run-scriptLABSCO SUMMARY
Everything runs through a panel you keep open inside After Effects.
That is the setup cost and the thing that will trip you up: run the bridge installer once, then keep mcp-bridge-auto.jsx open, or commands queue and never execute. Some After Effects operations also finish after the tool call returns — get-results is where the final state shows up.
What it is
An MCP server that controls Adobe After Effects through a bridge panel running inside the application. The server writes commands to a file; the panel polls it and executes them.
What you get
- Composition and layer work: create-composition, create-adjustment-layer, center-layers, get-layer-clip-frames
- Effects by name or matchName, plus property editing and removal: apply-effect, add-any-effect, set-effect-property, remove-effect
- Effect keyframes with temporal and spatial graph controls — set-effect-keyframe
- Discovery of what is installed: list-available-effects, list-layer-effects
- Presets: apply-preset for .ffx files, list-presets, search-presets
- Markers and audio: add-marker, add-markers-bulk, set-audio-levels, get-audio-info, analyze-audio-waveform
- General escape hatches: run-script, get-results, get-help
Requirements
Adobe After Effects, Node.js 18+ and npm. Clone, npm install, npm run build, then npm run install-bridge. In After Effects, enable Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network, and keep the mcp-bridge-auto.jsx panel open while you work.
Setup effort
Build from source — git clone https://github.com/TheLlamainator/after-effects-mcp.git
USE CASES
01
Applying an effect and tuning its properties
Apply by name, list what is on the layer, then set the property you actually wanted.
02
Turning audio peaks into markers
Read the audio info for the layer, analyze the waveform, then write the peak times in as markers.
03
Finding out what is installed before planning a look
List the available effects and search the preset libraries first.
04
Building a composition from scratch
Create the comp, add an adjustment layer, and centre what is in it.
27 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
get-resultsget-helpcreate-compositioncreate-adjustment-layercenter-layersget-layer-clip-framesapply-effectadd-any-effectmcp_aftereffects_applyEffectapply-effect-templatelist-layer-effectslist-available-effectsset-effect-propertyset-effect-keyframeremove-effectapply-presetlist-presetssearch-presetsadd-markeradd-markers-bulkset-audio-levelsget-audio-infoanalyze-audio-waveformtest-animationrun-bridge-testmcp_aftereffects_get_effects_helpBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
27 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- Adobe After Effects
- Node.js 18+
- npm
Where it runs
All 3 documented clients run the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
You clone and build this one yourself.
Server setup
TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/TheLlamainator/after-effects-mcp.git
cd after-effects-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm run install-bridgeRestart After Effects and open Window -> mcp-bridge-auto.jsx. Keep this panel open while you use the server.
MCP Clients
VS Code
VS CODE · JSON
{
"servers": {
"AfterEffectsMCP": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"C:\\Users\\<YOUR_USERNAME>\\Documents\\Projects\\AEMCP\\build\\index.js"
]
}
}
}AEMCP in this path is the author's own folder. Use the full path of the after-effects-mcp folder that git clone created, ending in build\index.js.
Claude Desktop
CLAUDE DESKTOP · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"AfterEffectsMCP": {
"command": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe",
"args": [
"C:\\Users\\<YOUR_USERNAME>\\Documents\\Projects\\AEMCP\\build\\index.js"
]
}
}
}AEMCP in this path is the author's own folder. Use the full path of the after-effects-mcp folder that git clone created, ending in build\index.js.
Claude Code
CLAUDE CODE · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"AfterEffectsMCP": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"<YOUR_ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_REPO>/build/index.js"
]
}
}
}
