Illustrator MCP Server (Windows & macOS)

Welcome to the Illustrator MCP Server! 🎨🚀

This project allows AI agents to directly create vector graphics inside Adobe Illustrator using natural language prompts.
It works by sending ExtendScript commands to Illustrator via a local MCP (Model Context Protocol) server.

Imagine simply describing what you want — like "draw a small coffee shop during rain" — and Illustrator brings it to life!

Works on Windows (COM automation) and macOS (AppleScript/osascript).

✨ Features

• Control Adobe Illustrator programmatically using AI prompts

• Send ExtendScript (.jsx) scripts directly to Illustrator

• Capture screenshots of the Illustrator window

• Open-source and lightweight

• Cross-platform: Windows & macOS

• Multi-client: Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code Copilot, and JetBrains Copilot

💻 Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12+ — Download Python

• Adobe Illustrator installed and running

• macOS only: Grant Automation permissions when prompted (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation)

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/krVatsal/illustrator-mcp.git
cd illustrator-mcp

2. Create a virtual environment

macOS / Linux:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Windows:

python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

On macOS, pywin32 is automatically skipped. No extra macOS packages required.

4. Start the MCP Server (manual / debug mode)

python -m illustrator

Run with one script (cross-platform)

bash run_server.sh

This script auto-detects your platform, creates a .venv, installs dependencies, and starts the server.

🔌 Client Configuration

The server uses stdio transport — compatible with all major MCP clients.

Important: Do NOT start the server manually when using it through a client. The client starts and manages the server process automatically.

Claude Desktop

macOS — edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "illustrator": {
      "command": "/path/to/illustrator-mcp/.venv/bin/python3",
      "args": ["-m", "illustrator"]
    }
  }
}

Windows — edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "illustrator": {
      "command": "C:\\Users\\<YourUser>\\illustrator-mcp\\.venv\\Scripts\\python.exe",
      "args": ["-m", "illustrator"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code (CLI)

A .claude/mcp.json is included in the repo. Claude Code will auto-detect it. Or add manually:

claude mcp add illustrator python3 -- -m illustrator

GitHub Copilot (VS Code)

A .vscode/mcp.json is included in the repo. VS Code (1.99+) will auto-detect it. Or add to your settings.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "illustrator": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "python3",
        "args": ["-m", "illustrator"]
      }
    }
  }
}

🎯 Enhanced Prompt System

This MCP server now includes an advanced prompt system to help you create better content! Use these new tools:

• get_prompt_suggestions - Get categorized prompt examples for different types of content

• get_system_prompt - Get the optimal system prompt for AI guidance

• get_prompting_tips - Get tips for creating more effective prompts

• get_advanced_template - Get structured templates for complex design tasks

• help - Display comprehensive help and guidance

📚 Prompt Categories Available:

• 🎨 Basic Shapes & Geometry

• 📝 Typography & Text

• 🏢 Logos & Branding

• 🌆 Illustrations & Scenes

• 🎭 Icons & UI Elements

• 🎨 Artistic & Creative

• 📊 Charts & Infographics

• 🏷️ Print & Layout

💡 Quick Start with Prompts

Try asking: "Get me prompt suggestions for logos" or "Show me prompting tips"

For detailed examples and templates, see PROMPT_EXAMPLES.md

📋 Sample Prompts I Tried

Here are some prompts I used along with the results it generated:

• Prompt 1:
  Design a clean, minimal vector art of a small coffee shop during rain, featuring a simple storefront, puddles on the street, and gentle grey clouds in the sky.

• Prompt 2:
  Create a watercolor-style illustration of the Mumbai skyline at sunset.

• Prompt 3:
  Create a modern, minimalistic logo for a tech startup called 'NeuraTech'.

(See attached images for the results!)

🍎 macOS Notes

• Adobe Illustrator must be installed and running

• On first use, macOS will ask for Automation permission — allow your terminal/IDE to control Illustrator

• If you see "Application not running" errors, open Illustrator first

• Screenshots capture the full screen (Illustrator should be in foreground)

🪟 Windows Notes

• Adobe Illustrator must be installed

• The pywin32 package is required (installed automatically)

• Illustrator scripting must be enabled

📢 Contributing

Pull requests are welcome!
Feel free to open issues for feature requests, bugs, or suggestions.

Happy creating! 🌈💛