MCP After Effects

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets Claude (or any MCP client) control Adobe After Effects via natural language.

How It Works

Claude ──MCP──► mcp-after-effects ──ExtendScript──► Adobe After Effects

The server bridges Claude to AE using one of three mechanisms (selected automatically based on your OS):

Mode	OS	Mechanism
applescript	macOS	osascript → AE's DoScript
com	Windows	VBScript COM automation
aerender	Any	AE command-line renderer (aerender)

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Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 18
• Adobe After Effects (any recent version — CC 2019+)
• After Effects must be open for applescript/com modes, or aerender must be on your PATH for aerender mode

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Installation

npm install
npm run build

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Configuration

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "after-effects": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-ae/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "AE_BRIDGE_MODE": "auto"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
AE_BRIDGE_MODE	auto	Bridge mode: auto, applescript, com, or aerender
AE_RENDER_PATH	(OS default)	Full path to aerender binary when using aerender mode

aerender Paths (defaults)

• macOS: /Applications/Adobe After Effects 2024/aerender
• Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects 2024\Support Files\aerender.exe

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Available MCP Tools

Project & Composition

Tool	Description
ae_get_project_info	Get info about the open project
ae_list_compositions	List all compositions
ae_get_composition_layers	List all layers in a composition
ae_create_composition	Create a new composition

Layers

Tool	Description
ae_add_text_layer	Add a text layer
ae_add_solid_layer	Add a solid color layer
ae_add_null_layer	Add a null/control layer
ae_import_file	Import a file (video, image, audio, AEP)

Animation

Tool	Description
ae_set_layer_property	Set a layer property value (with or without keyframe)
ae_add_keyframe	Add a keyframe to a layer property
ae_apply_effect	Apply an effect to a layer by match name

Render & Save

Tool	Description
ae_add_to_render_queue	Add a composition to the render queue
ae_start_render	Start rendering all queued items
ae_save_project	Save the current project

Advanced

Tool	Description
ae_run_script	Execute raw ExtendScript in After Effects

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Example Prompts

Once connected to Claude, you can say things like:

• "List all compositions in my After Effects project"
• "Create a 1920×1080 composition called 'Intro' at 24fps, 5 seconds long"
• "Add a white text layer saying 'Hello World' at 72px font size, centered"
• "Set the opacity of layer 'Title' to 0 at t=0 and 100 at t=1 second"
• "Apply a Gaussian Blur to the background layer"
• "Add the 'Main' composition to the render queue and save to /tmp/output.mp4"
• "Run this ExtendScript: app.project.activeItem.name"

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Property Paths

Use dot notation for nested properties with ae_set_layer_property and ae_add_keyframe:

Transform.Position       → [x, y]
Transform.Scale          → [x, y] (percentage, e.g. [100, 100])
Transform.Rotation       → degrees
Transform.Opacity        → 0-100
Transform.Anchor Point   → [x, y]

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Common Effect Match Names

Effect	Match Name
Gaussian Blur	ADBE Gaussian Blur 2
Drop Shadow	ADBE Drop Shadow
Glow	ADBE Glo2
Hue/Saturation	ADBE HUE SATURATION
Levels	ADBE Levels2
Fractal Noise	ADBE Fractal Noise
Linear Wipe	ADBE Linear Wipe
Fill	ADBE Fill

Find all match names by running: ae_run_script with:

var e = app.effects;
var r = [];
for (var i=0; i<e.length; i++) r.push(e[i].matchName);
return r.join("\n");

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Development

npm run dev    # Run with tsx (no build step)
npm run build  # Compile TypeScript → dist/
npm run watch  # Watch mode

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Architecture

src/
├── index.ts              # MCP server, tool definitions
├── ae-bridge.ts          # OS-level AE communication
└── scripts/
    └── common-effects.ts # Effect names & property path constants