Animate MCP

animate-mcp

An MCP server for operating Adobe Animate from AI agents

English | 日本語

Changelog

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Overview

animate-mcp is an MCP server that lets AI agents such as Claude Code and Codex operate Adobe Animate directly.

Just give the AI instructions in plain language to write and edit frame scripts, work with animations, and automate repetitive tasks.

It reads the structure and scripts of scenes and library symbols so it can edit with an understanding of what is already there, and it supports a wide range of operations, including layers, frames, tweens, instance properties, and library assets. It can also publish a document and capture a frame as a PNG image.

Highlights

• AI agents can read frame scripts and structure from scenes and library symbols through files, then apply edited scripts back to Animate.
• Inspect layers, keyframes, instances, and tweens.
• Add and edit whole text fields, including font, size, color, alignment, and text type.
• Edit instance transforms, color effects, filters, names, blend modes, and visibility on keyframes.
• Edit layer and frame structure and labels.
• Create motion and classic tweens with preset or custom Bézier easing, and shape tweens between raw shapes.
• Organize library folders and items and find unused items.
• Import images and audio, find direct Library usages, create or duplicate symbols, and change stage properties.
• Publish AS3 and HTML5 Canvas documents and get AS3 compile errors and warnings back.
• Read Animate's diagnostic panels and run an AS3 Test Movie to capture compile diagnostics and early Output panel text.
• Capture a frame or range as PNG images.
• Check for unused Library items and empty keyframes.
• Verify Canvas HTML in Chrome and compare captured PNGs.
• Install GreenSock-AS3 with a prompt (saved AS3 documents only; review the license first).
• Work with ActionScript 3 and HTML5 Canvas, and run arbitrary JSFL.

Requirements

• Node.js
• Adobe Animate (must be running)
• An MCP-compatible client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, etc.)
• Verified with Animate 2027 on macOS and with Animate on Windows.

Install

Claude Code

claude mcp add animate-mcp -- npx -y animate-mcp@latest

Clients configured with JSON (Claude Desktop, etc.)

{ "mcpServers": { "animate-mcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "animate-mcp@latest"] } } }

Usage

1. Start Animate and open the target .fla.
2. Ask your agent to do the work.
3. When editing scripts, the workflow is:
4. export_scripts writes the structure and every frame script to ~/.animate-mcp/exports/ /.
5. The agent edits the files.
6. apply_scripts writes them back into Animate.

Example prompts

Script operations

Export the scripts from the open document and find the cause of an error

Editing a script

Add stop() to the frame 1 script in Scene 1 and apply it

Inspecting the timeline

Check the instance and tween on frame 12 of the Character layer in Scene 1

Editing layers and frames

Add a Background layer to Scene 1 and extend it to 24 frames

Creating a tween

Move the Ball instance 200 px to the right over frames 1–24 in Scene 1, using backOut easing (overshoot and return)

Adding text

Add a text field reading "GAME OVER" in 48 pt bold on frame 30 of the Text layer in Scene 1

Converting to a symbol

Convert the Ball on frame 1 of Scene 1 into a movie clip named ball_mc

Editing instance properties

Set the Ball instance on frame 1 of Scene 1 to 50% alpha and add a blur filter

Changing stage settings

Set the stage to 1280×720 at 30 fps with a black background

Importing assets

Import /path/to/hero.png and /path/to/bgm.mp3 into the library

Publishing

Publish the open document and tell me the compile errors

Running Test Movie

Run Test Movie on the open AS3 document and show the compile errors and early output

Verifying Canvas output

Verify the Canvas output in Chrome and report any console errors

This publishes first and overwrites the outputs. To check existing output only, say "without publishing".

Capturing a frame

Capture frame 12 of Scene 1 and tell me how it looks

Organizing the library

List unused library items

Installing GreenSock

Install GreenSock-AS3 into the saved AS3 document (I have reviewed the license)

Usage tips

• If multiple documents are open, specify the target document.
• Changes made in Animate after Export are detected as conflicts during Apply. Apply is refused if the library has changed.
• Re-exporting is refused when unapplied edits exist. Use force: true only if you are willing to discard them.
• After changing the timeline, tweens, or library, re-export before editing or applying scripts.
• Deleting a layer, frames, or a library item requires confirm: true. Library items in use cannot be deleted.
• Save with save_document after confirming any overwrite, or save in Animate. Use edit_library's getLinkage and setLinkage operations to inspect or edit AS3 linkage; renaming or moving an item still does not automatically update linkage names or string references in code.
• edit_elements rejects tween interiors and validates all operations before writing; it does not save the .fla.

Tools

Full inputs and caveats are in TOOLS.md.

Environment variables

How it works

%%{init: {'themeVariables': {'fontSize': '13px'}, 'flowchart': {'nodeSpacing': 30, 'rankSpacing': 30, 'diagramPadding': 8}}}%%

flowchart TB Agent(["AI agent Claude Code / Codex"]) subgraph Server["animate-mcp (Node.js)"] Tools["MCP tools ×27"] Bundle["JSFL bundle server/jsfl/*.jsfl"] Runner["Runner serial + timeout"] end Files["exports/ scripts + structure.md"] Chrome(["Chrome"]) Animate(["Adobe Animate (running)"]) Agent -->|"edit files"| Files Agent -->|"MCP stdio"| Tools Tools -->|"export / apply"| Files Tools -->|"verify_canvas_output"| Chrome Tools --> Bundle --> Runner Runner -->|"1. open Run.jsfl"| Animate Animate -.->|"2. write Result.json"| Runner

Each tool builds a JSFL script, writes it to ~/.animate-mcp/runs/, and opens it in the running Animate. The script writes its result as JSON, which the server reads back. Runs are serialized and time out if Animate does not respond.

Bug reports

Please open an issue with your Animate version, OS, steps to reproduce and error messages.

Development

npm install && npm run build npm test

Client config: node /path/to/animate-mcp/server/dist/index.js (stdio).

Smoke tests (real Animate)

Manual checks not covered by the scripts below:

1. With a document open, run run_jsfl with fl.trace('hi'); 'ok'. hi appears in the Output panel and the tool returns "ok". Animate comes to the front (known behavior).
2. Run get_document_info. It returns name, size, frame rate and timeline names.
3. Close all documents and run get_document_info. It returns "No document open".
4. Quit Animate and run run_jsfl. It returns "Animate not running".

Scripted checks: run npm run build, then start Animate and run the scripts below as node server/scripts/ .

Most scripts create a disposable FLA, exercise it and close it without touching your documents. smoke-publish.mjs is the exception: it publishes the documents you pass by name.

License

MIT License