Premiere Pro MCP Server

Apply Edit Plan

apply_edit_plan

Apply a previously previewed compound timeline edit with a confirmation token after revalidating project, sequence, and target identities; changed targets require a fresh preview.

Instructions

Apply a previously previewed compound edit after revalidating stable project, sequence and target identities before activation or mutation. Requires the edit capability and exact preview confirmation token; changed targets require a fresh preview. Ripple plans require the reviewed sequence to be active for the read-only QE sync-lock preflight.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`plan`	Yes	An edit plan: { sequence_id?, operations: [...] } with up to 100 insert_clip and remove_clip operations. Operations run in order, and each one's times refer to the timeline as the operations before it left it.
`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.
`confirmation_token`	Yes	Exact token returned by preview_edit_plan
`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"
+}

Changed5 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"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / plan / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```
addedInput schema / properties / plan / properties / operations / items / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

addedOutput schema / properties / receipt

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

Changed2 schema fields changedv1.19.1Oct 5, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / plan / properties / operations / items / properties / allow_large_ripple

Added value: +{
+  "description": "ripple remove_clip: allow execution above large_ripple_threshold after the read-only mover estimate",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / plan / properties / operations / items / properties / large_ripple_threshold

Added value: +{
+  "description": "ripple remove_clip: refuse above this mover count unless allow_large_ripple is true (default 400)",
+  "maximum": 5000,
+  "minimum": 1,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

Changed5 schema fields changedv1.18.6Sep 30, 2026

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

changedInput schema / properties / plan / description

Previous value: -"An edit plan containing insert_clip and remove_clip operations (maximum 100)"New value: +"An edit plan: { sequence_id?, operations: [...] } with up to 100 insert_clip and remove_clip operations. Operations run in order, and each one's times refer to the timeline as the operations before it left it."

addedInput schema / properties / plan / properties

Added value: +{
+  "operations": {
+    "items": {
+      "properties": {
+        "audio_track_index": {
+          "description": "insert_clip: audio track (default 0)",
+          "minimum": 0,
+          "type": "integer"
+        },
+        "include_linked": {
+          "description": "remove_clip without ripple: also remove linked audio/video partners (default true)",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "item_id": {
+          "description": "insert_clip: project item node ID or name",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "node_id": {
+          "description": "remove_clip: timeline clip node ID",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "ripple": {
+          "description": "remove_clip: close the gap with a verified sync-locked ripple delete (always takes linked partners)",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "start_seconds": {
+          "description": "insert_clip: timeline insert time in seconds (insert edit, sync-locked tracks shift)",
+          "minimum": 0,
+          "type": "number"
+        },
+        "type": {
+          "enum": [
+            "insert_clip",
+            "remove_clip"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "video_track_index": {
+          "description": "insert_clip: video track (default 0)",
+          "minimum": 0,
+          "type": "integer"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "type"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "maxItems": 100,
+    "minItems": 1,
+    "type": "array"
+  },
+  "sequence_id": {
+    "description": "Sequence name or ID to edit (activated first); defaults to the active sequence",
+    "type": "string"
+  }
+}

addedInput schema / properties / plan / required
```
Added value: +[
+  "operations"
+]
```

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 changedv1.14.9Sep 8, 2026
- removedInput schema / properties / plan / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -{}
```
- removedInput schema / properties / plan / propertyNames
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```

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"
+}

Addedv1.4.0Jul 27, 2026

TDQS

A3.6/5.0

Behavior3/5

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

Adds real behavior beyond the annotations: identity revalidation of project, sequence and target before mutation, a read-only QE sync-lock preflight for ripple plans, and preview staleness semantics. It does not say what happens when revalidation fails, whether a multi-operation plan is atomic or partially applied, or whether the edit is undoable as one unit – significant omissions for a mutation tool whose annotations only supply generic hints.

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 sentences, no filler, with the purpose front-loaded and preconditions following. The terminology is dense ('QE sync-lock preflight', 'edit capability') but each sentence carries distinct information.

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

Completeness4/5

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

The input schema is very rich and an output schema exists, so the description's job is mainly operating context – which it covers with prerequisites, revalidation and staleness rules. The remaining gap is failure/atomicity semantics for up-to-100-operation plans, which the description leaves silent.

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%, so the schema already documents plan, operations, confirmation_token, idempotency_key and the CEP guards in detail. The description reinforces the token requirement and the fresh-preview rule for changed targets but adds no parameter-level meaning beyond that, so the baseline 3 applies.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Apply a previously previewed compound edit') and scopes it to a plan that came from a prior preview, which distinguishes it from the preview/plan siblings. It does not explicitly distinguish itself from other apply_* siblings (apply_extended_edit_plan, apply_scene_review_workflow, apply_stacked_camera_edit), leaving that inference to the confirmation_token's schema note that it comes from preview_edit_plan.

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

Usage Guidelines4/5

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

Gives concrete prerequisites: the edit capability and an exact preview confirmation token, plus an explicit when-not ('changed targets require a fresh preview') and a ripple-specific condition (the reviewed sequence must be active). It stops short of naming preview_edit_plan as the required predecessor inside the description body, but the preconditions are clear enough to route correctly.

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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