What is Photoshop MCP?
Photoshop MCP is a community-maintained server that lets an AI agent control a running Adobe Photoshop on Windows or macOS. It runs locally over stdio with npx -y @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp and exposes 127 tools, 111 atomic and 16 one-step recipes.
Photoshop MCP lets an AI agent work in Photoshop in plain language. You describe the job, such as removing a background or resizing images for Instagram, and the agent calls tools that act on the document open in Photoshop.
It is unofficial and community-maintained, and the README says it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe. It targets raster and graphics work, so for UI components and code see the shadcn MCP server.
What it changes in your workflow
- The agent creates documents, reads layers and document info, and edits them through atomic tools.
- One-step recipes cover jobs like background removal, portrait enhancement, web export and carousel splitting, each as a single undo step.
- A built-in chat window runs in the browser, so no IDE is required.
- Opt-in routing can run simple commands without calling an LLM.
Ways to run it
| Built-in chat window | Inside your AI app | |
|---|---|---|
| Command | npx -p @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp ui | npx -y @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp |
| Auth | An AI provider API key, or an existing account for some CLIs | Your client's own model |
| Best for | Designers who do not use an IDE | Developers already in an agent |
Who it is for
Best for
- Designers and marketers who want repeatable Photoshop jobs from a sentence.
- Teams producing batches of web and social assets, such as watermarks or carousels.
- Developers who need an agent to prep image assets before they ship UI.
Not for
- Machines without Photoshop. It needs the app running on Windows or macOS.
- Editing UI layouts as editable code. For design files with tokens, see Figma MCP.
Use it with UiChemy
Photoshop MCP prepares raster assets. UiChemy covers the WordPress side. Composer is a visual editor for Elementor or Gutenberg, and AI to WordPress imports an existing AI build as an editable page. Click Get Started on uichemy.com.
Connect Photoshop MCP Server: Control Photoshop From an Agent to your AI client
npx -y @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcpCheck requirements
Photoshop must be running, on Windows or macOS, and Node.js 18 or newer must be installed.
Add the server
Put the config above in your MCP client's config file. For Claude Code the README gives claude mcp add photoshop -- npx -y @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp.
Or use one-click links
The README has install buttons for Cursor and VS Code.
Or open the chat window
Run npx -p @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp ui to open a browser chat, then sign in with an AI provider key.
Try a prompt
Ask the agent to remove the background from the open portrait and keep it editable with a mask.
Client configuration
{
"mcpServers": {
"photoshop": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp"]
}
}
}Endpoints and ports
npx -y @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcpStarts the server over stdio. Your client normally runs it.npx -p @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp uiOpens the standalone chat UI in the browser.https://photoshop-mcp.com/Project site.docs/available-tools.mdAll 127 tools with parameters, in the repo.What you can do with it
- 127 toolsThe docs count 111 atomic photoshop_ tools plus 16 recipe workflows.
- Single-undo recipesEvery multi-step recipe lands as one undo step in Photoshop.
- Standalone chat windowA browser chat UI lets non-developers drive Photoshop without an IDE.
- Plain-language jobsBackground removal, portrait retouching, web and social export, bulk watermarking and color grading are named use cases.
- Structured errorsThe agent reads structured errors and knows what to try next, per the README.
- Optional instant routingAn opt-in Jev router can send simple commands straight to Photoshop with no LLM call, but only when a key is set.
- Windows and macOSThe README lists both platforms and says any Photoshop version from 2012 on is supported.
Tools it exposes
photoshop_ping
Runs a short script to check that the scripting engine is idle. It does not launch Photoshop if it is not running.
photoshop_get_version
Gets Photoshop version information.
photoshop_create_document
Creates a document with width, height, optional resolution and color mode RGB, CMYK or Grayscale.
photoshop_get_document_info
Returns information about the active document.
photoshop_list_documents
Lists open documents with id, name, dimensions and resolution.
photoshop_get_layers
Reads the layers of the active document.
photoshop_create_text_layer
Creates a text layer.
photoshop_export_as
Exports the document to an output format.
photoshop_recipe_*
Sixteen one-step recipe workflows, each a single undo step, for jobs like background removal and web export.
Frequently asked questions
What is Photoshop MCP?
It is a community-maintained MCP server that lets an AI agent control Adobe Photoshop through 127 tools. It runs on your machine and talks to a running Photoshop, so you can describe edits in plain language instead of clicking through menus.
How do I set up Photoshop MCP?
Open Photoshop, make sure Node.js 18 or newer is installed, then add an entry with command npx and args -y and @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp to your MCP client config. You can also run the browser chat window with the ui command.
Is it official Adobe software?
No. The README says it is an unofficial, community-maintained project not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe. Check Adobe's terms for your own use, especially for generative features that need an Adobe account. For code-side design direction, a skill like frontend-design fits better than a Photoshop server.
Does it collect data?
The README says anonymous, aggregated usage analytics are collected by default and can be disabled, with details in a doc in the repo. The optional Jev routing sends prompts to TypeSafe's API only when you set a key.
Which AI coding agents work with it?
The README shows setup for Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and Claude Desktop style configs, plus the built-in chat window. Any MCP client that can launch a stdio command should work with the same npx entry.
Can it undo what the agent did?
Every multi-step recipe is a single undo step in Photoshop, so you can reverse a recipe in one action. Atomic tool calls are individual edits, so save a copy of important files before a long session.
Why does the tool count differ from the repo description?
The GitHub description says 118 tools, while the README and tools doc say 127, made of 111 atomic tools and 16 recipes. This page follows the README and docs, which are more specific, and the number may change between releases.