Flue Skill for Claude Code: What It Does and How to Install It

Lets your coding agent run scripts inside desktop apps such as Photoshop, Blender, Unity and Excel through a small command line bridge.

Installs: 12.6K; on skills.sh
Stars: 102; on GitHub
Files: 5; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

The skill is the entry point to the Flue Python package. The agent reads the live state of an app, then sends a small script through a bridge command, which executes inside the app's own scripting runtime and returns JSON. Flue is not an MCP server.

It loads when you want work done inside a desktop application. It needs pip install flue and flue setup, and the target app open. The skill tells the agent to act as a copilot: no saving, closing, exporting or rendering unless you ask.

Good for

Designers and editors who want an agent to work inside Photoshop, Illustrator or Premiere
3D and game developers working in Blender, Unity, Houdini or 3ds Max
People automating Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents

Install flue

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the flue skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

pip install flue
flue setup --agent claude

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Python 3.10 or newer, Windows or macOS.

The skill is a short bootstrap file. The tooling is the Python package, so install the package: pip install flue, then flue setup. Setup detects your coding agents and writes a docs bundle and a pointer into each one. Use flue setup --agent claude to register Claude Code only. The skills CLI route installs only the bootstrap file, which tells the agent that Flue is missing. Some apps need an extra step (CEP panel for Premiere, After Effects and Audition; an addon for Blender; an editor package for Unity; startup bridges for 3ds Max and Houdini). The README documents no Claude app route, and setup.md says Claude Desktop and Cowork are not supported.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Letting agents control many desktop software, with one pip install, and no MCPs.

Key facts

Author: SFKislev (repo owner)
Repo: sfkislev/flue
License: MIT (LICENSE.md and README badge agree)
Installs on skills.sh: 12,584 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 102 for the whole SFKislev/flue repo (Nov 2, 2026)
Last repo commit: Oct 18, 2026
Audits on skills.sh: Gen Agent Trust Hub: pass, Socket: pass, Snyk: pass
What it includes: The skill file (skills/SKILL.md, with a copy at flue/skill.md) plus the flue Python package, 14 app adapters and 10 per-app skill folders in the repo (counted from the repo tree)
Package: flue on PyPI, version 1.0.31 in pyproject.toml, Python 3.10 or newer
Platforms: Windows and macOS
Needs: pip install flue, flue setup, and the target app open

What it includes

Confirms Flue is installed at the start of a session.
SKILL.md says that if it is not found, the agent stops and tells you Flue is not installed.
Runs code · flue version
The skill file names flue.cli context and run --stdin to read and change an app.
The cli.py in the repo defines no context or run subcommands, so these names may not match the installed package.
Try: “What is open in Photoshop right now?”
Runs code · Quick Start: context, then run
The bridge contract runs the adapter bridge script, sending code through stdin.
Code can also come through argv or --file. The script runs in the app (COM, ExtendScript, CEP, bpy, AppleScript or Unity Editor APIs) and returns JSON.
Try: “Add a blue cube in Blender.”
Runs code · <app>_bridge.py --stdin
README lists 14 apps; the skill file lists 13 and does not name Figma.
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects, Audition, Blender, Unity, Houdini, 3ds Max, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Figma.
Read · Adapters
Installs the docs bundle and a pointer into each detected agent harness.
Writes into folders such as ~/.claude/skills/flue/ and ~/.agents/skills/flue/.
Runs code · flue setup
Runs an adapter installer for apps that need an in-app component.
Windows only, run as powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File.
Runs code · flue install <app>
Lists blocking dialogs, and with --dismiss tries to cancel the likely one.
Actions are escape or close. The skill file says not to dismiss modals unless you ask for it.
Runs code · flue modal <app>
Checks PyPI for a newer release, upgrades with pip, and refreshes the docs bundles.
Runs code · flue update
Runs a smoke test, or removes the installed docs bundles and pointers.
Delete · flue test <app> / flue uninstall

From the official docs

Permissions

High risk

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

Scripts run inside your apps
Flue sends a script to the app scripting runtime, so a bad script can change or damage an open document or scene. The skill tells the agent not to save, close, export or render unless you ask, and to keep scripts small. Work on a copy. github.com
Setup edits your agent config files
flue setup installs a docs bundle for each detected harness (for Claude Code ~/.claude/skills/flue/) and upserts a pointer block into files such as ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, ~/.codex/AGENTS.md and ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md. It also installs ~/.agents/skills/flue/. flue uninstall removes them. github.com
Windows installers change Adobe settings
flue install runs adapter .ps1 files with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass. The Premiere installer copies a panel into %APPDATA%\Adobe\CEP\extensions and sets PlayerDebugMode to 1 under HKCU\Software\Adobe. Read the script before you run it. github.com
It installs a Python package
pip install flue downloads code from PyPI, and flue update upgrades it. The skill says the agent should not install or update Flue unless you approve in that session. github.com
In-app components are needed for some apps
setup.md says Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition need a CEP panel, Blender an addon, Unity an editor package, and 3ds Max and Houdini startup bridges. Each adds code to the app. github.com
Known issues on newer versions
known-issues.md says Premiere Pro 26 and later on macOS no longer shows the CEP Extensions menu, so the Premiere adapter does not work there. github.com

Technical details

Turning on read-only	No read-only mode is documented. context scripts read state; the bridge scripts execute whatever script the agent sends.
Talks to	pypi.org (update check and pip upgrade). Local HTTP endpoints for CEP-backed bridges, authenticated with a per-session token
Sign-in and keys	No account is used. Local CEP bridges write a session file with a random token that the shell bridge reads from a user-scoped location.
Scopes	Runs scripts inside Photoshop, Blender, Unity, Office and other desktop apps as you Needs the target app open with its automation or in-app bridge available flue setup writes files into your coding agents' config folders Installer scripts on Windows change the Adobe extensions folder and registry

Questions

What does the flue skill do?

It lets a coding agent drive desktop software such as Photoshop, Blender, Unity and Microsoft Office from the shell. The agent sends a script through a flue command, the app runs it, and JSON comes back.

How do I install it?

Use the install box at the top of this page. The README command is pip install flue followed by flue setup, which registers Flue with each coding agent it finds. The skill file alone does nothing without the Python package.

Which systems does it run on?

Windows and macOS. The README badges list both, and pyproject.toml requires Python 3.10 or newer. Some adapter installers are Windows only.

Does it work with Claude Code and the Claude app?

It works with Claude Code. setup.md says the claude target is for Claude Code and that Claude Desktop and Cowork are not supported.

Is it an MCP server?

No. The README says Flue is simpler than MCP: the agent sends a script through a small bridge command and the app returns JSON, with no server or schema to set up.

Is it safe?

It runs scripts inside your open apps and edits your agent config files during setup. The skill tells the agent not to save, close, export or render unless asked. Our advice: work on a copy of your files and run flue uninstall when you are done.

Do I need an API key?

No key is named in the README or skill file. You need the target app installed and open, and some apps need an in-app bridge from flue install.

Who makes it, and what is the license?

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: sfkislev/flue
Folder: flue

sfkislev/flue skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 7

flue README · github.com
flue setup.md · github.com
flue harnesses.md · github.com
flue skills/SKILL.md · github.com
flue flue/skill.md · github.com
flue coexistence.md · github.com
flue bridge-contract.md · github.com