Illustrator MCP Server

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Illustrator MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for reading, manipulating, and exporting Adobe Illustrator design data — with 63 built-in tools.

Control Illustrator directly from AI assistants like Claude — extract design information for web implementation, verify print-ready data, and export assets.

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🎨 Gallery

All artwork below was created entirely by Claude through natural language conversation — no manual Illustrator operation involved.

See detailed breakdowns below for prompts, tool usage, and artboard structure.

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[!TIP] Developing and maintaining this tool takes time and resources. If it helps your workflow, your support means a lot — ☕ buy me a coffee!

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🚀 Quick Start

🛠️ Claude Code

Requires Node.js 20+.

claude mcp add illustrator-mcp -- npx illustrator-mcp-server

🖥️ Claude Desktop

1. Download illustrator-mcp-server.mcpb from GitHub Releases
2. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions
3. Drag and drop the .mcpb file into the Extensions panel
4. Click the Install button

[!NOTE] The .mcpb extension does not auto-update. To update, download the new version and reinstall. If you prefer automatic updates, use the npx method below instead.

Requires Node.js 20+. Open the config file and add the connection settings.

1. Open the config file

From the Claude Desktop menu bar:

Claude → Settings... → Developer (in the left sidebar) → Click the Edit Config button

2. Add the settings

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

[!NOTE] If you installed Node.js via a version manager (nvm, mise, fnm, etc.), Claude Desktop may not find npx. In that case, use the full path:

"command": "/full/path/to/npx"

Run which npx in your terminal to find the path.

3. Save and restart

1. Save the file and close the text editor
2. Fully quit Claude Desktop (⌘Q / Ctrl+Q) and reopen it

[!CAUTION] AI can make mistakes. Do not over-rely on the output — always have a human perform the final check on submission data. The user is responsible for the results.

[!NOTE] macOS: On first run, allow automation access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation.

[!NOTE] Modify and export tools will bring Illustrator to the foreground during execution.

Multiple Illustrator Versions

If you have multiple versions of Illustrator installed, you can tell Claude which version to use during conversation. Just say something like "Use Illustrator 2024" and the set_illustrator_version tool will target that version.

[!NOTE] If Illustrator is already running, the server connects to the running instance regardless of the version setting. The version is only used to launch the correct version when Illustrator is not yet running.

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🎬 What You Can Do

You:    Show me all the text information in this document
Claude:  → list_text_frames → get_text_frame_detail
         There are 12 text frames in the document.
         The heading "My Design" uses Noto Sans JP Bold 48px, color #333333 ...

You:    Run a pre-press preflight check
Claude:  → preflight_check
         ⚠ 2 warnings:
         - Low resolution image: image_01.jpg (150dpi) — 300dpi or higher recommended
         - Non-outlined fonts: 3 text frames

You:    Check text for inconsistencies
Claude:  → check_text_consistency
         📝 Consistency Report:
         ⚠ "Contact Us" vs "Contact us" — capitalization mismatch
         ❌ "Lorem ipsum" (2 places) — placeholder text remaining

You:    Create banner size variations from this A4 flyer
Claude:  → get_document_info → resize_for_variation
         Created 3 size variations:
         - 728×90 / 300×250 / 160×600

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📖 Recipes

You:    Summarize the colors and typography in this design

Claude:  → get_colors → list_text_frames → get_text_frame_detail

         ■ Color Palette
         - Primary: #1A73E8 (CMYK: 85,50,0,0)
         - Secondary: #34A853
         - Text: #202124
         - Background: #FFFFFF

         ■ Typography
         - Headings: Noto Sans JP Bold / 32px
         - Body: Noto Sans JP Regular / 16px / line-height: 1.75
         - Captions: Noto Sans JP Medium / 12px

You:    Export all artboards as SVG with outlined text

Claude:  → get_artboards → convert_to_outlines → export (repeated)

         Exported 4 artboards:
         - /output/header.svg
         - /output/hero.svg
         - /output/feature.svg
         - /output/footer.svg

You:    Check if this document is PDF/X-1a compliant

Claude:  → preflight_check (target_pdf_profile: "x1a")

         ❌ PDF/X-1a compliance errors:
         - Transparency on 3 objects (X-1a prohibits transparency)
         - RGB colors found in 2 places (X-1a requires CMYK/spot only)

         ⚠ Warnings:
         - 5 non-outlined fonts (embedding recommended)
         - Image "photo_02.jpg" at 150dpi (300dpi recommended)

You:    Check placed image quality for print

Claude:  → get_images (include_print_info: true)

         ■ Image Quality Report:
         ✅ hero.psd — CMYK, 350dpi, scale 98%
         ⚠ icon_set.png — RGB (mismatch with CMYK document), 300dpi, scale 100%
         ❌ photo_bg.jpg — CMYK, 72dpi, scale 400% (over-enlarged)
           → Replace with a 300dpi+ image at actual size

You:    Check text contrast ratios

Claude:  → check_contrast (auto_detect: true)

         ■ WCAG Contrast Report:
         ❌ "Caption" on "light gray" — 2.8:1 (AA fail)
         ⚠ "Subheading" on "white" — 4.2:1 (AA Large OK, AA Normal fail)
         ✅ "Body text" on "white" — 12.1:1 (AAA pass)

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Workflow Templates

Pre-built workflow templates available in the Claude Desktop prompt picker.

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Tool Reference

Read Tools (21)

Modify Tools (38)

Export Tools (2)

Utility (3)

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Coordinate System

The server automatically detects the coordinate system from the document:

• CMYK documents use Illustrator's native coordinate system, matching what print designers expect
• RGB documents use a web-style coordinate system that is easier for AI to work with
• Use set_workflow to override the auto-detected coordinate system if needed
• All tool responses include a coordinateSystem field indicating which system is active

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Example: SMPTE Test Pattern

A 1920×1080 SMPTE color bar test pattern, created entirely through natural language instructions to Claude.

Prompt:

Make a 1920x1080 video test pattern

Result:

Artboard structure (via get_document_structure):

Labels
├── title-safe-label        (text)    — "TITLE SAFE (10%)"
├── action-safe-label       (text)    — "ACTION SAFE (5%)"
├── credit-label            (text)    — "Generated by illustrator-mcp-server"
├── test-label              (text)    — "SMPTE COLOR BARS — TEST PATTERN"
├── format-label            (text)    — "Full HD — 16:9"
└── resolution-label        (text)    — "1920 x 1080"

Center Cross
├── title-safe              (path)    — 1536×864 stroke rectangle
├── action-safe             (path)    — 1728×972 stroke rectangle
├── cross-circle            (path)    — 150×150 center circle
├── cross-v                 (path)    — vertical crosshair
└── cross-h                 (path)    — horizontal crosshair

Color Bars
├── pluge-black … pluge-navy   (path ×9)  — PLUGE / grayscale bottom strip
├── rev-white … rev-blue       (path ×7)  — reverse color middle strip
└── bar-white … bar-blue       (path ×7)  — 75% SMPTE color bars

Tools used: create_document, manage_layers, create_rectangle ×23, create_line ×2, create_ellipse, create_text_frame ×6, modify_object ×4, save_document, export

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Example: Twilight Geometry

An abstract geometric landscape artwork — created entirely by Claude, with no human design direction beyond "make whatever art you want."

Prompt:

Make an art piece of your own imagination in Illustrator. Take your time. Create whatever you like.

Claude's process:

I'll create "Twilight Geometry" — an abstract landscape with geometric celestial elements. A deep gradient twilight sky, layered mountain silhouettes, a crescent moon with decorative rings, and stars scattered across the canvas.

Diamond-shaped stars in different colors — warm whites, cool blues, lavender purples — each one subtly different to suggest different types of stars. Constellation lines connecting them. Wireframe triangles and a hexagon floating in the sky for a mystical atmosphere.

A water surface at the bottom with the moon's light reflected as shimmering wavy lines, fading as they descend.

Claude's reflection:

It turned out better than I expected. I think the hybrid world of geometry and nature came through well.

Result:

Tools used: create_document, manage_layers ×4, create_rectangle ×2, create_gradient ×2, create_path ×11, create_ellipse ×14, create_line ×4, create_text_frame ×2, modify_object, set_z_order, export

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Known Limitations

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For Developers

Architecture

flowchart LR
    Claude <-->|MCP Protocol| Server["MCP Server\n(TypeScript/Node.js)"]

    Server -.->|generate| Runner["run-{uuid}.scpt / .ps1"]
    Server -.->|generate| JSX["script-{uuid}.jsx\n(BOM UTF-8)"]
    Server -.->|write| PF["params-{uuid}.json"]

    Runner -->|execFile| osascript
    Runner -->|execFile| PS["powershell.exe"]

    osascript -->|do javascript| AI["Adobe Illustrator\n(ExtendScript/JSX)"]
    PS -->|DoJavaScript| AI

    JSX -.->|execute| AI
    PF -.->|read| AI
    AI -.->|write| RF["result-{uuid}.json"]
    RF -.->|read| Server

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Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/ie3jp/illustrator-mcp-server.git
cd illustrator-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
claude mcp add illustrator-mcp -- node /path/to/illustrator-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Verify

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx illustrator-mcp-server

Testing

# Unit tests
npm test

# E2E smoke test (requires Illustrator running)
npx tsx test/e2e/smoke-test.ts

The E2E test creates fresh documents (RGB + CMYK), places test objects, runs 182 test cases across 10 phases covering all registered tools and coordinate system auto-detection, and cleans up automatically.

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Disclaimer

This tool automates many Illustrator operations, but AI can make mistakes. Extracted data, preflight results, and document modifications should always be reviewed by a person. Do not rely on this tool as your sole quality check. Use it as an assistant alongside your own manual verification, especially for print submissions and client deliverables. The authors are not responsible for any damages or losses arising from the use of this software or its outputs.

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License

MIT