premiere-pro-mcp

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Set Work Area

set_work_area

Sets and verifies Premiere Pro sequence work-area in/out points in seconds, turning the bar on when needed and reporting ignored or unverified writes.

Instructions

Set and verify the work-area points, turning the bar on first through the public Sequence API when it is off. Fails when Premiere leaves the points unchanged (26.5.2 ignores these CEP writes; use the UXP set_work_area there) and turns the bar back off if this call turned it on. Unreadable or partial writes report committed_unverified.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "in_seconds": "<in_seconds>",
      "out_seconds": "<out_seconds>"
    },
    "name": "set_work_area"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`in_seconds`	Yes	Work area in-point in seconds
`out_seconds`	Yes	Work area out-point in seconds
`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 the HTTP server process when Streamable HTTP is stateless per request) 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.

First observedv1.30.0Nov 14, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Beyond the annotations (readOnlyHint=false, destructiveHint=false, idempotentHint=false), the description discloses meaningful behavior: the work bar is turned on first through the public Sequence API when off, and is turned back off if this call turned it on (side-effect restoration). It also names failure modes and the 'committed_unverified' outcome for unreadable or partial writes, which an agent cannot infer from the schema or annotations.

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?

Three sentences, each carrying distinct load: what it does, the version-specific failure/alternative, and the restore/unverified edge cases. The primary action is front-loaded and there is no filler or restatement of the title.

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

Completeness5/5

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

For a mutation tool with five parameters, two nested guard objects, and an output schema, the description covers the things structured fields cannot: side effects on the work-area bar, the restore-on-failure behavior, and the CEP-versus-UXP version split. Return value details are correctly left to the output schema.

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 in_seconds, out_seconds, the idempotency_key contract, and the expected_cep_target guard are all already documented in the structured fields. The description adds no additional meaning about units, ordering, or clamping for the points beyond what the schema states, which is the correct baseline when the schema does the heavy lifting.

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

Purpose5/5

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

The description opens with a specific verb+resource pair, 'Set and verify the work-area points', which pins down both the mutation and the post-write verification behavior. It further distinguishes this call from the read-side siblings (get_work_area, is_work_area_enabled) by describing exactly what state it changes versus reads, and from a different backend's set_work_area.

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?

It gives explicit conditional routing: on Premiere 26.5.2, where these CEP writes are ignored, use the UXP set_work_area instead. That is a concrete when-to-use-this-versus-alternative rule. It stops short of addressing other plausible substitutes in the catalog, notably in/out point tools such as set_item_in_out, but the guidance present is unambiguous.

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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