Illustrator MCP Server

Illustrator MCP Server

An MCP server that drives Adobe Illustrator: documents, artboards, layers, shapes and paths, text, colour, pathfinder operations and export. It runs on the machine where Illustrator is installed and talks to it through ExtendScript, the scripting interface Illustrator ships with.

Requires Illustrator 2023 or later on macOS or Windows, and Node.js 18 or later.

Install

Claude Code:

claude mcp add illustrator -- npx -y adobe-mcp-illustrator

Any client that reads an mcpServers block (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Warp, …):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "illustrator": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "adobe-mcp-illustrator"]
    }
  }
}

On macOS the first call asks for permission to control Illustrator (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation).

Conventions

• Positions and sizes are points (72 pt = 1 in), measured from the top-left corner of an artboard (artboardIndex, default 0), with y increasing downward. Illustrator's own document coordinates run upward; the server converts both ways and accounts for large-canvas documents.
• Items are chosen with target: { ids: [...] }, { names: [...] } or { selection: true }. Ids are Illustrator's own item ids (PageItem.uuid); they come from list_items and from every tool that creates artwork.
• Colours are a swatch name, "#RRGGBB", "rgb(r,g,b)", "cmyk(c,m,y,k)", "gray(g)" or "none". A document's colour mode is fixed when it is created, so create_document asks for it.
• Fonts are PostScript names; list_fonts finds them.
• Files must be inside your home folder or a directory in ILLUSTRATOR_ALLOWED_DIRS.

Tools

Area	Tools
Documents	get_document_info, list_documents, create_document, open_document (AI, PDF pages with crop box, EPS, SVG, AutoCAD with import options, images, CGM, CorelDRAW, EMF/WMF, Word, RTF, text), save_document (.ai or .eps, each artboard to its own file, transparency for legacy versions), close_document
Document commands	new_from_template, save_document_copy, revert_document, close_all_documents, list_document_presets, create_document_from_preset (name, size, orientation, units, colour mode, raster effects, preview mode, transparency grid, bleed), get_document_setup, set_document_setup (colour mode, ruler origin, large canvas, Edit Artboards), open_document_with_options (legacy files, recent files, open as a library), get_file_info, set_file_info (File Info and XMP), use_clipboard (cut, copy, paste, paste in place, on all artboards, without formatting), switch_document
Artboards	list_artboards, add_artboard, set_artboard (orientation, scale artwork with it), delete_artboard, set_active_artboard, fit_artboard_to_artwork (selected art or artwork bounds), rearrange_artboards, copy_artboard (duplicate, cut, copy to another document), delete_empty_artboards, align_artboards, reorder_artboards, convert_to_artboards, set_artboard_display (centre mark, cross hairs, video safe areas and rulers, ruler origin, border, Show / Hide Artboards), view_artboard
Layers	list_layers, create_layer, set_layer_properties (Layer Options, knockout), set_active_layer, delete_layer, move_items_to_layer (or Send to Current Layer), organize_layers (merge, flatten, collect in new layer, release to layers, reverse order), set_other_layers (hide, lock or outline others), select_layer_artwork, paste_artwork (Paste in Front or Back)
Shapes and paths	create_rectangle, create_ellipse, create_polygon, create_star, create_line (end point, or length and angle), create_path, create_arc, create_spiral, create_rectangular_grid, create_polar_grid (each with its tool's dialog options)
Live shapes	convert_live_shapes (Convert to Shape, Expand Shape), toggle_corner_widget
Text	create_text, set_text_style, set_text_contents, convert_text_to_outlines, list_fonts
Typography	set_character_attributes (Character, OpenType and CJK options, on frames, character ranges or selected text), adjust_text (size, kerning and tracking steps, Clear Tracking, Uniform Type, Fit Headline), set_paragraph_attributes (indents, spacing, hyphenation, justification, composers, CJK options), set_tab_stops, get_text_attributes, list_text_styles, create_text_style, edit_text_style, delete_text_styles, apply_text_style (and Clear Overrides), load_text_styles, set_text_frame_options (point/area conversion, Area Type Options, optical margin, anti-aliasing), thread_text_frames
Type	create_path_text (type on a path, area type in a shape), set_path_text (path effects, start and end, spacing, flip, legacy update), change_case, insert_special_character (symbols, dashes, quotes, spaces, forced line break), apply_smart_punctuation, fill_placeholder_text, run_type_command (convert bullets to text, show hidden characters, auto spell check), list_document_fonts (with missing fonts), replace_font, find_replace_text (match case, whole word), set_text_wrap, list_stories, update_legacy_text, set_text_orientation, import_text, export_text, set_asian_type (composer, kinsoku, mojikumi, tsume, aki, tate-chu-yoko, warichu), set_right_to_left_text (direction, Middle Eastern composer, digits, kashidas)
Appearance	set_fill, set_stroke (both with a tint for spot and global swatches, or a gradient swatch), set_opacity, get_appearance, create_gradient
Graphic styles and fill/stroke controls	list_graphic_styles, apply_graphic_style (replace or merge), rename_graphic_style, delete_graphic_styles, save_graphic_style_library, open_graphic_styles (panel or a built-in library), add_appearance_attribute (another fill or stroke), set_transparency_group (knockout, isolate blending), toggle_view_option (transparency grid, Live Paint gaps), get_default_fill_stroke, set_default_fill_stroke, swap_fill_stroke, reset_fill_stroke
Live Paint	make_live_paint (make or merge), release_live_paint, expand_live_paint
Colour	list_swatches, create_swatch (process, global, spot, spot from Lab values), create_swatch_group, delete_swatches, add_used_colors, edit_colors (convert to CMYK, RGB or grayscale, invert, blend)
Swatch management	edit_swatch (Swatch Options: name, colour, process/global/spot), duplicate_swatches, merge_swatches, find_unused_swatches, add_current_color, edit_swatch_group (colour groups), open_swatch_library, load_swatch_library (built-in libraries or .ai files, gradient presets), save_swatch_library (Save Swatch Library as AI, or add to one)
Recolouring and gradients	adjust_colors (by script: saturate, adjust colour balance, complement, web-safe, printable; on items or a colour group), overprint_black, apply_gradient (Gradient tool placement, one gradient across several objects, predefined gradients)
Colour management	get_color_settings (settings files, document profile), load_color_settings, set_color_view (Proof Setup, Proof Colors, gradient annotator)
Selecting and arranging	list_items, get_selection, select_items, select_same, select_all, deselect_all, delete_items, duplicate_items, move_items, scale_items, rotate_items, reflect_items, align_items (to selection, artboard or key object), arrange_items, group_items, ungroup_items (one level, or every level with Ungroup All)
Combining	make_clipping_mask, make_compound_path, pathfinder (also hard mix, soft mix and trap)
Paths	path_operation (outline stroke, join, add anchor points, reverse direction, divide objects below, release compound path, make pixel perfect, expand appearance), average_points (and join), clean_up, split_into_grid, split_path, set_path_options (fill rule, guides, pixel alignment), get_path_info (area, length, anchors)
Effects	apply_effect (drop shadow, inner and outer glow, feather, scribble, round corners, convert to shape, free distort, pucker & bloat, roughen, transform, tweak, twist, zig zag, the fifteen warps, offset path, outline object and stroke, crop marks, rasterize, Gaussian blur, NTSC colors), apply_svg_filter, apply_last_effect, set_raster_effect_settings
Transforming	transform_each (random, copies), shear_items, apply_matrix, repeat_transform (Transform Again), resize_items (width and height, relative or absolute), get_bounds (geometric, visible, control), nudge_items, set_transform_options (reference point, scale corners, bounding box), reset_bounding_box, distribute_items (edges, centres, spacing, exact gap), distort_items (free and perspective distort)
Envelopes and objects on a path	make_envelope (with top object), edit_envelope (release, expand, edit contents), expand_objects_on_path
Selection	select_by_type (Select > Object: text, point and area type, clipping masks, stray points, brush strokes, not pixel-aligned, same layers, direction handles), change_selection (reselect, inverse, next object above or below), select_nested_items (inside groups, or the group above), select_similar_items (stroke weight and opacity within a tolerance, blending mode), toggle_global_edit, lock_items and hide_items (the targets, artwork above, or everything else), unlock_all, show_all, set_isolation_mode
Clipping masks	release_clipping_mask, edit_clipping_mask (Edit Mask, Edit Contents), add_to_clipping_mask (into a clip group, or around a path as Draw Inside does), remove_from_clipping_mask
Graphs and meshes	list_graphs, apply_graph_data (load a variable library, display a data set), list_meshes
Path editing	edit_anchor_points (remove, convert to corner or smooth, set anchor and handles), copy_items (to another document or the clipboard), simplify_path (curve precision, angle threshold, straight lines), compound_shape (make with a shape mode, release, expand), repeat_pathfinder, intertwine (make, release)
Blends	make_blend (optionally outlining text for blended lettering), set_blend_options (steps, orientation), release_blend, expand_blend, reverse_blend, replace_blend_spine
Preferences and tools	get_preferences, set_preferences, select_tool (including the graph, mesh, blend and print tiling tools)
Placing and export	place_image (images, PDF pages, EPS and DCS, SVG, AI, AutoCAD, CGM, CorelDRAW, EMF/WMF), export_png (scale or fit, matte, HTML), export_jpeg, export_svg (Save As SVG: profile, font subsetting, encoding, XMP, slices, text options), export_web_svg (Export As SVG: styling, IDs, minify, responsive), export_for_screens (artboards, assets and the full document; scale by factor, width, height or resolution; Advanced Settings per format), export_pdf (preset plus PDF/X, compression and downsampling, font subsetting, bleed, marks, colour conversion, output intent, flattening, passwords and permissions, Acrobat layers)
Variables and data sets	list_variables, create_variable, bind_variable, delete_variables, create_data_sets (from records: text, image files, visibility), show_data_set, delete_data_sets, export_data_sets (each data set to PNG or JPEG), import_variables, export_variables, set_variables_locked
Prepress and printing	set_overprint, make_trap_stroke, flatten_transparency, toggle_prepress_view (Overprint Preview, print tiling, Separations Preview, Flattener Preview, Attributes), create_trim_marks, list_print_settings, print_document (to a printer or a PostScript file; preset plus each Print dialog page, with document ink options)
3D	apply_3d_effect (extrude, revolve, inflate, rotate: the 3D and Materials effect or 3D Classic with rotation, perspective and surface)
Brushes	list_brushes, apply_brush (and expand to outlines), import_brushes (from a library file), save_brush_library, open_brush_library
Perspective grid	set_perspective_grid (presets, show or hide, active plane, match plane to object, View menu toggles), attach_to_perspective, release_perspective, import_perspective_presets, export_perspective_presets
Patterns and repeats	create_pattern (Object > Pattern > Make), apply_pattern (fill or stroke), rename_pattern, edit_pattern (enter or leave pattern editing mode), transform_pattern (move, scale, rotate, reflect or shear the pattern only), make_repeat (radial, grid or mirror, with options), set_repeat_options, release_repeat
Image Trace	trace_image (preset plus every Image Trace panel option, optionally expanded), set_trace_options (re-trace, save as a preset), get_trace_info (paths, anchors, colours), expand_trace, release_trace, list_tracing_presets
Symbols	list_symbols (instance counts, unused), create_symbol (registration point, replace the art), place_symbol, replace_symbol, select_symbol_instances, break_symbol_link, rename_symbol, duplicate_symbol, delete_symbols (or every unused one), open_symbol_library (built-in or a file), save_symbol_library
Other formats	export_psd (layers, editable text, colour model, resolution), export_tiff (LZW, byte order, colour model, resolution), export_web_image (GIF and PNG-8 with colours, reduction, dither, matte, lossy GIF), export_autocad (DWG or DXF: version, scale, colours, raster format), export_selection_as_ai, place_text_file
Asset export and slices	list_assets, collect_assets (as one asset or one per item), rename_asset, remove_assets, export_selection (PNG or .ai), list_slices, edit_slices (make, release, create from selection or guides, duplicate, combine, clip to artboard, delete all, show/hide, lock, slice a rectangle), set_item_url (image map and slice URLs)
Images and links	list_images (links with status and file details, embedded images, embedded files, non-native and plug-in art), relink_images (one file, all instances, missing links from a folder), update_links (update or embed), go_to_link, place_images (several files in a grid, Photoshop import options), rasterize_items (every Rasterize option), crop_image, colorize_image, run_image_command (remove background, make or release a mockup)
Actions and automation	list_actions (sets in the Actions panel, or the steps in an .aia file), play_action, load_actions (Load or Replace Actions; rename actions, remove them or their steps, and switch steps or their dialogs on or off before loading), create_action_set (new actions from saved steps), unload_actions (an action, a set, or Clear Actions), run_batch (Batch by script: a folder of files or every data set, to a destination), run_script_file, import_csv_data (a CSV data source as data sets), get_item_data and set_item_data (tags and notes)
Utility	illustrator_status, execute_menu_command, find_menu_commands, execute_illustrator_code, help

help({ tool }) describes any tool's parameters.

How it stays out of your way

• No dialogs. Every script switches Illustrator's alerts off while it runs and restores your setting afterwards, even when the script fails, so a warning cannot leave a call waiting.
• Your settings come back. The coordinate system a script uses is set for that script and restored afterwards.
• Timeouts say why. If Illustrator does not answer within ILLUSTRATOR_SCRIPT_TIMEOUT_MS (default 120 s), the error says a dialog is probably open in Illustrator.
• Menu commands are checked. Illustrator ignores a menu command name it does not know and reports nothing for one it does. execute_menu_command accepts only the 859 known names (unless you pass allowUnknown) and returns the selection and document state after the command, so you can see what it did.
• Live Effects and preferences come from published practice. Adobe does not document the LiveEffect XML that apply_effect and pathfinder pass to applyEffect, nor the preference keys behind set_preferences; the server uses only parameters and keys that published scripts rely on, recorded with their sources in the capability atlas. pathfinder can fall back to Illustrator's menu commands with method: "menu". The Photoshop effects (Effect Gallery, Artistic, Sketch, Texture and the rest) are not offered: each command opens a dialog, and their LiveEffect parameters are stored as encoded binary that no published script sets. NTSC Colors, which has no dialog, is the exception.
• Commands through a temporary Action. The object model cannot set a blend's steps or orientation, run Simplify, make a Pathfinder compound shape or flatten transparency, so make_blend, set_blend_options, simplify_path, compound_shape and flatten_transparency write a one-step Action, play it with its dialog closed and unload it again. The Action parameters are the ones published scripts and recorded action sets use.
• Dialogs done by script. Average, Clean Up, Split Into Grid, Transform Each, Batch and several Edit Colors commands open a dialog, so the server does what each dialog describes through the object model instead. Smooth and Offset Path have no such route and are not offered (apply_effect with offset_path and expand covers Offset Path).
• Actions edited as files. Illustrator can play, load and unload an action but cannot list or change a loaded one. list_actions reads the sets from Illustrator's preferences, as AiCommandPalette does, and load_actions and create_action_set make their changes to the .aia file before loading it. run_batch does what the Batch dialog does, one call per file, so a long batch does not time out.
• Data sets from records. Illustrator captures a data set from the artwork as it is, so create_data_sets sets each record's values on the bound objects and then captures it, the way published variable scripts do.
• No raw input in scripts. Every value a caller passes is validated and written into the script as a literal.

Configuration

Variable	Purpose
ILLUSTRATOR_APP_NAME	macOS: address a specific copy, e.g. Adobe Illustrator 2025. By default the server addresses Illustrator by its bundle id.
ILLUSTRATOR_ALLOWED_DIRS	Extra directories for opening, placing and exporting files (:-separated on macOS, ; on Windows).
ILLUSTRATOR_SCRIPT_TIMEOUT_MS	How long to wait for Illustrator. Default 120000.
ILLUSTRATOR_BACKEND / ILLUSTRATOR_TARGET	Set to artcraft or vectorcraft to route tool calls to VectorCraft via loopback JSON-lines. Default auto (routes to VectorCraft if listening on port 7979 when Adobe Illustrator is not running).
VECTORCRAFT_CONTROL_PORT	Port for VectorCraft control channel. Default 7979.
VECTORCRAFT_CONTROL_TOKEN	Token for VectorCraft authentication if required.

Development

npm test         # definitions, argument parsing, protocol, and the static script audit
npm run audit    # the audit alone, with findings listed
npm run check    # syntax check

The static audit runs every tool with sample arguments against a stubbed Illustrator and checks that each generated script parses as ES5 and uses only names in Illustrator's scripting object model (2022 to 2025). It does not run anything in Illustrator: a tool that passes it has not necessarily been run against the application.

Shared infrastructure (script escaping, the executor, the server shell, the audit) comes from adobe-mcp-core, the foundation shared with adobe-mcp-indesign.

Licence

MIT. See LICENSE and NOTICE for the menu command data.