After Effects MCP servers: which one to use
These are all community servers. Use mcp-aftereffects for a read-only mode, or Engine Room's for a simple Claude Desktop install.
- Servers
- 14
- active
- Hosted
- 1
- nothing to install
- Local
- 8
- runs on your machine
Every After Effects server here is a community project, and each one runs on your own computer next to After Effects. That means it works in Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor, but not in claude.ai in a browser or in ChatGPT. The AI can edit your project, so start with a backup copy or a read-only mode. Pick by how you want to install it and whether you need to stop edits.
Good for
- Motion designers who want Claude to build lower thirds, keyframes and expressions from a description
- Editors who want an assistant to explain a project they did not build
- Teams who want to audit a project without changing it
- Developers who script After Effects and want an agent to help
Which Adobe After Effects MCP server to use
Use mcp-aftereffects when you want a read-only mode and no panel in After Effects. Use Engine Room for the easiest Claude Desktop install, and Dakkshin's original only if you want the most-starred one.
| Server | Tools | Panel in After Effects | Read-only option | Last commit | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mcp-aftereffectsThis page | – | No | Env setting | Oct 2026 | 149 |
| Engine Room | – | Yes | – | Oct 2026 | 41 |
| Dakkshin After Effects | – | Yes | – | Apr 2026 | 827 |
| AE MCP Bridge | 50 | Yes | – | Oct 2026 | 79 |
| ae-mcp | – | Yes | Approval modes | Oct 2026 | 89 |
| After Effects MCP Enhanced | 57 | Yes | – | Oct 2026 | 27 |
All Adobe After Effects MCP servers
14 active · official first, then by GitHub stars
after-effects-mcpMCP Server for Adobe After Effects. Enables remote control (compositions, text, shapes, solids, properties) via the Model Context Protocol using ExtendScript.
827 GitHub stars
mcp-aftereffectsLocalMCP server for Adobe After Effects — comp/layer introspection, undo-grouped ops, frame rendering.
149 GitHub stars
after-effects-mcpLocalA stdio connector for the local ae-mcp After Effects panel; install the AE extension separately.
89 GitHub stars
aftereffects-mcpAn MCP server that lets AI read, view and edit a live Adobe After Effects project — inspect comps, render frames, write keyframes and expressions, and build projects end to end. Works with Claude Code or any MCP client.
79 GitHub stars
after-effects-mcpLocalControl Adobe After Effects with AI — describe the animation you want and it gets built: layers, keyframes, effects, expressions and text, all editable afterwards.
41 GitHub stars
after-effects-mcpLocalMCP server for controlling Adobe After Effects from AI clients (Claude, etc.) - ExtendScript execution, background rendering, deep project/layer inspection, and first-class Arabic/RTL & multilingual support. 47 tools.
27 GitHub stars- after-effects-mcp-vision
MCP server and CEP extension that lets an AI agent build in a live After Effects or Illustrator session, then look at what it made. 16 After Effects and 10 Illustrator tools addressed by stable id, capture so an agent can check its own work, and a footage inventory for external tools. AE 2022+ and I
7 GitHub stars - after-effects-mcp
Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Adobe After Effects. 全自动 AE 智能控制端：支持 3D 摄像机运镜、文字动画器、贝塞尔曲线调速、插件特效与画面截图。
5 GitHub stars - Surehand MCP for Adobe After EffectsLocal
Your AI works in Adobe After Effects and proves what it did: change reports, pixel proofs, QC.
4 GitHub stars 
AfterEffects-MCP-IMT + SKILLS — After Effects for AI agentsLocalAfter Effects for AI agents: every Adobe UI language, large skills library, generative workflows
2 GitHub stars- after-effects-mcp
MCP server that lets Claude drive Adobe After Effects — build comps, animate layers, apply effects, and render frames back so the model can see its own work. macOS and Windows.
2 GitHub stars 
fnf-after-effects-mcpLocalLocal MCP server for Adobe After Effects with native operations and offline creative skills.
824/wk downloads a week
After Effects MCP ServerLocalDrive Adobe After Effects from any MCP client: compositions, layers, animation and rendering.
122/wk downloads a week- After Effects MCPHosted
An MCP connector for Adobe After Effects. Real, editable layers and keyframes, not scripts.
Questions
Is there an official After Effects MCP server?
Adobe's own Claude connector, Adobe for creativity, lists Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Firefly, Premiere, Express, InDesign and Adobe Stock. After Effects is not on that list. The servers here are all community projects.
Does an After Effects MCP server work in ChatGPT?
No. Engine Room's README says ChatGPT, on the web or in its app, can't use these tools. They run on your own computer, and ChatGPT only connects to tools hosted on the internet.
Does an After Effects MCP server work in Claude?
Yes, in Claude Desktop and Claude Code. Engine Room ships a one-file install for Claude Desktop, and several READMEs give a Claude Code command. Claude in a web browser (claude.ai) can't reach After Effects on your computer.
Does an After Effects MCP server work in Cursor?
Yes. Engine Room's README lists Cursor, VS Code, Codex and Windsurf as apps that can start a local server. Dakkshin's README also covers Cursor.
Which After Effects MCP server is read-only?
mcp-aftereffects has a read-only mode. Set AE_MCP_READONLY to 1 and the AI can still inspect the project and render preview frames. ae-mcp has approval modes in its panel.
Do I need to install anything inside After Effects?
Most of them need a panel in After Effects, plus the setting that lets scripts write files and access the network. mcp-aftereffects says its usual setup needs no plugin or panel.
Which operating systems work?
macOS and Windows, since After Effects runs only on those. mcp-aftereffects needs After Effects 2024 to 2026 and Node.js 24 or newer. AE MCP Bridge supports After Effects 2022 or newer with Node.js 18, and Engine Room is tested on After Effects 2026.
Can the AI break my project?
It can edit compositions, layers, effects and keyframes. Engine Room and AE MCP Bridge make changes as ordinary undo steps, but mcp-aftereffects advises trying it on a backup or test file first. It also warns that layer names, expressions and file paths may be sent to your AI service.
Which After Effects MCP server is the most used?
By GitHub stars it is Dakkshin's, about 830, but its last commit was in April 2026. mcp-aftereffects has about 2,800 weekly npm downloads, more than the other servers here that publish an npm package, and was updated in October 2026.
Are they free?
Yes. All six are MIT licensed. You still need After Effects installed.