日本語版はこちら / Japanese version
Illustrator MCP Server
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for reading, manipulating, and exporting Adobe Illustrator design data.
Control Illustrator directly from AI assistants like Claude — extract design information for web implementation, verify print-ready data, and export assets.
Usage Examples
Extracting design data:
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 ...
SVG export:
You: Export the "pc" artboard as SVG with outlined text
Claude: → get_artboards → export
Exported to /path/to/output.svg (text converted to outlines)
Pre-press preflight:
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
Object manipulation:
You: Create a red rectangle and place it in the top-left corner
Claude: → create_rectangle
Created a 200×100 red rectangle at (0, 0) (uuid: abc-123...)
Features
- 26 tools — 15 read / 8 modify / 2 export / 1 utility
- Web coordinate system — Y-axis down, artboard-relative (same as CSS/SVG)
- UUID tracking — Stable object identification across tool calls
Prerequisites
- macOS (osascript)
- Adobe Illustrator CC 2024+
On first run, allow automation access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation.
Setup
Claude Code
claude mcp add illustrator-mcp -- npx illustrator-mcp-server
Claude Desktop
Add to claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"illustrator": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["illustrator-mcp-server"]
}
}
}
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
Tool Reference
Read Tools (15)
Click to expand| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_document_info |
Document metadata (dimensions, color mode, profile, etc.) |
get_artboards |
Artboard information (position, size, orientation) |
get_layers |
Layer structure as a tree |
get_document_structure |
Full tree: layers → groups → objects in one call |
list_text_frames |
List of text frames (font, size, style name) |
get_text_frame_detail |
All attributes of a specific text frame (kerning, paragraph settings, etc.) |
get_colors |
Color information in use (swatches, gradients, spot colors, etc.) |
get_path_items |
Path/shape data (fill, stroke, anchor points) |
get_groups |
Groups, clipping masks, and compound path structure |
get_effects |
Effects and appearance info (opacity, blend mode) |
get_images |
Embedded/linked image info (resolution, broken link detection) |
get_symbols |
Symbol definitions and instances |
get_guidelines |
Guide information |
get_selection |
Details of currently selected objects |
find_objects |
Search by criteria (name, type, color, font, etc.) |
Modify Tools (8)
Click to expand| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
create_rectangle |
Create a rectangle (supports rounded corners) |
create_ellipse |
Create an ellipse |
create_line |
Create a line |
create_text_frame |
Create a text frame (point or area type) |
create_path |
Create a custom path (with Bezier handles) |
modify_object |
Modify properties of an existing object |
convert_to_outlines |
Convert text to outlines |
apply_color_profile |
Apply a color profile |
Export Tools (2)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
export |
SVG / PNG / JPG export (by artboard, selection, or UUID) |
export_pdf |
Print-ready PDF export (crop marks, bleed, downsampling) |
Utility (1)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
preflight_check |
Pre-press check (RGB mixing, broken links, low resolution, white overprint, etc.) |
Architecture
flowchart LR
Claude <-->|MCP Protocol| Server["MCP Server\n(TypeScript/Node.js)"]
Server <-->|execFile| osascript
osascript <-->|do javascript| AI["Adobe Illustrator\n(ExtendScript/JSX)"]
Server -.->|write| PF["params-{uuid}.json"]
PF -.->|read| AI
AI -.->|write| RF["result-{uuid}.json"]
RF -.->|read| Server
Server -.->|generate| JSX["script-{uuid}.jsx\n(BOM UTF-8)"]
Server -.->|generate| AS["run-{uuid}.scpt"]
Coordinate System
All tools accept a coordinate_system parameter.
| Value | Origin | Y-axis | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
artboard-web (default) |
Artboard top-left | Positive downward | Web / CSS implementation |
document |
Pasteboard | Positive upward (Illustrator native) | Print / DTP |
Testing
# Unit tests
npm test
# E2E smoke test (requires Illustrator running with a file open)
npx tsx test/e2e/smoke-test.ts
The E2E test suite runs all 30 cases automatically (16 read + 4 export + 2 utility + 8 modify).
Known Limitations
| Limitation | Details |
|---|---|
| macOS only | Depends on osascript. Windows support may be considered in the future |
| Live effects | ExtendScript DOM limitations prevent reading parameters for drop shadows, etc. |
| Color profile conversion | Only profile assignment is supported; full ICC conversion is not available |
| Bleed settings | Not accessible via the ExtendScript API (undocumented) |
| WebP export | Not supported — ExportType does not include WebP in ExtendScript |
| Japanese crop marks | PageMarksTypes.Japanese may not be applied correctly in PDF export |
Project Structure
illustrator-mcp-server/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # Entry point
│ ├── server.ts # MCP server
│ ├── executor/
│ │ ├── jsx-runner.ts # osascript execution + concurrency control
│ │ └── file-transport.ts # Temp file management
│ ├── tools/
│ │ ├── registry.ts # Tool registration
│ │ ├── read/ # 15 read tools
│ │ ├── modify/ # 8 modify tools
│ │ ├── export/ # 2 export tools
│ │ └── utility/ # 1 utility tool
│ └── jsx/
│ └── helpers/
│ └── common.jsx # ExtendScript common helpers
├── test/
│ └── e2e/
│ └── smoke-test.ts # E2E smoke test
└── docs/ # Design documents
License
MIT
