create-album
Create a new album to file photos into, optionally nested under a folder path. Reuses an existing album with the same name instead of creating a duplicate.
Instructions
Use when: you need an album to file photos into — a new album by name, optionally nested inside a folder path (e.g. for a quarantine album before a dedupe review, or a per-trip album). Returns: album {uuid, name, path} and created — false means an album of that name already existed and was returned instead of creating a duplicate (idempotent: safe to re-run; without folder the name is matched anywhere in the library, with folder only inside that folder). Do not use when: you want to list existing albums — use list-albums; or you want to put photos into the album — follow up with add-to-album. Safety: WRITE tool — disabled unless APPLE_PHOTOS_MCP_ENABLE_WRITES=1 (run doctor to check). Only creates albums/folders; never deletes, moves, or modifies photos. Drives Photos.app via AppleScript: Photos is launched if not running, and macOS Automation permission is required (one-time system prompt on first write). Writes always target the library currently open in Photos.app — there is no library parameter.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| name | Yes | Album name | |
| folder | No | Folder path to nest the album under, "/"-separated for nesting (e.g. "Trips/2026"); folders are created as needed |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| album | No | ||
| created | No |