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."

At a glance

This project is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe Inc. It is also separate from other MCP servers for Premiere Pro. The only npm package published from this repository is premiere-pro-mcp, and no other package name installs it.

Comparing similarly named packages? Both this package and adobe-premiere-pro-mcp declare a premiere-pro-mcp executable. Verify the package and repository before configuring a client. The new local configuration helper prints Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or Codex settings that point directly to this installation. It is a development-source feature; the published v1.15.0 package does not include it.

The current source exposes 369 core tools for supported workflow steps spanning the supported ExtendScript, QE DOM, local media and interchange analysis, revisioned project-context retrieval, safe edit-planning, project-intake preview, review handoff, connection verification, and guarded After Effects MOGRT authoring, batch, library, render-queue, inspection, and Premiere-handoff workflows. A compatible, authenticated UXP panel adds 93 documented, capability-gated tools without replacing the production CEP bridge.

Latest release: 1.15.0

The published v1.15.0 npm artifact contains 369 core tools, 367 in its default profile, and 460 with a compatible UXP connection. The development catalog above can include unreleased work. See the versioned facts and package provenance.

Try a bounded workflow

Choose a setup guide: Claude Desktop, Codex, other local MCP clients, or ChatGPT connection options.

Download the workflow starter kit for synthetic media and three evaluation recipes: a read-only sequence check, an explicitly confirmed review-frame export, and a product-spot preview. No email is required. The kit has no recorded Premiere demo or verified host result. Start with a disposable project and use setup and recovery if the connection is unavailable.

Release highlights

• Editorial planning: film evidence, transcript cleanup, caption authoring, shorts and chapter planning, rhythm and speaker layouts, timeline QA, and platform delivery plans.

• Cross-app handoff: capability-aware workflow routes and guarded After Effects render-to-Premiere handoff.

• Editing correctness: verified readback and explicit capability or committed-but-unverified failures across transition, import, effects, source identity, and track operations.

• MOGRT studio: an optional, separate After Effects CEP connector can author approval-gated title, callout, quote, and social recipes; constrain them with local brand kits; batch, publish, queue, inspect, and hand them to Premiere without claiming visual or completed-render proof.

• Global-update handoff: a global npm installation can show its server and connector update state in the Windows CEP panel and, after explicit confirmation, update only after Premiere has been quit; it never changes a project, client configuration, source checkout, or custom npm prefix.

• Local review planning: caption timing previews parse caller-supplied SRT/VTT without writing or importing it, while revision-bound editorial evidence stays in the opt-in local context index without provider calls.

• Repair preview: premiere-pro-mcp --doctor --plan-fixes produces a privacy-safe, no-write repair plan; the narrowly eligible connector repair still requires an explicit confirmation that Premiere is closed.

• Auditable guidance: the universal setup guide, generated public workflow manifest, and proof runbook make workflow and verification boundaries inspectable without claiming a licensed-host walkthrough occurred.

• Faster, clearer delivery: immutable MCP registration work is reused safely across stateless requests, and the landing now has a lighter, mobile-first workflow view plus current machine-readable facts and crawl guidance for its public pages.

• Explicit boundary: the hosted endpoint remains an operator-managed MCP service; unauthenticated callers are rejected and it does not pair users to local Premiere processes. See the generated supported action catalog for individual capability and verification contracts.

See the v1.15.0 release notes for complete details. Live installation in Premiere Pro still requires host verification.

Current MCP protocol support

The server uses the stable TypeScript SDK v2 and serves the 2026-07-28 stateless protocol over HTTP and stdio, while retaining legacy MCP compatibility through 2025-11-25. Modern clients receive discovery, validated routing headers, cache hints, subscription-stream support, and the formal Premiere extension capability. See the complete MCP capability and boundary report.

If an MCP client cannot complete its server/discover probe, set PREMIERE_MCP_PROTOCOL_MODE=legacy in that client's server environment and restart the client. This uses the SDK's base stdio transport and the legacy initialization handshake only; leave it unset (or auto) for modern MCP capabilities.

For editors evaluating an AI workflow

Before an assistant changes an active project, use the Premiere Pro AI workflow checklist to define the target and no-change boundaries, verify the local connection, request a bounded plan, and inspect the returned result. It is a practical starting point for assistant editors and post leads testing a repeatable workflow on a duplicate project or small test sequence.

For product context, see the Adobe Premiere AI Assistant and MCP comparison and the Claude Desktop setup guide.

If you are deciding between a single local project, an Adobe Production on shared storage, or a remote Team Project, use the Premiere Pro collaboration workflow guide before you evaluate an MCP path. It links the relevant Adobe guidance, makes no project inspection request, and ends with the same read-only connection check.

For a concrete first Project Intake preview, choose one of the three schema-checked, no-sensitive-data starter templates. They are evaluation samples only: a human policy owner must review and replace their bins, media rules, and organization rules before a facility uses one.

Quick Start

Easiest supported path: Claude Desktop

1. Download the current Claude Desktop bundle (.mcpb).
2. In Claude Desktop, open Settings > Extensions > Advanced settings > Install Extension, select the downloaded bundle, and restart Claude Desktop.
3. Download the separate signed Premiere connector (.zxp). Open it with your trusted ZXP installer. If your computer has no ZXP installer, use the npm connector installer in Advanced setup below.
4. Restart Premiere, open a project, then open Window > Extensions > MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro.
5. In Claude, enter: Safely check my Premiere connection with verify_premiere_connection. Make no changes.

The Claude bundle contains the local MCP server, so this route does not require Node.js. The Premiere connector is a separate required install. The first prompt is read-only and reports whether the server is installed, configured, connected, and live-verified.

First proof, before the first edit

This is an illustrated workflow, not a Premiere panel screenshot or licensed-host proof.

1. Open a copied test project and an active sequence in Premiere.
2. Open Window > Extensions > MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro. “Running” means the local panel bridge is available; it does not show that an edit completed.
3. Run premiere-pro-mcp --doctor to check only local package/configuration readiness.
4. Ask the AI client: Run verify_premiere_connection. Make no changes. The returned check is read-only and avoids project names, paths, and media details.

If a bridge, project, or active sequence is missing, fix that setup state before allowing a mutation. For a concise, translatable version of this path, see quick starts in English, Spanish, and Japanese. The translations are machine-assisted drafts and retain command names in English.

Other AI assistants

Cursor, VS Code/Copilot, Windsurf, and other MCP clients do not currently have a project-provided one-click installer. Use their MCP settings with the advanced npm route below. Keep the assistant, server, connector, and Premiere on the same computer.

For a portable reference users can download and attach to any AI assistant, see the MCP for Adobe Premiere Pro setup guide for AI assistants. Attaching the guide provides assistant context; the local server and Premiere connector still need to be installed separately.

npm install -g premiere-pro-mcp

git clone https://github.com/leancoderkavy/premiere-pro-mcp.git
cd premiere-pro-mcp
npm install
npm run build

premiere-pro-mcp --install-cep

npm run install-cep

premiere-pro-mcp --doctor

premiere-pro-mcp --check-update
premiere-pro-mcp --update

npm run check-update:source
npm run update:source

premiere-pro-mcp --uninstall-cep

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

3. Configure your MCP client

If you installed from npm, configure the client to run the global command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "premiere-pro-mcp"
    }
  }
}

If you cloned the repository instead, use the source-build configuration shown below for your client.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/premiere-pro-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "premiere-pro": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["/absolute/path/to/premiere-pro-mcp/dist/index.js"]
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "premiere-pro": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/premiere-pro-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "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 for Adobe Premiere Pro to confirm the green "Running" status or change the Temp Directory to match your MCP client config
4. Ask your AI assistant to run get_capabilities, then ping, with Premiere open.
5. For a safe first request, ask: "What is my current Premiere Pro project and active sequence? Do not make changes."

The default bridge directory is derived from the operating system on both sides, so most local setups should not set PREMIERE_TEMP_DIR. On macOS, the server resolves the per-user system temporary directory even when a GUI-launched client strips TMPDIR, keeping it aligned with Premiere's CEP panel. 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 premiere-pro-mcp@1.15.0 --install-cep

Restart Premiere Pro and start a new Codex session after installation. The plugin launches premiere-pro-mcp@1.15.0 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