helpers
├── test/
│   └── e2e/
│       └── smoke-test.ts     # E2E smoke test
└── docs/                     # Design documents

License

MIT

-
security - not tested
A
license - permissive license
-
quality - not tested

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