Premiere Pro MCP Server

Play Timeline

play_timeline

Plays the active sequence timeline via QE, noting playhead movement is unverified because the legacy API lacks same-call readback.

Instructions

Request playback of the active sequence timeline through QE. The legacy API does not provide a same-call playhead readback, so movement is not reported as verified.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`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 / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

addedInput schema / properties

Added value: +{
+  "expected_cep_target": {
+    "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"
+  },
+  "expected_project_path": {
+    "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"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedv1.18.6Sep 30, 2026

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."

Changed1 schema field changedv1.14.9Sep 8, 2026
- removedInput schema / properties
```
Removed value: -{}
```

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"
+}

First observedv1.1.1May 28, 2026

TDQS

A3.6/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnlyHint=false, destructiveHint=false, idempotentHint=false), so the bar is lower. The description adds genuinely non-obvious behavioral context the agent cannot get elsewhere: the legacy API gives no same-call playhead readback, so the agent should not treat motion as verified. It stops short of saying whether playback is fire-and-forget or how it terminates.

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

Conciseness5/5

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

Two short sentences, zero waste, with the action front-loaded and the verification caveat immediately after. Nothing could be cut without losing information.

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

Completeness2/5

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

For a playback control tool, the description omits practical essentials: whether playback blocks or is asynchronous, whether/how the agent should use stop_playback, whether an active sequence must be open, and what the QE path implies versus other backends. An output schema exists, so return-value detail is not needed, but the interaction model around playback remains unstated.

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 coverage is 100% and all three parameters are richly documented in the schema itself (idempotency_key, expected_cep_target, expected_project_path). The description adds nothing about any of them, so 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: playback of the active sequence timeline via QE. The phrase 'active sequence timeline' implicitly separates it from sibling play_source_monitor, but it never names that sibling explicitly, so the differentiation is inferred rather than stated.

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

Usage Guidelines3/5

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

Usage is only implied by the name and phrase 'playback of the active sequence timeline'. No when-to-use, when-to-avoid, or explicit pointer to the obvious alternatives (play_source_monitor to play the source, stop_playback to end playback) despite their presence in the sibling list.

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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