Premiere Pro MCP Server

Apply Audio Effect

apply_audio_effect

Apply an audio effect to a Premiere Pro clip by node ID and effect name. Adds the named effect to the clip, with optional idempotency keys and reviewed-identity guards.

Instructions

Apply an audio effect to a clip. Experimental QE catalog lookup includes an exact-name probe when enumeration is empty. A component-list readback does not verify rendered audio.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`node_id`	Yes	Node ID of the clip
`effect_name`	Yes	Name of the audio effect
`idempotency_key`	No	Optional client-chosen key (1-128 chars of A-Z a-z 0-9 . _ : -) for this intended edit. Pass a fresh key per edit and reuse it only when retrying that same edit, for example after a client-side timeout. A repeat with the same tool, key and arguments is not run again: while the first call is running it fails with IDEMPOTENCY_IN_PROGRESS (poll get_last_operations); after it finished it returns the original outcome marked replayed. A definite failure with nothing applied (receipt outcome not_applied) may be retried with the same key. Reusing a key with different arguments fails with IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED. Scoped to this MCP session (the stdio server process or one HTTP session) and held in memory only (200 keys, 1 hour); it does not survive a restart or reconnect. Read-only invocations are never deduplicated.
`expected_cep_target`	No	Optional reviewed CEP sequence/clip identity and exact tick ranges. Checked before every generated command; UXP refuses this CEP-only guard.
`expected_project_path`	No	Optional absolute saved-project path. Every generated CEP command refuses before its body when the active project differs or is unsaved. UXP commands refuse this CEP-only guard; local-only tools do not inspect Premiere. Omit to keep existing behavior.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`ok`	Yes	Whether the tool completed successfully.
`data`	No	Tool-specific result data when ok is true; on failure, diagnostic detail when the tool provides it.
`tool`	Yes	The registered MCP tool name.
`error`	No	Failure detail when ok is false.
`receipt`	No	Versioned common mutation receipt; success never implies rendered verification.
`idempotency`	No	Present when idempotency_key deduplicated this call: replayed is true when the original outcome was returned instead of running again.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedv1.25.0Oct 24, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / idempotency_key

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Optional client-chosen key (1-128 chars of A-Z a-z 0-9 . _ : -) for this intended edit. Pass a fresh key per edit and reuse it only when retrying that same edit, for example after a client-side timeout. A repeat with the same tool, key and arguments is not run again: while the first call is running it fails with IDEMPOTENCY_IN_PROGRESS (poll get_last_operations); after it finished it returns the original outcome marked replayed. A definite failure with nothing applied (receipt outcome not_applied) may be retried with the same key. Reusing a key with different arguments fails with IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED. Scoped to this MCP session (the stdio server process or one HTTP session) and held in memory only (200 keys, 1 hour); it does not survive a restart or reconnect. Read-only invocations are never deduplicated.",
+  "maxLength": 128,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9._:-]+$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / idempotency

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "description": "Present when idempotency_key deduplicated this call: replayed is true when the original outcome was returned instead of running again.",
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed3 schema fields changedv1.24.0Oct 12, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / expected_cep_target

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "required": [
+        "sequence_id"
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "required": [
+        "source_item"
+      ]
+    }
+  ],
+  "description": "Optional reviewed CEP sequence/clip identity and exact tick ranges. Checked before every generated command; UXP refuses this CEP-only guard.",
+  "properties": {
+    "backend": {
+      "const": "cep",
+      "description": "Backend namespace for these IDs.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "clip": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "description": "Optional exact reviewed timeline clip.",
+      "properties": {
+        "effect": {
+          "additionalProperties": false,
+          "description": "Reviewed effect and parameter identity checked before mutation.",
+          "properties": {
+            "display_name": {
+              "description": "Optional exact host display name.",
+              "maxLength": 512,
+              "minLength": 1,
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "match_name": {
+              "description": "Effect match name from host inspection.",
+              "maxLength": 512,
+              "minLength": 1,
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "parameter_index": {
+              "description": "Inspected zero-based parameter index.",
+              "maximum": 255,
+              "minimum": 0,
+              "type": "integer"
+            },
+            "parameter_name": {
+              "description": "Exact inspected parameter name.",
+              "maxLength": 512,
+              "minLength": 1,
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "match_name",
+            "parameter_index",
+            "parameter_name"
+          ],
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "end_ticks": {
+          "description": "Exact expected exclusive timeline end ticks.",
+          "pattern": "^-?\\d{1,30}$",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "in_ticks": {
+          "description": "Exact expected source In ticks.",
+          "pattern": "^-?\\d{1,30}$",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "node_id": {
+          "description": "Stable CEP node ID.",
+          "maxLength": 512,
+          "minLength": 1,
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "out_ticks": {
+          "description": "Exact expected exclusive source Out ticks.",
+          "pattern": "^-?\\d{1,30}$",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "project_item_id": {
+          "description": "Expected source project-item node ID.",
+          "maxLength": 512,
+          "minLength": 1,
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "start_ticks": {
+          "description": "Exact expected timeline start ticks.",
+          "pattern": "^-?\\d{1,30}$",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "track_index": {
+          "description": "Expected zero-based track index; identity still checked.",
+          "maximum": 255,
+          "minimum": 0,
+          "type": "integer"
+        },
+        "track_type": {
+          "description": "Expected media track group.",
+          "enum": [
+            "video",
+            "audio"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "node_id",
+        "track_type",
+        "track_index"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "project_document_id": {
+      "description": "Exact Premiere project document ID observed during review.",
+      "maxLength": 512,
+      "minLength": 1,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "sequence_id": {
+      "description": "Stable expected active sequence ID.",
+      "maxLength": 512,
+      "minLength": 1,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "source_item": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "description": "Reviewed source identity for a source-only operation.",
+      "properties": {
+        "media_path": {
+          "description": "Optional exact source-media path.",
+          "maxLength": 4096,
+          "minLength": 1,
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "node_id": {
+          "description": "Exact project-item node ID.",
+          "maxLength": 512,
+          "minLength": 1,
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "node_id"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "backend"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / expected_project_path

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Optional absolute saved-project path. Every generated CEP command refuses before its body when the active project differs or is unsaved. UXP commands refuse this CEP-only guard; local-only tools do not inspect Premiere. Omit to keep existing behavior.",
+  "maxLength": 4096,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / receipt

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "description": "Versioned common mutation receipt; success never implies rendered verification.",
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed2 schema fields changedv1.18.6Sep 30, 2026

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

changedOutput schema / properties / data / description

Previous value: -"Tool-specific result data when ok is true."New value: +"Tool-specific result data when ok is true; on failure, diagnostic detail when the tool provides it."

Changed2 schema fields changedv1.14.4Aug 29, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "data": {
+      "description": "Tool-specific result data when ok is true."
+    },
+    "error": {
+      "description": "Failure detail when ok is false.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "ok": {
+      "description": "Whether the tool completed successfully.",
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "tool": {
+      "description": "The registered MCP tool name.",
+      "minLength": 1,
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "ok",
+    "tool"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedv1.4.0Jul 27, 2026
- removedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -false
```
Addedv1.1.5Jul 19, 2026
Removedv1.1.5Jul 19, 2026
First observedv1.1.1May 28, 2026

TDQS

B3.4/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare non-read-only, non-destructive, non-idempotent. The description adds genuinely non-obvious context: that the QE catalog lookup falls back to an exact-name probe when enumeration is empty, and that a component-list readback does not prove rendered audio actually changed. That verification caveat is exactly the kind of nuance annotations cannot convey, though the presence of an idempotency_key parameter alongside idempotentHint=false is never addressed.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Three short sentences with the purpose front-loaded and no filler. The two trailing sentences are dense jargon ('QE catalog lookup', 'component-list readback') that could be plainer, but they are compact rather than padded.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists and annotations plus 100% schema coverage carry most structural burden, and the description adds a useful verification caveat. However, for a five-parameter mutation tool with nested conditional guards, it omits prerequisites (effect availability), the sibling routing, and any hint about failure modes the guards produce.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100% and nested guard objects are documented in-schema, so the baseline of 3 applies. The description touches only obliquely on effect_name resolution via the 'exact-name probe' remark and says nothing about node_id, idempotency_key, or the optional identity guards.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The first sentence names a specific verb (apply) and resource (audio effect on a clip), which is materially more precise than the bare title. It does not distinguish itself from close siblings such as apply_effect, batch_apply_effect, or list_available_audio_effects, so an agent must infer which one to choose.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines2/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

There is no statement of when to use this tool versus apply_effect (generic) or batch_apply_effect, and no guidance that effect_name should come from list_available_audio_effects. The follow-up sentences describe internal lookup and verification mechanics rather than invocation conditions.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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