What is Photoshop MCP?
Photoshop MCP, by the developer Ali Sait Teke, lets an MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor work a running copy of Adobe Photoshop on Windows or macOS. It exposes 128 tools: 111 atomic operations on documents, layers, masks, text, filters and history, plus 17 recipes such as remove_background, enhance_portrait and prepare_for_web, each of which lands as a single undo step. The same npm package also ships a browser chat window for people who do not use an AI coding app.
It is unofficial and says it is not affiliated with Adobe. Of the several Photoshop servers in the MCP registry it is the clear leader on use, at about 849 GitHub stars and 22,569 npm downloads in the 30 days to 10 November 2026, roughly ten times the next Photoshop server on npm; it is MIT-licensed and released v1.7.38 on 10 November 2026. Photoshop itself needs a Creative Cloud subscription: the single-app plan is US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, or US$19.99 a month in the Photography plan.
How to install Photoshop MCP
npx -y @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcpIs Photoshop MCP worth it?
Photoshop has no stable HTTP API for outside automation, so this server talks to it the way scripters always have. On macOS it sends ExtendScript through AppleScript's do javascript; on Windows it uses COM automation. That path reaches Photoshop versions back to 2012 without a plug-in. An optional UXP plug-in is needed only for Neural Filters, because the batchPlay calls they use exist only inside UXP, and the server then polls it on 127.0.0.1:38452.
The recipes are what make it work for non-specialists. Asking for a background removal or a five-slide carousel triggers one tool call that Photoshop records as a single history state, so one Undo reverts the whole job. Every successful call returns the active document, layer and selection, and failures come back as typed errors such as no_active_document or generative_unavailable with a suggested next tool, which spares an agent a lot of guessing. Generative Fill, Remove and Expand run too, but they use your Adobe account's generative credits, and an open issue reports Generative Fill failing with an invalid-command error.
The catch: two defaults need attention. Anonymous usage analytics are on unless you set ANALYTICS_DISABLED=1; events go to a self-hosted Rybbit instance and include install details such as installed RAM and system locale, though the docs say no API keys, prompts or file contents. And photoshop_execute_script runs any ExtendScript the model writes. ExtendScript can read, write and delete files the user can reach, so a prompt injected through a layer name, a CSV in a batch recipe or a web page in another tool could do far more than edit an image. The standalone chat window is better guarded: it listens on 127.0.0.1 on a random port, checks Host and Origin, requires a per-start session token, and limits its agent to Photoshop tools.
The competition is thin. Adobe announced its own local MCP integrations for Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere and After Effects at MAX on 10 November 2026, with a private beta reported for early 2027 and no price yet. Until that ships, this is the most used way to put an agent inside a local Photoshop document, and a team that adopts it now should expect to compare it against Adobe's own server within months.
Where it earns its place
A social media designer at a three-person agency
Turn one wide campaign banner into an Instagram carousel and web exports
Ask for a five-slide split and prepare_for_web, then the Instagram and X variants. Each recipe is one undo step, so a bad split costs a single Ctrl+Z. The server is free; the agency pays for Photoshop and its model tokens.
A wedding photographer
Watermark a folder of 200 proofs without touching the originals
Run the batch watermark recipe on the folder; it writes new files and leaves the originals alone. Check a few outputs by eye before sending the gallery.
An e-commerce seller listing products weekly
Remove backgrounds from new product shots and keep the masks editable
Use the remove_background recipe, which isolates the subject with an editable mask rather than deleting pixels, so a missed edge can be painted back.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Needs Photoshop running and Node.js 18+. Add it with claude mcp add photoshop -- npx -y @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp, the Cursor or VS Code install buttons, or a JSON config; or run npx -p @alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp ui for the browser chat window. On macOS, allow automation access for Photoshop.
- Integrations
- 128 tools (111 atomic, 17 recipes) and 24 prompt templates over stdio. Mutating tools include save, close, export, place image, install font, play action and execute_script. The chat window supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and OpenRouter keys or a Claude Code or Gemini CLI login.
- Data and privacy
- Runs locally; document state and previews go to your model provider. Anonymous analytics are on by default (ANALYTICS_DISABLED=1 turns them off). The chat window stores API keys in ~/.photoshop-mcp/data.db and listens on 127.0.0.1 with a session token; the optional UXP bridge uses 127.0.0.1:38452. Optional Jev routing sends prompts to api.typesafe.ai only when a TypeSafe key is set. execute_script and file-path tools can reach any file the user can.
- Cost at scale
- The server is free. Photoshop costs US$22.99 a month on an annual single-app plan, US$37.99 per licence for teams, or comes inside Creative Cloud Pro at US$69.99 a month; generative tools draw on Adobe's generative credits. Recipes cut model tokens compared with chaining atomic calls.
- Limits
- Windows and macOS only. Open issues include Generative Fill failures, COM errors with Photoshop Beta 28 on Windows, and AppleScript failing to target Photoshop 2026 by app name on macOS. Neural Filters need the extra UXP plug-in. 128 tool descriptions add up in every session's context.
What’s good
- 128 tools, 17 of them single-undo recipes
- Works with Photoshop 2012 onwards on Windows and macOS
- Typed errors with a suggested next tool
- Local chat window guarded by a session token
What’s not
- Usage analytics on by default
- execute_script runs arbitrary ExtendScript
- Generative tools use Adobe credits; one open bug
- No Linux; needs a paid Photoshop licence
Best for
Photographers, designers and small studios on Windows or macOS who want an agent to handle repetitive Photoshop jobs such as cut-outs, resizes and batch watermarks.
Photoshop MCP alternatives
Photoshop MCP: common questions
- Is Photoshop MCP worth it?
- The Photoshop server to pick today, with well-designed recipes, as long as you switch off its default analytics and treat the raw-script tool as a full key to your machine. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does Photoshop MCP cost?
- Free and open source (MIT). Needs desktop Photoshop: US$22.99/month single app or US$19.99/month Photography plan, both annual plans billed monthly.
- What are the downsides of Photoshop MCP?
- Usage analytics on by default; execute_script runs arbitrary ExtendScript; generative tools use Adobe credits; one open bug; no Linux; needs a paid Photoshop licence.
- Who is Photoshop MCP best for?
- Photographers, designers and small studios on Windows or macOS who want an agent to handle repetitive Photoshop jobs such as cut-outs, resizes and batch watermarks.
- How much does Photoshop MCP cost for a team or in production?
- The server is free. Photoshop costs US$22.99 a month on an annual single-app plan, US$37.99 per licence for teams, or comes inside Creative Cloud Pro at US$69.99 a month; generative tools draw on Adobe's generative credits. Recipes cut model tokens compared with chaining atomic calls.
- Is Photoshop MCP safe for company data?
- Runs locally; document state and previews go to your model provider. Anonymous analytics are on by default (ANALYTICS_DISABLED=1 turns them off). The chat window stores API keys in ~/.photoshop-mcp/data.db and listens on 127.0.0.1 with a session token; the optional UXP bridge uses 127.0.0.1:38452. Optional Jev routing sends prompts to api.typesafe.ai only when a TypeSafe key is set. execute_script and file-path tools can reach any file the user can.
- What are the best Photoshop MCP alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Illustrator MCP Server, Figma MCP Server and Canva MCP Server.
Answers checked Nov 11, 2026.