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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 Ko-fi

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for reading, manipulating, and exporting Adobe Illustrator design data — with 63 built-in tools.

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

illustrator mcp server MCP server


TIP

Developing and maintaining this tool takes time and resources. If it helps your workflow, your support means a lot —☕ buy me a coffee!


🚀 Quick Start

🛠️ Claude Code

Requires Node.js 20+.

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

🖥️ Claude Desktop

  1. Download illustrator-mcp-server.mcpb from GitHub Releases

  2. Open Claude Desktop → SettingsExtensions

  3. Drag and drop the .mcpb file into the Extensions panel

  4. Click the Install button

NOTE

The.mcpb extension does not auto-update. To update, download the new version and reinstall. If you prefer automatic updates, use the npx method below instead.

Requires Node.js 20+. Open the config file and add the connection settings.

1. Open the config file

From the Claude Desktop menu bar:

ClaudeSettings...Developer (in the left sidebar) → Click the Edit Config button

2. Add the settings

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

If you installed Node.js via a version manager (nvm, mise, fnm, etc.), Claude Desktop may not findnpx. In that case, use the full path:

"command": "/full/path/to/npx"

Run which npx in your terminal to find the path.

3. Save and restart

  1. Save the file and close the text editor

  2. Fully quit Claude Desktop (⌘Q / Ctrl+Q) and reopen it

CAUTION

AI can make mistakes. Do not over-rely on the output —always have a human perform the final check on submission data. The user is responsible for the results.

NOTE

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

NOTE

Modify and export tools will bring Illustrator to the foreground during execution.

Multiple Illustrator Versions

If you have multiple versions of Illustrator installed, you can tell Claude which version to use during conversation. Just say something like "Use Illustrator 2024" and the set_illustrator_version tool will target that version.

NOTE

If Illustrator is already running, the server connects to the running instance regardless of the version setting. The version is only used to launch the correct version when Illustrator is not yet running.


🎬 What You Can Do

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 ...
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
You:    Check text for inconsistencies
Claude:  → check_text_consistency
         📝 Consistency Report:
         ⚠ "Contact Us" vs "Contact us" — capitalization mismatch
         ❌ "Lorem ipsum" (2 places) — placeholder text remaining
You:    Create banner size variations from this A4 flyer
Claude:  → get_document_info → resize_for_variation
         Created 3 size variations:
         - 728×90 / 300×250 / 160×600

📖 Recipes

You:    Summarize the colors and typography in this design

Claude:  → get_colors → list_text_frames → get_text_frame_detail

         ■ Color Palette
         - Primary: #1A73E8 (CMYK: 85,50,0,0)
         - Secondary: #34A853
         - Text: #202124
         - Background: #FFFFFF

         ■ Typography
         - Headings: Noto Sans JP Bold / 32px
         - Body: Noto Sans JP Regular / 16px / line-height: 1.75
         - Captions: Noto Sans JP Medium / 12px
You:    Export all artboards as SVG with outlined text

Claude:  → get_artboards → convert_to_outlines → export (repeated)

         Exported 4 artboards:
         - /output/header.svg
         - /output/hero.svg
         - /output/feature.svg
         - /output/footer.svg
You:    Check if this document is PDF/X-1a compliant

Claude:  → preflight_check (target_pdf_profile: "x1a")

         ❌ PDF/X-1a compliance errors:
         - Transparency on 3 objects (X-1a prohibits transparency)
         - RGB colors found in 2 places (X-1a requires CMYK/spot only)

         ⚠ Warnings:
         - 5 non-outlined fonts (embedding recommended)
         - Image "photo_02.jpg" at 150dpi (300dpi recommended)
You:    Check placed image quality for print

Claude:  → get_images (include_print_info: true)

         ■ Image Quality Report:
         ✅ hero.psd — CMYK, 350dpi, scale 98%
         ⚠ icon_set.png — RGB (mismatch with CMYK document), 300dpi, scale 100%
         ❌ photo_bg.jpg — CMYK, 72dpi, scale 400% (over-enlarged)
           → Replace with a 300dpi+ image at actual size
You:    Check text contrast ratios

Claude:  → check_contrast (auto_detect: true)

         ■ WCAG Contrast Report:
         ❌ "Caption" on "light gray" — 2.8:1 (AA fail)
         ⚠ "Subheading" on "white" — 4.2:1 (AA Large OK, AA Normal fail)
         ✅ "Body text" on "white" — 12.1:1 (AAA pass)

Workflow Templates

Pre-built workflow templates available in the Claude Desktop prompt picker.

Template

Description

quick-layout

Paste text content and Claude arranges it on the artboard as headings, body, and captions

print-preflight-workflow

Comprehensive 7-step pre-press check (document → preflight → overprint → separations → images → colors → text)


Tool Reference

Read Tools (21)

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). include_diagnostics for print analysis

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). include_print_info for color space mismatch & scale factor

get_symbols

Symbol definitions and instances

get_guidelines

Guide information

get_overprint_info

Overprint settings + K100/rich black detection & intent classification

get_separation_info

Color separation info (CMYK process plates + spot color plates with usage counts)

get_selection

Details of currently selected objects

find_objects

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

check_contrast

WCAG color contrast ratio check (manual or auto-detect overlapping pairs)

extract_design_tokens

Extract design tokens as CSS custom properties, JSON, or Tailwind config

list_fonts

List fonts available in Illustrator (no document required)

convert_coordinate

Convert points between artboard and document coordinate systems

Modify Tools (38)

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)

place_image

Place an image file as linked or embedded

modify_object

Modify properties of an existing object

convert_to_outlines

Convert text to outlines

assign_color_profile

Assign (tag) a color profile (does not convert color values)

create_document

Create a new document (size, color mode)

close_document

Close the active document

resize_for_variation

Create size variations from a source artboard (proportional scaling)

align_objects

Align and distribute multiple objects

replace_color

Find and replace colors across document (with tolerance)

manage_layers

Add, rename, show/hide, lock/unlock, reorder, or delete layers

place_color_chips

Extract unique colors and place color chip swatches outside artboard

save_document

Save or save-as the active document

open_document

Open a document from file path

group_objects

Group objects (supports clipping masks)

ungroup_objects

Ungroup a group, releasing children

duplicate_objects

Duplicate objects with optional offset

set_z_order

Change stacking order (front/back)

move_to_layer

Move objects to a different layer

manage_artboards

Add, remove, resize, rename, rearrange artboards

manage_swatches

Add, update, or delete swatches

manage_linked_images

Relink or embed placed images

manage_datasets

List/apply/create datasets, import/export variables

apply_graphic_style

Apply a graphic style to objects

list_graphic_styles

List all graphic styles in the document

apply_text_style

Apply character or paragraph style to text

list_text_styles

List all character and paragraph styles

create_gradient

Create gradients and apply to objects

create_path_text

Create text along a path

place_symbol

Place or replace symbol instances

select_objects

Select objects by UUID (multi-select supported)

create_crop_marks

Create crop marks (trim marks) with locale-based style auto-detection (Japanese double-line / Western single-line)

place_style_guide

Place a visual style guide outside the artboard (colors, fonts, spacing, margins, guide gaps)

undo

Undo/redo operations (multi-step)

Export Tools (2)

Tool

Description

export

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

export_pdf

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

Utility (3)

Tool

Description

preflight_check

Pre-press check (RGB mixing, broken links, low resolution, white overprint, transparency+overprint interaction, PDF/X compliance, etc.)

check_text_consistency

Text consistency check (placeholder detection, notation variation patterns, full text listing for LLM analysis)

set_workflow

Set workflow mode (web/print) to configure default coordinate system


Known Limitations

Limitation

Details

Windows support

Windows uses PowerShell COM automation (not yet tested on real hardware)

Live effects

Drop shadow and other effect parameters can be detected but not read

Color profiles

Color profile assignment only — full conversion is not available

Bleed settings

Bleed settings cannot be read (Illustrator API limitation)

WebP export

Not supported — use PNG or SVG instead

Japanese crop marks

PDF export automatically uses the TrimMark command approach: generates marks as document paths, exports, then removes via undo

Font embedding

Embedding mode (full/subset) cannot be controlled directly — use PDF presets

Size variations

Proportional scaling only — text may need manual adjustment afterward


For Developers

Architecture

flowchart LR
    Claude <-->|MCP Protocol| Server["MCP Server\n(TypeScript/Node.js)"]

    Server -.->|generate| Runner["run-{uuid}.scpt / .ps1"]
    Server -.->|generate| JSX["script-{uuid}.jsx\n(BOM UTF-8)"]
    Server -.->|write| PF["params-{uuid}.json"]

    Runner -->|execFile| osascript
    Runner -->|execFile| PS["powershell.exe"]

    osascript -->|do javascript| AI["Adobe Illustrator\n(ExtendScript/JSX)"]
    PS -->|DoJavaScript| AI

    JSX -.->|execute| AI
    PF -.->|read| AI
    AI -.->|write| RF["result-{uuid}.json"]
    RF -.->|read| Server

Building 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

Testing

# Unit tests
npm test

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

The E2E test creates a fresh document, places test objects, runs 106 test cases across 6 phases covering all registered tools, and cleans up automatically.


Disclaimer

This tool automates many Illustrator operations, but AI can make mistakes. Extracted data, preflight results, and document modifications should always be reviewed by a person. Do not rely on this tool as your sole quality check. Use it as an assistant alongside your own manual verification, especially for print submissions and client deliverables. The authors are not responsible for any damages or losses arising from the use of this software or its outputs.


License

MIT

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

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