ae-mcp

A powerful, extensible Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration for Adobe After Effects. This project enables AI assistants to directly interact with and control After Effects through a standardized interface.

Check out the demo video below to see the integration in action:

• Extensible Architecture: Easily add new tools through configuration files
• Rich After Effects Functionality: Control compositions, layers, effects, and more
• MCP Compliant: Works with any MCP-compatible AI model, including Claude

This integration provides a comprehensive set of tools for After Effects:

Each tool implements After Effects functionality via ExtendScript and exposes a clean Go API that follows the MCP specification.

• Adobe After Effects (CC 2020 or later recommended)
• Go/Go+ runtime (for the MCP server)
• Python 3.7+ and pip (for Manim)
• Basic knowledge of After Effects and MCP

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/sunqirui1987/ae-mcp.git
   cd ae-mcp

2. Install Python and pip:

   • Windows:

     # 1. Download Python
     # Visit https://www.python.org/downloads/
     # Click "Download Python 3.x.x" (latest version)
     
     # 2. Run the installer
     # - Check "Add Python to PATH"
     # - Choose "Customize installation"
     # - Select all optional features
     # - Choose "Install for all users"
     # - Set installation path (e.g., C:\Python3x)
     
     # 3. Verify installation
     # Open Command Prompt (cmd) or PowerShell and run:
     python --version
     pip --version
     
     # 4. Install required Windows dependencies
     # Install Microsoft Visual C++ Build Tools
     # Download from: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/
     # During installation, select "Desktop development with C++"
     
     # 5. Install ffmpeg
     # Method 1: Using Chocolatey (recommended)
     # First install Chocolatey from https://chocolatey.org/install
     # Note: Run Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator
     # Right-click on Command Prompt/PowerShell and select "Run as Administrator"
     choco install ffmpeg
     choco install miktex
     
     
     # Method 2: Manual installation (if you don't have admin rights)
     # 1. Download ffmpeg from https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases
     #    Choose: ffmpeg-master-latest-win64-gpl.zip
     # 2. Extract the zip file to a location like C:\ffmpeg
     # 3. Add the bin folder to your PATH environment variable:
     #    - Open System Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables
     #    - Under User variables, find PATH
     #    - Add new entry: C:\ffmpeg\bin
     # 4. Verify installation:
     ffmpeg -version
     
     # 6. Install additional Python packages
     pip install wheel
     pip install pycairo
     pip install manim

   • macOS:

     # Using Homebrew
     brew install python
     brew install ffmpeg
     
     # Verify installation
     python3 --version
     pip3 --version
     ffmpeg -version

   • Linux:

     # Ubuntu/Debian
     sudo apt update
     sudo apt install python3 python3-pip ffmpeg
     
     # Fedora
     sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip ffmpeg
     
     # Verify installation
     python3 --version
     pip3 --version
     ffmpeg -version

3. Install dependencies:

   gop mod tidy
   gop build ./cmd/ae-mcp/pip install manim

4. Install Manim:

   # Install Manim and its dependencies
   pip install manim
   
   # For Windows users, you might need to install additional dependencies:
   pip install pycairo
   pip install manim

5. Install the After Effects ExtendScript:

   • Open After Effects
   • Go to File > Scripts > Run Script File...
   • Select the js/ae-mcp.jsx file

To use with Claude or other AI assistants, add the following MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aftereffects": {
      "command": "/path/to/your/ae-mcp.exe",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /path/to/your/ae-mcp.exe with the actual path to the ae-mcp executable on your system. For example, if you cloned the repository to C:/projects/ae-mcp, the path would be C:/projects/ae-mcp/ae-mcp.exe.

For Claude Desktop: Go to Claude > Settings > Developer > Edit Config and add the above configuration.

For Cursor: Go to Settings > MCP > Add Server to add the configuration.

The server will start and listen for connections from AI models.

Once the MCP server is running and configured in Claude, you'll be able to interact with After Effects using natural language commands.

Here are some examples of what you can ask Claude to do:

• "Create a new composition named 'Intro Animation' with 1920x1080 resolution"
• "Add a text layer with the message 'Welcome!' and center it"
• "Apply a Gaussian Blur effect to the text layer with a blur radius of 15"
• "Create a simple logo animation with a bounce effect"
• "Add a solid layer and apply a Glow effect to it"
• "Create a star shape with 5 points and make it spin"
• "Draw a custom shape path in the form of a wave"
• "Show me all the blur effects available in After Effects"
• "Apply a Color Balance effect to the background layer"
• "Add camera movement that slowly zooms in on the text"
• "Export the composition as an MP4 file"
• "Create a Manim animation showing a rotating cube and add it as a layer"
• "Generate a mathematical equation animation using Manim and import it"

• Get project and composition information
• Create and modify compositions
• Add and manipulate various layer types (text, solid, shape, etc.)
• Browse and apply effects with detailed parameter control
• Control animation and keyframes
• Manage project assets and media

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

For questions and support, please open an issue in the GitHub repository.