MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro

Give compatible AI assistants structured control over supported Adobe Premiere Pro workflows.

Free, MIT licensed, local-first, and published to npm as premiere-pro-mcp — the only package name that installs this project.

Website · Setup guides · Search tools · Troubleshooting · Release facts

Development source: 369 core tools across 53 modules, 4 resources, and 17 guided workflows. A connected UXP host adds 93 capability-gated tools.

The completed AE render handoff previews and confirms importing one finished render into an existing Premiere bin, with host and file rechecks and an import receipt.

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• What is this?
  • Latest release
  • Current MCP protocol support
• For editors evaluating an AI workflow
• Quick Start
  • Easiest supported path: Claude Desktop
  • First proof, before the first edit
  • Other AI assistants
  • Configure your MCP client
  • Verify the bridge in Premiere Pro
• Clients and capability coverage
  • Codex plugin · Claude · GPT-6 Astra tool discovery
  • Windows and macOS capability coverage
  • After Effects MOGRT studio
  • Collaboration and AI feature boundaries
  • Authenticated UXP connection
• Architecture
• Tools
• MCP Resources
• Remote Deployment (Fly.io)
• Environment Variables
• Project Structure
• Technical Details
• Frequently asked questions
• Troubleshooting
• Star history
• Support the project
• Contributing · License

What is this?

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI assistants like Claude, Windsurf, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or any MCP-compatible client directly control Adobe Premiere Pro — importing media, editing timelines, applying effects, managing keyframes, exporting, and more.

"Add the B-roll clips to V2, apply a cross dissolve between each, color correct them to match the A-roll, and export a 1080p ProRes."

At a glance

Display name	MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro
npm package	premiere-pro-mcp
Install (npm route)	npm install -g premiere-pro-mcp
Connector install	premiere-pro-mcp --install-cep
MCP server name	io.github.leancoderkavy/premiere-pro
Repository	https://github.com/leancoderkavy/premiere-pro-mcp
Website	https://premiere-pro-mcp.com
License	MIT
Hosts	Windows and macOS, Premiere Pro 2020-2026

This project is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe Inc. It is also separate from other MCP servers for Premiere Pro. The only npm package published from this repository is premiere-pro-mcp, and no other package name installs it.

Comparing similarly named packages? Both this package and adobe-premiere-pro-mcp declare a premiere-pro-mcp executable. Verify the package and repository before configuring a client. The new local configuration helper prints Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or Codex settings that point directly to this installation. It is a feature included in v1.15.1 and later.

The current source exposes 369 core tools for supported workflow steps spanning the supported ExtendScript, QE DOM, local media and interchange analysis, revisioned project-context retrieval, safe edit-planning, project-intake preview, review handoff, connection verification, and guarded After Effects MOGRT authoring, batch, library, render-queue, inspection, and Premiere-handoff workflows. A compatible, authenticated UXP panel adds 93 documented, capability-gated tools without replacing the production CEP bridge.

Latest release: 1.15.1

The published v1.15.1 npm artifact contains 369 core tools, 367 in its default profile, and 460 with a compatible UXP connection. The development catalog above can include unreleased work. See the versioned facts and package provenance.

Try a bounded workflow

Choose a setup guide: Claude Desktop, Codex, other local MCP clients, or ChatGPT connection options.

Download the workflow starter kit for synthetic media and three evaluation recipes: a read-only sequence check, an explicitly confirmed review-frame export, and a product-spot preview. No email is required. The kit has no recorded Premiere demo or verified host result. Start with a disposable project and use setup and recovery if the connection is unavailable.

Release highlights

• Editorial planning: film evidence, transcript cleanup, caption authoring, shorts and chapter planning, rhythm and speaker layouts, timeline QA, and platform delivery plans.

• Cross-app handoff: capability-aware workflow routes and guarded After Effects render-to-Premiere handoff.

• Editing correctness: verified readback and explicit capability or committed-but-unverified failures across transition, import, effects, source identity, and track operations.

• MOGRT studio: an optional, separate After Effects CEP connector can author approval-gated title, callout, quote, and social recipes; constrain them with local brand kits; batch, publish, queue, inspect, and hand them to Premiere without claiming visual or completed-render proof.

• Global-update handoff: a global npm installation can show its server and connector update state in the Windows CEP panel and, after explicit confirmation, update only after Premiere has been quit; it never changes a project, client configuration, source checkout, or custom npm prefix.

• Local review planning: caption timing previews parse caller-supplied SRT/VTT without writing or importing it, while revision-bound editorial evidence stays in the opt-in local context index without provider calls.

• Repair preview: premiere-pro-mcp --doctor --plan-fixes produces a privacy-safe, no-write repair plan; the narrowly eligible connector repair still requires an explicit confirmation that Premiere is closed.

• Auditable guidance: the universal setup guide, generated public workflow manifest, and proof runbook make workflow and verification boundaries inspectable without claiming a licensed-host walkthrough occurred.

• Faster, clearer delivery: immutable MCP registration work is reused safely across stateless requests, and the landing now has a lighter, mobile-first workflow view plus current machine-readable facts and crawl guidance for its public pages.

• Explicit boundary: the hosted endpoint remains an operator-managed MCP service; unauthenticated callers are rejected and it does not pair users to local Premiere processes. See the generated supported action catalog for individual capability and verification contracts.

See the v1.15.1 release notes for complete details. Live installation in Premiere Pro still requires host verification.

Current MCP protocol support

The server uses the stable TypeScript SDK v2 and serves the 2026-07-28 stateless protocol over HTTP and stdio, while retaining legacy MCP compatibility through 2025-11-25. Modern clients receive discovery, validated routing headers, cache hints, subscription-stream support, and the formal Premiere extension capability. See the complete MCP capability and boundary report.

If an MCP client cannot complete its server/discover probe, set PREMIERE_MCP_PROTOCOL_MODE=legacy in that client's server environment and restart the client. This uses the SDK's base stdio transport and the legacy initialization handshake only; leave it unset (or auto) for modern MCP capabilities.

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For editors evaluating an AI workflow

Before an assistant changes an active project, use the Premiere Pro AI workflow checklist to define the target and no-change boundaries, verify the local connection, request a bounded plan, and inspect the returned result. It is a practical starting point for assistant editors and post leads testing a repeatable workflow on a duplicate project or small test sequence.

For product context, see the Adobe Premiere AI Assistant and MCP comparison and the Claude Desktop setup guide.

If you are deciding between a single local project, an Adobe Production on shared storage, or a remote Team Project, use the Premiere Pro collaboration workflow guide before you evaluate an MCP path. It links the relevant Adobe guidance, makes no project inspection request, and ends with the same read-only connection check.

For a concrete first Project Intake preview, choose one of the three schema-checked, no-sensitive-data starter templates. They are evaluation samples only: a human policy owner must review and replace their bins, media rules, and organization rules before a facility uses one.

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Quick Start

Easiest supported path: Claude Desktop

1. Download the current Claude Desktop bundle (.mcpb).
2. In Claude Desktop, open Settings > Extensions > Advanced settings > Install Extension, select the downloaded bundle, and restart Claude Desktop.
3. Download the separate signed Premiere connector (.zxp). Open it with your trusted ZXP installer. If your computer has no ZXP installer, use the npm connector installer in Advanced setup below.
4. Restart Premiere, open a project, then open Window > Extensions > MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro.
5. In Claude, enter: Safely check my Premiere connection with verify_premiere_connection. Make no changes.

The Claude bundle contains the local MCP server, so this route does not require Node.js. The Premiere connector is a separate required install. The first prompt is read-only and reports whether the server is installed, configured, connected, and live-verified.

First proof, before the first edit

This is an illustrated workflow, not a Premiere panel screenshot or licensed-host proof.

1. Open a copied test project and an active sequence in Premiere.
2. Open Window > Extensions > MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro. “Running” means the local panel bridge is available; it does not show that an edit completed.
3. Run premiere-pro-mcp --doctor to check only local package/configuration readiness.
4. Ask the AI client: Run verify_premiere_connection. Make no changes. The returned check is read-only and avoids project names, paths, and media details.

If a bridge, project, or active sequence is missing, fix that setup state before allowing a mutation. For a concise, translatable version of this path, see quick starts in English, Spanish, and Japanese. The translations are machine-assisted drafts and retain command names in English.

Other AI assistants

Cursor, VS Code/Copilot, Windsurf, and other MCP clients do not currently have a project-provided one-click installer. Use their MCP settings with the advanced npm route below. Keep the assistant, server, connector, and Premiere on the same computer.

For a portable reference users can download and attach to any AI assistant, see the MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro setup guide for AI assistants. Attaching the guide provides assistant context; the local server and Premiere connector still need to be installed separately.

Before you begin

• Node.js 20.19 or newer on Windows or macOS.
• Adobe Premiere Pro 2020–2026. Keep Premiere, the CEP bridge, and your MCP client on the same computer for the recommended local setup.
• Optional: ffmpeg on PATH for detect_silence (brew install ffmpeg on macOS or winget install Gyan.FFmpeg on Windows). The production Docker image already includes it.

1. Install

Option A — npm:

npm install -g premiere-pro-mcp

Option B — Clone from source:

git clone https://github.com/leancoderkavy/premiere-pro-mcp.git
cd premiere-pro-mcp
npm install
npm run build

2. Install the CEP plugin

If installed via npm:

premiere-pro-mcp --install-cep

If cloned from source:

npm run install-cep

This installs the plugin into Premiere Pro's per-user extensions folder and enables debug mode.

3. Check the setup

premiere-pro-mcp --doctor

Then ask your MCP client to run verify_premiere_connection. The check is read-only.

Update an existing installation

New releases update the local server and Premiere connector; a deployment of the hosted MCP service does not replace software on your computer. Fully quit Premiere before updating the connector.

Installed globally from npm:

premiere-pro-mcp --check-update
premiere-pro-mcp --update

--update only changes a global npm installation. It installs the published latest package, refreshes the bundled CEP connector, and leaves your MCP client configuration and projects untouched. Restart Premiere and your MCP client afterward, then run verify_premiere_connection before editing.

From the MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro panel (Windows global npm install):

The MCP updates card compares the installed global server and connector with npm latest. Choose Update after quit, review the confirmation, then quit Premiere normally. A per-user helper waits for Premiere to exit; it never force-quits the app, then installs the published npm package and refreshes its matching connector. This also supports older global installs that predate the --update command. When you reopen Premiere, the panel reports the result and reminds you to restart your MCP client and verify the connection. This flow never changes a project or MCP client configuration. It deliberately will not update a Git checkout, a custom npm prefix, or a Claude Desktop .mcpb bundle.

Installed from a Git clone:

npm run check-update:source
npm run update:source

The source updater refuses a checkout with uncommitted files or local commits, fast-forwards only to its configured upstream, runs npm ci and the production build, then refreshes the CEP connector. This avoids silently overwriting local code. If you installed the Claude Desktop .mcpb bundle, download and install the newer bundle from the GitHub release instead; Claude controls extension updates.

Remove the CEP connector

Fully quit Premiere, then remove only this connector:

premiere-pro-mcp --uninstall-cep

The uninstaller intentionally leaves Adobe's shared PlayerDebugMode setting in place so it does not disrupt other CEP extensions. Remove the MCP server from your AI client's configuration and uninstall the npm package separately if you no longer use it. On macOS, --uninstall-cep removes the per-user npm/source install; the signed system-wide .pkg route has a separate privileged removal command in distribution readiness.

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Publishing to npm

The easiest repeatable path is the token-free GitHub Actions workflow:

1. In the npm package settings, configure GitHub Actions as the trusted publisher for leancoderkavy/premiere-pro-mcp and workflow file npm-publish.yml.
2. Allow the npm publish action.
3. Open Actions -> Publish npm -> Run workflow and keep the default latest tag.

The workflow installs dependencies, builds, runs tests, verifies the packed files, refuses to republish an existing version, then publishes through short-lived OIDC credentials with automatic provenance. No npm token or recurring OTP is required.

For local publishing, use the guided helper:

npm run publish:npm

Useful local variants:

npm run publish:npm:dry-run
NPM_OTP=123456 npm run publish:npm
NPM_TOKEN=npm_xxx npm run publish:npm

mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions
ln -s "$(pwd)/cep-plugin" ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/MCPBridgeCEP

# Enable unsigned extensions (CSXS 9–14)
for v in 9 10 11 12 13 14; do
  defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.$v PlayerDebugMode 1
done

1. Copy the cep-plugin folder to %APPDATA%\Adobe\CEP\extensions\MCPBridgeCEP
2. Open Registry Editor and set these String (REG_SZ) values to 1 (not DWORD):
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\CSXS.12\PlayerDebugMode
   • (repeat for CSXS.9 through CSXS.14)

3. Configure your MCP client

If you installed from npm, configure the client to run the global command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "premiere-pro-mcp"
    }
  }
}

If you cloned the repository instead, use the source-build configuration shown below for your client.

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/premiere-pro-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Add to your MCP server configuration:

{
  "premiere-pro": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["/absolute/path/to/premiere-pro-mcp/dist/index.js"]
  }
}

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project or global config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/premiere-pro-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Add to your VS Code MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/premiere-pro-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

4. Verify the bridge in Premiere Pro

1. Open (or restart) Premiere Pro
2. The bridge starts automatically using the default temp directory (or its previously saved setting)
3. Optionally go to Window > Extensions > MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro to confirm the green "Running" status or change the Temp Directory to match your MCP client config
4. Ask your AI assistant to run get_capabilities, then ping, with Premiere open.
5. For a safe first request, ask: "What is my current Premiere Pro project and active sequence? Do not make changes."

The default bridge directory is derived from the operating system on both sides, so most local setups should not set PREMIERE_TEMP_DIR. On macOS, the server resolves the per-user system temporary directory even when a GUI-launched client strips TMPDIR, keeping it aligned with Premiere's CEP panel. If you override it, use the same absolute path in the MCP server and CEP panel; Windows and macOS paths are not interchangeable.

Codex plugin

This repository includes an installable Codex plugin that bundles the local MCP server with a safety-oriented Premiere editing skill.

From a clone of this repository:

codex plugin marketplace add .
codex plugin add premiere-pro@premiere-pro-mcp
npx -y premiere-pro-mcp@1.15.1 --install-cep

Restart Premiere Pro and start a new Codex session after installation. The plugin launches premiere-pro-mcp@1.15.1 through npx; the separate CEP installation is required because the MCP server communicates with the running Premiere host through the local bridge.