After Effects MCP Server for Cursor: Setup & Config

What you can do with After Effects in Cursor

Bring assistant commands into an existing After Effects session for composition and animation edits.

• Set up a composition with the requested image dimensions and animation timing.
• Adjust masking, track mattes, or layer dimensionality from an assistant.
• Run an application-side JavaScript task and retrieve its results.

Before you start: After Effects in Cursor

• Adobe After Effects version 2022 or above
• Node.js version 14 or above
• npm or yarn for dependencies and build steps
• Installed bridge scripts and an open MCP Bridge Auto panel

The placeholder entry-point path comes from the README and must be replaced with your built checkout's location. Prepare the checkout by installing dependencies with npm install, compiling with npm run build, then copying the bridge through npm run install-bridge. The README also supplies yarn variants. In After Effects, open mcp-bridge-auto.jsx from Window and enable the panel's Auto-run commands option.

After Effects Cursor configuration

1. Choose Cursor configuration scope

   For After Effects MCP Server, open Project: .cursor/mcp.json User: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Merge into mcpServers at project or user scope.

2. Add After Effects MCP Server to Cursor

   Use the after-effects-mcp entry below in mcpServers. Keep After Effects MCP Server's documented stdio connection fields and your other Cursor entries.

3. Check After Effects MCP Server in Cursor

   After Effects MCP Server: Enable in Cursor’s MCP settings; inspect tools.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "after-effects-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "PATH/TO/after-effects-mcp/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

After Effects tools available to Cursor

After Effects's stored tool list documents 14 tools; compare it with Cursor's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

get-help

Find get-help under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

create-composition

Find create-composition under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

getLayerInfo

Find getLayerInfo under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

batchSetLayerProperties

Find batchSetLayerProperties under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

setLayerProperties

Find setLayerProperties under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

setLayerMask

Find setLayerMask under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

setLayerExpression

Find setLayerExpression under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

setLayerKeyframe

Find setLayerKeyframe under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Assign a property value at an animation time through a keyframe.

createNullObject

Find createNullObject under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Add a null object that can be used for animation control.

createCamera

Find createCamera under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Add a camera as a composition layer.

duplicateLayer

Find duplicateLayer under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Make a layer copy, optionally assigning a new name.

deleteLayer

Find deleteLayer under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Take the selected layer out of its composition.

run-script

Find run-script under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Submit JavaScript for execution in the After Effects application.

get-results

Find get-results under After Effects in Cursor's MCP settings; inspect its arguments when the agent requests a call.

Read back the results produced by a submitted script.

After Effects: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting After Effects in Cursor

• Cursor must find node (Node.js) for After Effects MCP Server. Enable the project/user entry in MCP settings and inspect its tools.
• After Effects MCP Server uses stdio here: Cursor must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
• Known limitation: Requires a compatible installed After Effects application, not only the MCP package.
• Known limitation: Bridge installation and an active panel with automatic execution are necessary desktop-side steps.
• General Cursor troubleshooting lives in the /clients/cursor guide.

Frequently asked questions