Illustrator MCP Server

Local setup required. This server has to be cloned and prepared on your machine before you register it in Claude Code.
1

Set the server up locally

Run this once to clone and prepare the server before adding it to Claude Code.

Run in terminal
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\pip install -e .
2

Register it in Claude Code

After the local setup is done, run this command to point Claude Code at the built server.

Run in terminal
claude mcp add illustrator-mcp -- node "<FULL_PATH_TO_ILLUSTRATOR_MCP>/dist/index.js"

Replace <FULL_PATH_TO_ILLUSTRATOR_MCP>/dist/index.js with the actual folder you prepared in step 1.

README.md

AI-powered Adobe Illustrator automation through Claude Desktop.

Illustrator MCP Server (Windows)

AI-powered Adobe Illustrator automation through Claude Desktop.

Describe what you want — like "draw a minimalist coffee shop logo" — and Illustrator brings it to life!

Features

Core Tools

  • view - Screenshot of Illustrator window
  • run - Execute ExtendScript code directly
  • get_document_info - Get document structure (layers, artboards, objects) as JSON
  • render_artboard - Export specific artboard as PNG (independent of user view)

Design Assistance

  • get_code_example - Ready-to-use ExtendScript patterns
  • get_design_guide - Typography, layout, logo/icon design principles
  • get_color_palette - Curated color palettes (corporate, creative, minimal, etc.)

MCP Prompts (Auto-context for Claude)

  • illustrator-expert - General Illustrator expertise
  • logo-designer - Logo design specialization
  • icon-designer - Icon set design
  • print-designer - Print design (business cards, flyers, etc.)

Quick Install (Windows)

Option 1: One-Click Install

# Double-click install.bat
# Or run in terminal:
.\install.bat

Option 2: Manual Install

  1. Requirements

    • Python 3.11+
    • Adobe Illustrator
    • Claude Desktop
  2. Install

    cd illustrator-mcp
    python -m venv .venv
    .venv\Scripts\pip install -e .
    
  3. Configure Claude Desktop

    Edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "illustrator": {
          "command": "C:/path/to/illustrator-mcp/.venv/Scripts/python.exe",
          "args": ["C:/path/to/illustrator-mcp/illustrator/server.py"]
        }
      }
    }
    
  4. Restart Claude Desktop


Usage Examples

Basic Commands

"Show me the current Illustrator document"
→ Uses get_document_info

"Render the first artboard"
→ Uses render_artboard

"Create a blue rectangle 200x100 pixels"
→ Uses run with ExtendScript

Design Tasks

"Design a minimal logo for TechStart"
→ Uses logo-designer prompt + design guides

"Create a set of 5 navigation icons in outline style"
→ Uses icon-designer prompt + icon guidelines

"Design a business card for John Smith, CEO"
→ Uses print-designer prompt + print specs

Getting Help

"Show me ExtendScript examples for gradients"
→ Uses get_code_example

"What are the typography guidelines?"
→ Uses get_design_guide

"Give me a tech color palette"
→ Uses get_color_palette

Available Resources

Color Palettes

Name Description
corporate Professional business colors
creative Bold, vibrant agency colors
minimal Clean black/white/gray
nature Organic, earthy tones
tech Modern tech company colors
warm Sunset, coral, golden
cool Ocean, mint, lavender

Code Example Categories

  • shapes - rectangle, circle, polygon, star, line, bezier
  • text - simple_text, styled_heading, paragraph_text, text_on_path
  • gradients - linear, radial, multi-stop
  • logos - circle_logo, text_logo, monogram_logo
  • icons - home_icon, settings_icon, user_icon
  • layers - create_layers, move_to_layer
  • export - PNG, SVG, PDF

Design Guides

  • Typography (hierarchy, font pairings, spacing)
  • Layout (grids, white space, alignment)
  • Logo design (principles, types, sizing)
  • Icon design (styles, grid sizes, consistency)
  • Print specs (business card, flyer, poster)

Architecture

Claude Desktop
    ↓ MCP Protocol
Illustrator MCP Server (Python)
    ↓ Windows COM (pywin32)
Adobe Illustrator
    ↓ ExtendScript Engine
Vector Graphics

Key Components

  • server.py - MCP server with tools and prompts
  • extendscript_library.py - Code examples and utilities
  • design_guide.py - Design principles and color palettes
  • prompt.py - Prompt templates and suggestions

For Developers

Adding New Code Examples

Edit extendscript_library.py:

SHAPE_EXAMPLES["my_shape"] = '''
var doc = app.activeDocument;
// Your ExtendScript code
'''

Adding New Color Palettes

Edit design_guide.py:

COLOR_PALETTES["my_palette"] = {
    "description": "My custom palette",
    "colors": {
        "primary": {"rgb": [255, 0, 0], "hex": "#FF0000", "usage": "Main color"}
    }
}

Testing

# Test get_document_info
.venv\Scripts\python -c "from illustrator.server import get_document_info; print(get_document_info())"

# Test render_artboard
.venv\Scripts\python -c "from illustrator.server import render_artboard; print(render_artboard())"

Troubleshooting

"ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'mcp'"

.venv\Scripts\pip install -e .

"Win32 COM not available"

.venv\Scripts\pip install pywin32

"No document open"

Make sure Adobe Illustrator is running with a document open.

Claude can't connect

  1. Check claude_desktop_config.json paths use forward slashes
  2. Restart Claude Desktop after c

Tools (7)

viewScreenshot of Illustrator window
runExecute ExtendScript code directly
get_document_infoGet document structure (layers, artboards, objects) as JSON
render_artboardExport specific artboard as PNG
get_code_exampleReady-to-use ExtendScript patterns
get_design_guideTypography, layout, logo/icon design principles
get_color_paletteCurated color palettes (corporate, creative, minimal, etc.)

Configuration

claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers": {"illustrator": {"command": "C:/path/to/illustrator-mcp/.venv/Scripts/python.exe", "args": ["C:/path/to/illustrator-mcp/illustrator/server.py"]}}}

Try it

Show me the current Illustrator document structure.
Design a minimal logo for TechStart using the logo-designer prompt.
Create a blue rectangle 200x100 pixels in the active document.
Render the first artboard as a PNG file.
Give me a tech color palette and typography guidelines for a new project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of Illustrator MCP Server?

Execute ExtendScript code directly within Adobe Illustrator. Retrieve document structure including layers, artboards, and objects. Export specific artboards as PNG files. Access professional design guides for typography, layout, and icons. Retrieve curated color palettes for various design styles.

What can I use Illustrator MCP Server for?

Automating repetitive vector graphic tasks using natural language. Generating logo concepts and icon sets with AI design assistance. Programmatically exporting artboards for web or print production. Quickly applying consistent color palettes and design principles to projects.

How do I install Illustrator MCP Server?

Install Illustrator MCP Server by running: .\install.bat

What MCP clients work with Illustrator MCP Server?

Illustrator MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep Illustrator MCP Server docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Need the old visual installer? Open Conare IDE.
Open Conare