Drive After Effects from Claude Code: Generate Production Videos via MCP

What Changed

aftr is an open-source tool that exposes After Effects as a set of MCP tools for Claude Code. Instead of clicking through AE's UI, you send JSON commands over a WebSocket to a CEP panel inside After Effects. Claude Code calls ae_status, ae_list_commands, and ae_command as tools, treating AE like any other programmable resource.

What It Means For You

If you produce videos — title sequences, lower thirds, explainers, social clips — you can now script the entire pipeline from Claude Code. The controller runs a REST surface, WebSocket server, and interactive UI on port 8787. A spec-driven pipeline builds clips, renders them, reviews output, and self-corrects. No manual After Effects work.

Try It Now

Setup

1. Install the controller (Node 18+ required):

   npx aftr-studio controller
   

   Or via pip: pip install aftr-studio && aftr controller
   Or Docker: docker run -p 8787:8787 ghcr.io/arman-luthra/aftr

2. Deploy the CEP panel into After Effects (one-time):

   git clone https://github.com/Arman-Luthra/aftr.git
   cd aftr
   npm install
   npm run deploy:panel
   

   Quit and relaunch AE, then open Window > Extensions > aftr.

3. Add the MCP server to Claude Code:

   claude mcp add --transport http aftr http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp
   

Usage

Once connected, ask Claude Code in plain language:

"Create a 1080p 5s comp, add a title 'LAUNCH' with fire behind it, animate blurFade, then render to mp4."

Claude Code calls ae_status first, lists available commands with ae_list_commands, then runs ae_command with the appropriate JSON payload. The controller sends it over WebSocket to the CEP panel, which executes ExtendScript inside AE and returns results.

Advanced: Agentic Pipeline

For production workflows, the HLD orchestrator runs an agentic loop: it builds a comp, renders a frame, reviews it programmatically, and revises until it meets the spec. This is useful for batch processing or iterative refinement.

node examples/flaming-title.mjs "ON FIRE"

Requirements

• After Effects 2024–2026
• Node 18+
• ffmpeg on your PATH

What's Next

The project is early-stage but opens up a major new capability: treating video production as code. Future possibilities include integration with Photoshop and Illustrator (as noted in HN comments), multi-shot sequencing, and template-driven pipelines. For Claude Code users, this means your agent can now produce finished video assets, not just code.

Source: github.com

[Updated 16 Jul via gn_mcp_protocol]

Meanwhile, Revid.ai — a commercial AI video generation platform — has launched its own MCP server and CLI tool, giving AI agents direct access to video production. Unlike aftr's open-source approach targeting After Effects power users, Revid's solution is aimed at enterprise teams needing fast, template-based video creation without manual AE work [per Revid.ai]. This signals a growing trend: both open-source and commercial platforms are racing to make video production programmable via AI agents.