Adobe Creative Suite MCP — Integration and AI Guide

This skill file instructs AI agents on how to control Adobe Creative Suite applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Premiere Pro) using both ExtendScript (adobe_mcp.py) and UXP WebSocket (adobe_uxp_mcp) bridges.

1. Overview and Pipeline Value

The Adobe Suite MCP integrations combine two distinct automation strategies for Creative Cloud applications:

1. ExtendScript Bridge (adobe_mcp.py): Uses OS-level scripting (AppleScript osascript on macOS; PowerShell COM objects on Windows) to send JSX code directly to Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects. This runs without installing plugins.
2. UXP (Unified Extensibility Platform) Bridge (adobe_uxp_mcp): Connects to Photoshop and Premiere Pro via a local WebSocket server (default port 8080). This provides modern, fast, and sandboxed JS API interactions but requires UXP developer plugins to be active in the application.

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2. System Instructions

Tool Selection Matrix

When asked to automate Photoshop, choose between the two interfaces based on application state:

• If UXP plugins are connected, use adobe-uxp-mcp tools (ps_get_active_document, ps_add_layer).
• If UXP is unavailable, fall back to ExtendScript tools (ps_add_text_layer).

OS Platform Routing

The ExtendScript bridge dynamically routes script payloads:

• macOS: Targets application bundle IDs (e.g. id "com.adobe.Photoshop") using AppleScript do javascript / DoScript.
• Windows: Instantiates COM interfaces (e.g., Photoshop.Application, Illustrator.Application, AfterFX.Application) using PowerShell and processes transient .jsx scripts.

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3. Available Tools and API Parameters

ExtendScript Tools (adobe_mcp.py)

• ps_add_text_layer(text: string, font_size?: int): Adds a new text layer with contents to the active Photoshop file.
• ae_render_active_comp(): Appends the active composition to the After Effects render queue and kicks off the render.
• ai_draw_rectangle(width?: float, height?: float, red?: int, green?: int, blue?: int): Spawns a document in Illustrator (if empty) and draws a filled path rectangle.

UXP Tools (adobe_uxp_mcp)

• ps_get_active_document: Retrieves the file name of the frontmost document in Photoshop.
• ps_add_layer(name: string): Adds a new layer in Photoshop.
• pr_get_active_sequence: Retrieves the active sequence name from the Premiere Pro project.

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4. Code Recipes and Prompt Cookbook

Recipe 1: Draw Custom Vector Layout in Illustrator

Generate a filled RGB path inside Adobe Illustrator via the ExtendScript bridge:

// Tool Call: ai_draw_rectangle
{
  "width": 500.0,
  "height": 250.0,
  "red": 0,
  "green": 128,
  "blue": 255
}

Recipe 2: UXP Photoshop Layer Control

Retrieve the active document name, check context, and add a layer via UXP:

// Step 1: Read active file name
// Tool Call: ps_get_active_document

// Step 2: Create a layer named "Background_Tint"
// Tool Call: ps_add_layer
{
  "name": "Background_Tint"
}

Recipe 3: Batch rendering a composition (After Effects ExtendScript)

Queue and render:

// Tool Call: ae_render_active_comp
{}

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5. Troubleshooting and Connection Details

Configuration and Ports

• UXP WebSocket Port: 8080 (Standard WebSocket connection ws://localhost:8080)
• Bridge Setup:
  • ExtendScript: Requires zero installation beyond standard macOS or Windows system settings.
  • UXP Server: Start the server (node mcps/adobe_uxp_mcp/index.js). Then open Photoshop/Premiere and load the respective plugin folder located in mcps/adobe_uxp_mcp/plugins/ using the Adobe UXP Developer Tool (UDT).

Common Errors and Fixes

1. Adobe Application is not connected to the UXP MCP Bridge
   • Cause: The UXP plugin has not been loaded via the UXP Developer Tool.
   • Fix: Launch the Adobe UXP Developer Tool, click Add Plugin, navigate to mcps/adobe_uxp_mcp/plugins/photoshop/manifest.json, and click Load.
2. COM Object Instantiation Failed (Windows)
   • Cause: Adobe software is not registered correctly in the Windows Registry, or is running with different privilege elevations.
   • Fix: Ensure the targeted Adobe application is open and registered. Run your CLI terminal with administrator privileges if User Account Control (UAC) blocks COM access.
3. osascript User interaction is not allowed
   • Cause: macOS Accessibility permissions are blocking terminal commands from driving GUI applications.
   • Fix: Add Terminal / Cursor / Claude to Accessibility and Automation folders in Privacy & Security settings.
4. Port 8080 already in use
   • Cause: The UXP WebSocket server conflicts with a running Docker container or Web developer server.
   • Fix: Edit the WS_PORT constant inside adobe_uxp_mcp/index.js and matching plugin configs to utilize an alternate port (e.g. 8888).