Photoshop MCP Server for VS Code: Setup & Config

What you can do with Photoshop in VS Code

A Windows Photoshop bridge for assistant-driven document creation, layer work, and inspection.

• Create a Photoshop document and add a text layer.
• Save documents through an assistant workflow.

Before you start: Photoshop in VS Code

• Windows
• Locally installed Adobe Photoshop
• Python 3.10+
• uv / uvx for the recommended configuration

The README reports testing Photoshop CC2017 through 2024. macOS and Linux are not supported. Set PS_VERSION to the local release you intend to control.

Photoshop VS Code configuration

1. Choose VS Code configuration scope

   For Photoshop MCP Server, open Workspace: .vscode/mcp.json. Merge into servers; preserve existing inputs.

2. Add Photoshop MCP Server to VS Code

   Use the photoshop-python-api-mcp-server entry below in servers. Keep Photoshop MCP Server's documented stdio connection fields and your other VS Code entries.

3. Check Photoshop MCP Server in VS Code

   Photoshop MCP Server: Start in VS Code’s MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.

{
  "servers": {
    "photoshop-python-api-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--python",
        "3.10",
        "photoshop-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PS_VERSION": "<Installed Photoshop version, such as 2024>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Photoshop tools available to VS Code

Photoshop's stored tool list documents 2 tools; compare it with VS Code's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

create_document

Look for create_document among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting Photoshop through the MCP controls.

Create a new document in Photoshop.

create_text_layer

Look for create_text_layer among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting Photoshop through the MCP controls.

Photoshop: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting Photoshop in VS Code

• Make uvx --python (from uv, for Python tools) available in the workspace, container, or remote environment hosting Photoshop MCP Server. Start through VS Code's MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.
• For Photoshop MCP Server, keep PS_VERSION out of version control; VS Code documents input variables and secret handling.
• Photoshop MCP Server uses stdio here: VS Code must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
• Known limitation: Runs only on Windows because of COM dependencies.
• Known limitation: Requires Photoshop to be installed locally.
• General VS Code troubleshooting lives in the /clients/vscode guide.

Frequently asked questions