After Effects MCP
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Adobe After Effects that enables AI assistants and other applications to control After Effects through a standardized protocol.
What is After Effects MCP?
After Effects MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to model context protocol (mcp) server for adobe after effects that enables ai assistants and other applications to control after effects through a standardized protocol.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Adobe After Effects that enables AI assistants and other applications to control After Effects through a standardized protocol.
This server falls under the Browser Automation category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Adobe After Effect
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx mcp-after-effectsConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use After Effects MCP
The After Effects MCP server bridges AI assistants and Adobe After Effects, allowing Claude and other MCP clients to programmatically create compositions, manipulate layers, set keyframes and expressions, and run arbitrary ExtendScript inside the After Effects application. It communicates via a bridge script installed into After Effects, making it possible to describe motion graphics in natural language and have the AI execute them directly in the compositor.
Prerequisites
- Adobe After Effects installed (any recent version that supports ExtendScript)
- Node.js 16+ installed for the MCP server
- An MCP-compatible AI client such as Claude Desktop
- Git to clone the repository (no npm package is published)
Clone the repository
The server is not published to npm, so you must clone it from GitHub and build it locally.
git clone https://github.com/Dakkshin/after-effects-mcp.git
cd after-effects-mcp
npm install
npm run buildInstall the After Effects bridge script
Run the provided install command to copy the ExtendScript bridge into your After Effects Scripts folder so the app can receive commands from the MCP server.
npm run install-bridgeEnable scripting in After Effects
In After Effects, go to Edit > Preferences > Scripting & Expressions and enable 'Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network'. This is required for the bridge to communicate with the MCP server.
Start the MCP server
Run the server process. It will listen for MCP protocol messages and forward them as ExtendScript commands to After Effects.
npm startConfigure your MCP client
Add the server to your Claude Desktop or other MCP client config, pointing to the built index.js file. Replace PATH/TO with the absolute path where you cloned the repo.
{
"mcpServers": {
"AfterEffectsMCP": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/after-effects-mcp/build/index.js"]
}
}
}After Effects MCP Examples
Client configuration
Example claude_desktop_config.json entry for the After Effects MCP server. Update the path to match your local clone directory.
{
"mcpServers": {
"AfterEffectsMCP": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/Users/yourname/after-effects-mcp/build/index.js"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that use the server's tools to build compositions, animate layers, and run scripts.
- "Create a 1920x1080 composition at 30fps with a 10-second duration called 'Main Comp'"
- "Add a text layer with the text 'Hello World' in Arial 72pt white and animate its opacity from 0 to 100% over the first 2 seconds"
- "Create a red solid layer, then add a rectangular mask with 10px feathering"
- "Apply a wiggle expression to the position property of layer 1: wiggle(5, 30)"
- "Duplicate all selected layers and offset them by 10 frames"Troubleshooting After Effects MCP
Commands are sent but After Effects does not respond
Verify that 'Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network' is enabled in After Effects Preferences > Scripting & Expressions, and that the bridge script was installed correctly via `npm run install-bridge`.
npm run build fails with TypeScript errors
Ensure you are running Node.js 16 or higher. Delete `node_modules` and run `npm install` again before rebuilding.
Layer or property changes are not visible in the After Effects UI
After Effects may need to refresh its display. Try sending a `run-script` command that calls `app.project.activeItem.time = app.project.activeItem.time` to force a UI refresh, or manually scrub the timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions about After Effects MCP
What is After Effects MCP?
After Effects MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that model context protocol (mcp) server for adobe after effects that enables ai assistants and other applications to control after effects through a standardized protocol. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install After Effects MCP?
Follow the installation instructions on the After Effects MCP GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with After Effects MCP?
After Effects MCP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is After Effects MCP free to use?
Yes, After Effects MCP is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up After Effects MCP in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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