Illustrator MCP

An open bridge between Adobe Illustrator and AI.

The future of AI is humans using the UI they like, and AI using a UI that works for it. The two aren't mutually exclusive. Illustrator is one of my most-used tools, I built this MCP to speed up my work. It doesn't replace me, it makes my work better. And if you want, now you can too. For free.

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Illustrator MCP connects your running instance of Adobe Illustrator to Claude Code, or any AI tool that speaks the Model Context Protocol. No plugins. No extensions. No restarts. If Illustrator is open, your AI can use it.

What it does

Your AI gets direct access to Illustrator's full creative toolbox — drawing shapes, setting colors, manipulating paths, exporting artwork, and everything in between. 40 tools that map to the operations you'd normally do by hand.

It can also look at your work. The preview and screenshot tools let the AI see your actual canvas, not just read coordinates. You describe what's wrong, it sees the problem, it fixes the paths.

How it works

There's no Illustrator plugin to install. The bridge talks to Illustrator through the same scripting interface that's been built into every version for decades — ExtendScript, delivered via AppleScript on macOS and COM automation on Windows. Your AI writes the script, the bridge delivers it, Illustrator executes it.

The server runs locally over stdio using the Model Context Protocol. Claude Code picks it up automatically. Any other MCP-compatible client will too.

Setup

bun install

Claude Code

claude mcp add -s user illustrator-bridge bun run /path/to/src/server.ts

OpenClaw

openclaw mcp set illustrator-bridge '{"command":"bun","args":["run","/path/to/src/server.ts"]}'

Any MCP client

Add this to your client's MCP config:

{
  "illustrator-bridge": {
    "command": "bun",
    "args": ["run", "/path/to/src/server.ts"]
  }
}

Start a new session. Open Illustrator. Go.

Tools

Document — create, save, close, inspect documents. List and manage layers, set the active layer.

Drawing — rectangles, ellipses, polygons, stars, lines, freeform paths, and text. All with optional naming so you can reference items later.

Appearance — fill, stroke, opacity, and gradients. RGB, hex, or CMYK. Apply to named items or the current selection.

Transform & Organize — move, scale, rotate, align, arrange stacking order. Group, ungroup, duplicate, delete.

Selection — inspect what's selected, select by name, select all, list every item on a layer.

Advanced — pathfinder operations, compound paths, clipping masks, image placement, artboard creation, swatch listing.

Visual — export a clean PNG preview of your artwork, or screenshot the full Illustrator window so the AI can see exactly what you see.

Escape hatch — run_script accepts raw ExtendScript for anything the dedicated tools don't cover. The full Illustrator DOM is available.

Coordinates

All tools use screen coordinates: origin at the top-left of the artboard, x goes right, y goes down. Points are the unit (1 pt = 1/72 inch). The bridge handles the conversion to Illustrator's internal system.

Requirements

• Adobe Illustrator (any CC version)
• Bun
• macOS or Windows
• On macOS, the terminal needs screen recording permission for the screenshot tool