Premiere Pro MCP Server

Give AI full control over Adobe Premiere Pro.

278 tools across 31 modules, 3 resources, and 4 guided workflows.

License: MIT Node.js MCP npm Fly.io Premiere Pro

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."

The AI handles the entire workflow through 278 tools spanning the supported ExtendScript, QE DOM, and safe edit-planning surfaces.

What's new in 1.3.1

  • Windows npm releases now include a verified, signed CEP ZXP and install it automatically, covering hosts that reject the raw development bundle even when PlayerDebugMode is enabled.
  • set_sequence_frame_rate now converts frames per second to Premiere ticks per frame and verifies the applied setting instead of assigning a numeric frame period.
  • premiere-pro-mcp --diagnose-cep checks the installed manifest, debug-key types, and recent Premiere signature failures.
  • TypeScript 7, Vitest 4, Zod 4, MCP SDK 1.29, Next.js 16.2, and patched transitive dependencies modernize the toolchain and remove production audit findings.

Added in 1.2.0

  • Safe edit plans: preview compound insert/remove operations, bind approval to a SHA-256 plan token, then apply the validated plan in one bridge command.
  • Capability profiles: unsafe scripting is disabled by default and requires explicit unsafe-script authority.
  • Modern MCP responses: tools expose safety annotations and structured results; four workflow prompts and a machine-readable workflow resource guide common edits.
  • UXP bridge preview: a packaged Premiere 25.6+ panel adds capability discovery, event-driven state notifications with a deduplicated polling fallback, correlated operation lifecycle events, reconnecting WebSocket transport, and supported frame export with file verification. Cancellation is cooperative before non-cancellable host calls; no atomic rollback is claimed. Live host verification is still required.

Quick Start

1. Install

Option A — npm (recommended):

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.

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

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 Bridge to confirm the green "Running" status or change the Temp Directory to match your MCP client config
  4. Ask your AI assistant: "What's my current Premiere Pro project?"

The default bridge directory is derived from the operating system on both sides, so most local setups should not set PREMIERE_TEMP_DIR. 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 [email protected] --install-cep

Restart Premiere Pro and start a new Codex session after installation. The plugin launches [email protected] through npx; the separate CEP installation is required because the MCP server communicates with the running Premiere host through the local bridge.

The plugin source lives in plugins/premiere-pro, and the repository marketplace manifest lives in .agents/plugins/marketplace.json.

Claude

For Claude Code, add this repository as a marketplace and install the plugin:

/plugin marketplace add leancoderkavy/premiere-pro-mcp
/plugin install premiere-pro@premiere-pro-mcp

Then install the Premiere bridge and start a new Claude Code session:

npx -y [email protected] --install-cep

The Claude Code package lives in claude-plugins/premiere-pro, with its marketplace at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.

Claude Desktop uses the self-contained MCP Bundle format, formerly called Desktop Extensions. Build both the current .mcpb artifact and a legacy .dxt copy with:

npm run build:claude

Install the resulting file from artifacts/ through Settings > Extensions > Advanced settings > Install Extension. The Premiere CEP bridge must still be installed separately.

Windows and macOS capability coverage

Surface Windows macOS Verification boundary
CEP production bridge Premiere Pro 2020–2026 Premiere Pro 2020–2026 Run get_capabilities, then ping with Premiere open
UXP preview bridge Premiere Pro 25.6+ Premiere Pro 25.6+ Live loopback WebSocket and host API verification required
npm CEP installer Copies plugin and verifies REG_SZ debug keys Copies plugin and verifies the installed manifest/debug settings Restart Premiere after installation
CI build and unit tests Node 18 and 22 Node 18 and 22 GitHub-hosted OS runners; no Adobe host is available in CI

get_capabilities reports the current operating system, temp directory, CEP/UXP coverage, enabled authority profile, and any live-host verification still required. It also includes a tools catalog generated from the tools actually registered by the server. Every entry identifies:

  • the execution backend (local, CEP/ExtendScript, QE, or orchestrator);
  • static support status (supported, limited, experimental, or unsupported);
  • the minimum Premiere version known to the server;
  • the required authority and whether the current profile enables it;
  • the verification boundary and whether a live Premiere host is required; and
  • relevant operational notes.

QE-backed tools are reported as experimental because QE is undocumented and can vary between Premiere builds. Authority availability is reported separately from implementation support, so disabling edit, for example, does not incorrectly label editing tools as unsupported. Static metadata never claims that a Premiere operation succeeded; use ping and inspect each tool result for runtime evidence.

Tools with mixed execution boundaries can provide explicit operational metadata at registration. This is used for local file verification, static feature-support reports, and hybrid local-plus-Premiere validation so the capability catalog does not infer a host dependency from naming alone.

Collaboration and AI feature boundaries

get_advanced_feature_support returns a machine-readable matrix for Productions, Team Projects, Frame.io, Media Intelligence, Generative Extend, Object Mask, caption translation, Speech-to-Text, Enhance Speech, and Remix. Pass an optional Premiere version, intended backend, confirmed entitlements, and network state to evaluate prerequisites without conflating them with API availability. It distinguishes documented APIs from entitlements, network prerequisites, separate service APIs, and user-assisted operations without using menu automation or private APIs.

The report tool itself is local: it does not contact Premiere and is callable through the current MCP server. Each feature entry separately reports whether its operations are callable through the production CEP transport. Productions reports only static backend/version eligibility until a UXP host performs live capability negotiation.

  • Productions exposes documented read-only state through UXP, but the production MCP transport is still CEP.
  • Frame.io needs a separately authenticated Frame.io API integration; an account entitlement alone does not make it callable through Premiere's DOM.
  • Transcript JSON import/export is documented in UXP. Starting Speech-to-Text is not.
  • The remaining AI operations are user-assisted or unsupported by documented public APIs. The tool explains what can be inspected after a user completes the operation and where artifact provenance cannot be established safely.
  • The server never uses menu automation, private APIs, clip-name heuristics, or duration changes as proof that an AI operation occurred.

Authenticated UXP connection

The MCP server can accept a local UXP panel connection and invoke the UXP commands that are currently implemented:

PREMIERE_UXP_TOKEN="replace-with-a-long-random-secret" premiere-pro-mcp

Enter the same token in the UXP panel. The listener binds only to 127.0.0.1:7777, authenticates the WebSocket upgrade, requires a versioned capability handshake, correlates concurrent requests, and fails pending work on timeout or disconnect. Set PREMIERE_UXP_PORT to use another loopback port.

When enabled, MCP discovery includes get_uxp_capabilities, get_uxp_state, and export_frame_uxp. A failed UXP command is never silently retried through CEP because the first operation may have partially succeeded.

Architecture

Local (stdio):

┌───────────────┐   stdio (MCP)    ┌──────────────┐   File-based IPC   ┌───────────────┐
│  AI Client    │ ◄──────────────► │  MCP Server  │ ◄────────────────► │  CEP Plugin   │
│  (Claude,     │                  │  (Node.js /  │   .jsx commands    │  (runs inside │
│   Windsurf,   │                  │  TypeScript) │   .json responses  │  Premiere)    │
│   Cursor,     │                  └──────────────┘                    └──────┬────────┘
│   Copilot)    │                                                             │
└───────────────┘                                                             │ evalScript()
                                                                              ▼
                                                                       ┌───────────────┐
                                                                       │  Premiere Pro │
                                                                       │  ExtendScript │
                                                                       │  + QE DOM     │
                                                                       └───────────────┘

Remote (HTTP/SSE — Fly.io):

┌───────────────┐  HTTP+SSE (MCP)  ┌─────────────────────┐   File-based IPC   ┌──────────────┐
│  AI Client    │ ◄──────────────► │  MCP Server         │ ◄────────────────► │  CEP Plugin  │
│  (any MCP     │                  │  premiere-pro-mcp   │   .jsx / .json     │  (Premiere)  │
│   client)     │                  │  .fly.dev           │   shared volume    └──────────────┘
└───────────────┘                  └─────────────────────┘
  1. AI client invokes an MCP tool (e.g., add_to_timeline)
  2. MCP server generates ES3-compatible ExtendScript with helper functions prepended
  3. Script is written to a .jsx command file in a shared temp directory
  4. CEP plugin polls for command files, executes via CSInterface.evalScript()
  5. Result JSON is written to a response file and returned to the AI

The file-based IPC bridge is simple, reliable, and works across macOS and Windows without network sockets.

Tools (278)

Discovery & Inspection (10 + 10)

Tool Description
get_project_info Current project name, path, sequences, items
get_active_sequence Detailed active sequence with all clips
list_project_items All items in the project panel
get_full_project_overview Comprehensive snapshot: bin tree, sequences, media types
get_full_sequence_info Exhaustive sequence data: tracks, clips, effects, markers
get_full_clip_info Everything about a clip: effects, keyframes, metadata
get_timeline_summary Human-readable overview: duration, coverage %, effects
search_project_items Filter by name, extension, offline status, color label
get_premiere_state Full snapshot: project, sequence, playhead, selection
inspect_dom_object Explore any Premiere Pro DOM object interactively
get_advanced_feature_support Collaboration/AI API support, prerequisites, entitlements, and user-assisted boundaries

Project Management (26)

Tool Description
save_project / save_project_as / open_project File operations
create_project / close_project Project lifecycle
import_media / import_folder / import_ae_comps Import media and AE comps
create_bin / delete_bin / rename_bin / create_smart_bin Bin management
import_sequences / import_fcp_xml Import from other projects
create_bars_and_tone Generate bars & tone media
set_scratch_disk_path Configure scratch disks
consolidate_and_transfer Project Manager consolidation

Timeline & Editing (10 + 27 advanced)

Tool Description
add_to_timeline / overwrite_clip Insert and overwrite edits
ripple_delete Remove clip and close gap (QE)
roll_edit / slide_edit / slip_edit Professional trim modes (QE)
move_clip_to_track Move between tracks (QE)
set_clip_speed_qe / reverse_clip Speed/reverse (QE)
split_clip / trim_clip / move_clip Basic edits
set_clip_properties Opacity, scale, rotation, position
link_selection / unlink_selection Link/unlink A/V

Premiere Pro 26.3 compatibility: some installations silently ignore QE structural edits (ripple_delete, razor/split) and existing effect-parameter writes. These tools now verify the resulting sequence state and return an error instead of a false success. For structural edits, rebuild the wanted source ranges into a new sequence with create_sequence and add_to_timeline. Native transitions are unavailable when the host does not expose qeTrack.addTransition; overlay clips remain a workaround for transitions that do not need to blend adjacent source frames. See issue #21.

Effects & Color (8)

Tool Description
apply_effect / apply_audio_effect Apply by name (QE)
remove_effect / remove_all_effects Remove effects
color_correct Lumetri: exposure, contrast, temperature, etc.
apply_lut Apply LUT files
stabilize_clip Warp Stabilizer with configurable settings

Keyframes (8)

Tool Description
add_keyframe / get_keyframes Create and read keyframes
remove_keyframe / remove_keyframe_range Delete keyframes
set_keyframe_interpolation Linear / Hold / Bezier
get_value_at_time Query interpolated value at any time
set_color_value Set color properties on effects

Export & Encoding (16)

Tool Description
export_sequence Export via Adobe Media Encoder
validate_export_preset Validate an .epr file and resolve its output extension in Premiere
verify_delivery_file Verify output size and calculate SHA-256/SHA-512 checksums
capture_frame Export frame as PNG, return as base64 image
export_as_fcp_xml / export_aaf / export_omf Interchange formats
encode_project_item / encode_file Direct encoding
start_batch_encode Start render queue

Premiere's documented automation surfaces do not currently expose OTIO or EDL interchange, Render and Replace, cloud publishing, or Content Credentials export configuration. get_capabilities reports these delivery gaps explicitly rather than presenting UI-only operations as available tools.

Source Monitor & Playback (7 + 4)

Tool Description
open_in_source / close_source_monitor Source monitor control
insert_from_source / overwrite_from_source 3-point editing
play_timeline / stop_playback Playback control (QE)
play_source_monitor Play in source monitor

Selection & Clipboard (7 + 6)

Tool Description
select_clips_by_name / select_clips_in_range Smart selection
copy_effects_between_clips Copy effects via QE
batch_apply_effect Apply effect to multiple clips
set_blend_mode 27 blend modes

Media Properties (16)

Tool Description
set_offline / has_proxy / detach_proxy Offline/proxy management
set_override_frame_rate Override FPS
set_scale_to_frame_size Auto-scale to sequence frame
get_xmp_metadata / set_xmp_metadata Raw XMP access
get_color_space Color space info

Sequence Management (11)

Tool Description
create_sequence / create_sequence_from_preset Create sequences from .sqpreset files without opening Premiere's modal dialog
duplicate_sequence / delete_sequence Manage sequences
auto_reframe_sequence Auto-reframe for social media
attach_custom_property FCP XML custom properties
unnest_sequence Replace nested sequence with its clips

Workspace & Captions (2 + 1)

Tool Description
get_workspaces / set_workspace Switch workspace layouts
create_caption_track Create caption/subtitle tracks

Scripting (6)

Tool Description
execute_extendscript Run arbitrary ExtendScript (ES3)
evaluate_expression Quick one-line eval
send_raw_script Bypass security validation (advanced)

...and 100+ more

Track targeting, batch operations, markers, audio levels, motion/transform, metadata, sequence settings, navigation, project analysis, and more. Run get_project_info to get started — the AI will discover what it needs.

MCP Resources

The server exposes three LLM context resources and four workflow prompts:

Resource URI Description
config://premiere-instructions Best practices: workflow order, timeline rules, effect tips, error handling
config://extendscript-reference Complete ExtendScript API reference for writing custom scripts
config://premiere-workflows Machine-readable catalog for rough cuts, dialogue cleanup, captions, and delivery

These are automatically available to MCP clients that support resources, giving the AI deep context about how to drive Premiere Pro effectively.

Remote Deployment (Fly.io)

The server includes an HTTP/SSE transport (src/http-server.ts) for remote access via mcp-remote or any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP.

A live instance is running at https://premiere-pro-mcp.fly.dev.

Connect via mcp-remote

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://premiere-pro-mcp.fly.dev/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Self-host on Fly.io

# Clone and deploy your own instance
git clone https://github.com/leancoderkavy/premiere-pro-mcp.git
cd premiere-pro-mcp
fly apps create your-app-name
# Required: add bearer token auth
fly secrets set MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=your-secret-token
fly deploy --remote-only

Then connect with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://your-app-name.fly.dev/mcp",
               "--header", "Authorization: Bearer your-secret-token"]
    }
  }
}

Note: The file bridge still requires the CEP plugin to share the same PREMIERE_TEMP_DIR. For cloud deployments this means running a sync agent or using fly proxy / WireGuard to reach your local machine.

Environment Variables

Variable Description Default
PREMIERE_TEMP_DIR Shared temp directory for MCP ↔ CEP communication OS temp dir + /premiere-mcp-bridge
PREMIERE_TIMEOUT_MS Command timeout in milliseconds 30000
PREMIERE_DEFAULT_SEQUENCE_PRESET Override the auto-discovered .sqpreset used by create_sequence auto-discovered
PREMIERE_MCP_CAPABILITIES Comma-separated authority profile; add unsafe-script only when raw scripting is required inspect,edit,export,filesystem
PREMIERE_MCP_DEBUG Set to 1 (or true) to emit verbose server diagnostics to stderr unset
PORT HTTP port (HTTP/SSE transport only) 3000
MCP_AUTH_TOKEN Bearer token required by the HTTP transport unset
ALLOW_UNAUTHENTICATED Set to 1 to run HTTP without auth (unsafe; throwaway instances only) unset

Project Structure

premiere-pro-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                 # Entry point — stdio transport setup
│   ├── http-server.ts           # Entry point — HTTP/SSE transport (Fly.io / remote)
│   ├── server.ts                # MCP server — registers 278 tools + 3 resources + 4 prompts
│   ├── bridge/
│   │   ├── file-bridge.ts       # File-based IPC (write .jsx, poll .json)
│   │   └── script-builder.ts    # ExtendScript generator with ES3 helpers
│   ├── tools/                   # 31 tool modules
│   │   ├── discovery.ts         # Project discovery and queries
│   │   ├── recovery.ts          # Read-only autosave discovery and private bridge telemetry
│   │   ├── project.ts           # Project management and import
│   │   ├── media.ts             # Media and proxy management
│   │   ├── sequence.ts          # Sequence creation and settings
│   │   ├── timeline.ts          # Timeline clip operations
│   │   ├── effects.ts           # Effect application and color correction
│   │   ├── transitions.ts       # Transition management (QE DOM)
│   │   ├── audio.ts             # Audio levels and keyframes
│   │   ├── av-settings.ts       # Documented AV inspection, mapping, and capability boundaries
│   │   ├── text.ts              # Text overlays and MOGRTs
│   │   ├── markers.ts           # Sequence and clip markers
│   │   ├── tracks.ts            # Track add/delete/lock/visibility
│   │   ├── playhead.ts          # Playhead, work area, in/out points
│   │   ├── metadata.ts          # Metadata, XMP, color labels
│   │   ├── export.ts            # Export, frame capture, encoding
│   │   ├── advanced.ts          # QE DOM: ripple, roll, slide, slip, speed
│   │   ├── keyframes.ts         # Keyframe CRUD and interpolation
│   │   ├── scripting.ts         # Execute arbitrary ExtendScript
│   │   ├── inspection.ts        # Deep project/sequence/clip inspection
│   │   ├── selection.ts         # Clip selection utilities
│   │   ├── clipboard.ts         # Copy effects, batch operations
│   │   ├── source-monitor.ts    # Source monitor control
│   │   ├── track-targeting.ts   # Track targeting, motion, audio props
│   │   ├── utility.ts           # Batch ops, analysis, navigation
│   │   ├── health.ts            # Connectivity ping
│   │   ├── workspace.ts         # Workspace layout switching
│   │   ├── captions.ts          # Caption track creation
│   │   ├── playback.ts          # Timeline/source playback control
│   │   └── project-manager.ts   # Project consolidation/transfer
│   └── resources/
│       └── extendscript-reference.ts  # API reference for LLM context
├── cep-plugin/                  # CEP panel that runs inside Premiere Pro
│   ├── CSXS/manifest.xml        # Extension manifest (PPRO 14.0+)
│   ├── index.html               # Panel UI
│   ├── main.js                  # Bridge polling and script execution
│   ├── host.jsx                 # ExtendScript entry point
│   └── CSInterface.js           # Adobe CEP interface library
├── scripts/
│   ├── install-cep.sh           # macOS CEP installer (symlink + debug mode)
│   └── install-cep.ps1          # Windows CEP installer (copy + REG_SZ debug mode)
├── Dockerfile                   # Multi-stage Docker build for Fly.io
├── fly.toml                     # Fly.io deployment config
├── RESEARCH.md                  # API research and implementation status
├── CONTRIBUTING.md              # Contribution guidelines
├── CHANGELOG.md                 # Version history
└── LICENSE                      # MIT License

Technical Details

CEP and UXP backends

CEP remains the production backend because it provides broad ExtendScript access and the undocumented QE DOM used for effects, ripple deletes, and advanced trims across Premiere Pro 2020–2026. The packaged uxp-plugin is a Premiere 25.6+ preview backend for supported frame export, capability discovery, and state events. It does not silently retry failed UXP mutations through CEP.

ExtendScript Compatibility

All generated scripts use ES3 syntax (var, manual for loops, no arrow functions, no let/const) since ExtendScript is based on ECMAScript 3. The bridge writes a versioned helper library to the shared temp directory and loads it once per ExtendScript engine via $.evalFile; each command then sends only its tool-specific script.

Security

Understand the trust model before deploying this: any client that can reach the MCP server can control Premiere Pro. execute_extendscript and send_raw_script are arbitrary-code-execution tools by design and are disabled by default. Enable them only by setting PREMIERE_MCP_CAPABILITIES=inspect,edit,export,filesystem,unsafe-script.

  • Run it locally over stdio unless you have a specific reason not to. That's the safe default.
  • The HTTP transport (http-server) requires MCP_AUTH_TOKEN and refuses to start without it. It binds 0.0.0.0 and is remotely reachable, so never expose it publicly without a strong token (set ALLOW_UNAUTHENTICATED=1 only for a throwaway public instance).
  • The bridge temp directory is created private to your user (mode 0700), and the server refuses to use one owned by another user — relevant on shared machines, where the CEP panel would otherwise execute any cmd_*.jsx staged there.
  • There is a 500 KB script size limit, and a small regex check that rejects eval(), new Function(), and System.callSystem() in tool-generated scripts. This is a guard rail, not a sandbox — it is trivially bypassable and is not a security boundary. Do not rely on it to contain untrusted input; the real boundary is who can reach the server.

QE DOM

Many tools use the undocumented QE DOM (enabled via app.enableQE()). These tools are marked with "Uses QE DOM" in their descriptions. The QE DOM provides capabilities unavailable through the standard ExtendScript API:

  • Apply effects and transitions by name
  • Ripple delete, roll/slide/slip edits
  • Set clip speed and reverse
  • Frame blending and time interpolation
  • Remove all effects from a clip

Troubleshooting

  1. Verify debug mode:
    • macOS: defaults read com.adobe.CSXS.12 PlayerDebugMode should return 1
    • Windows: reg query "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Adobe\CSXS.12" /v PlayerDebugMode should report REG_SZ 1 (a REG_DWORD value is not valid for unsigned CEP discovery)
  2. Check the plugin exists:
    • macOS: ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/MCPBridgeCEP
    • Windows: dir "%APPDATA%\Adobe\CEP\extensions\MCPBridgeCEP"
  3. Completely restart Premiere Pro (not just close/reopen the project)
  4. Check the CSXS version matches your Premiere Pro version
  5. Run premiere-pro-mcp --diagnose-cep to check installation metadata and recent Premiere logs.

Version 1.3.0 and newer installs the signed artifacts/MCPBridgeCEP.zxp included in the npm package on Windows. If diagnostics report Signature verification failed, reinstall the latest npm version, fully quit every Premiere process, run premiere-pro-mcp --install-cep, and relaunch.

  1. Open the CEP panel and verify it shows "Running" with a green dot (the bridge normally starts automatically)
  2. Ensure temp directories match between MCP client config and CEP panel
  3. Read the timeout error: if it reports an in-flight heartbeat, dismiss any open Premiere modal dialog; without a heartbeat, verify the bridge is running and using the same temp directory
  4. Increase timeout: set PREMIERE_TIMEOUT_MS to 60000 or higher
  5. Try ping tool to test basic connectivity
  1. Restart the AI client after editing config
  2. Verify the path to dist/index.js is absolute and correct
  3. Run node dist/index.js in a terminal to check for startup errors
  4. Ensure npm run build completed without errors
  1. QE tools require an active sequence — open one first
  2. Some QE operations are index-based and can fail if clips have been reordered
  3. Re-query the sequence structure after QE operations

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT — free for personal and commercial use.