MCP 服务器

After Effects MCP Server

Enables AI assistants to control Adobe After Effects for composition, layer, effect, preset, marker, and audio automation through a bridge panel.

README

After Effects MCP Server

Control Adobe After Effects through MCP using a bridge panel running inside AE. This project is optimized for practical automation workflows: effects, presets, keyframing, markers, and audio-aware tooling.

Highlights

Full composition and layer automation.
Deep effect inspection and property editing.
Advanced effect graph controls (temporal + spatial).
Preset search/list/apply workflows.
Marker and audio automation, including waveform-to-marker pipelines.
Installed effect catalog discovery (list-available-effects).

Feature Matrix

Area	Capabilities
Composition	Create, inspect project/compositions, get clip frame ranges
Layers	Text/shape/solid/adjustment creation, transform/property updates, centering
Animation	Layer keyframes, expressions, effect keyframes with graph controls
Effects	Apply by name/matchName, list layer effects recursively, edit any effect property, remove effects
Presets	Apply `.ffx`, list/search preset libraries
Markers	Add single marker (comp/layer), add markers in bulk
Audio	Set channel levels, inspect audio metadata, analyze WAV waveform, detect peaks

Requirements

Adobe After Effects
Node.js 18+
npm

In After Effects, enable:

Edit -> Preferences -> Scripting & Expressions -> Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network

Quick Start

Clone and install:

git clone https://github.com/TheLlamainator/after-effects-mcp.git
cd after-effects-mcp
npm install

Build:

npm run build

Install bridge script:

npm run install-bridge

Restart After Effects and open:

Window -> mcp-bridge-auto.jsx
Keep this panel open during MCP usage.

MCP Client Config

Use an absolute path to build/index.js.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "AfterEffectsMCP": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["<absolute-path-to-repo>/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Add to VS Code

If you use an MCP-capable VS Code extension, add this server in that extension's MCP server settings.

Use:

command: node
args: ["<absolute-path-to-repo>/build/index.js"]

Example snippet many extensions accept:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "AfterEffectsMCP": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\<you>\\Documents\\Projects\\AEMCP\\build\\index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Then:

Restart VS Code.
Open After Effects and keep Window -> mcp-bridge-auto.jsx open.
Call a simple tool like get-help or run-script with getProjectInfo.

Add to Claude Desktop

Edit Claude Desktop config and add the MCP server entry.

Typical Windows config location:

%APPDATA%\\Claude\\claude_desktop_config.json

Example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "AfterEffectsMCP": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\<you>\\Documents\\Projects\\AEMCP\\build\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

After saving:

Fully restart Claude Desktop.
Open AE bridge panel.
Verify with tools/list in logs or by calling a known tool.

Add to Claude Code

Configure the same server command/args in your Claude Code MCP configuration.

Use this server definition:

{
  "AfterEffectsMCP": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["<absolute-path-to-repo>/build/index.js"]
  }
}

Then:

Restart Claude Code or reload MCP servers.
Ensure After Effects is open with mcp-bridge-auto.jsx panel running.
Test with get-results after a queued command.

Architecture Graph

flowchart LR
    A[AI Client<br/>VS Code / Claude Desktop / Claude Code] --> B[MCP Server<br/>build/index.js]
    B --> C[Bridge Files<br/>ae_command.json / ae_mcp_result.json]
    C --> D[After Effects Bridge Panel<br/>mcp-bridge-auto.jsx]
    D --> E[Adobe After Effects]
    E --> D
    D --> C
    C --> B
    B --> A

Command Flow Graph

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client as MCP Client
    participant Server as MCP Server
    participant Bridge as AE Bridge Panel
    participant AE as After Effects

    Client->>Server: tools/call (example: apply-effect)
    Server->>Server: write ae_command.json
    Server-->>Client: queued response (or waits)
    Bridge->>Bridge: poll command file
    Bridge->>AE: execute command
    AE-->>Bridge: result/error
    Bridge->>Bridge: write ae_mcp_result.json
    Client->>Server: get-results
    Server-->>Client: final result JSON