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Photoshop MCP Server

Provides a bridge between MCP and Adobe Photoshop to create documents, manage layers, apply effects, and fetch session information on Windows.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "loonghao-photoshop-python-api-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--python",
        "3.10",
        "photoshop-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PS_VERSION": "2024"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can control Adobe Photoshop programmatically from MCP clients using a dedicated Windows-only MCP server. This bridge lets AI assistants issue Photoshop commands to create and modify documents, manage layers, apply effects, and query session information, all through standard MCP tooling.

How to use

You connect to the Photoshop MCP server from your MCP client and send tool calls that Photoshop understands, such as creating documents, adding text layers, or retrieving information about the active document. Use the server to orchestrate Photoshop actions within your AI workflows, enabling dynamic image creation, editing, and automation.

Key workflows you can implement include creating a new document, adding a text layer, applying fills or effects, and querying session details like the active document and its layers. The server exposes a set of resources you can request to obtain information or to perform actions, including documents, layers, and session data.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installation:

- Windows operating system (only Windows is supported)

- Adobe Photoshop installed locally (tested with CC2017 through 2024)

- Python 3.10 or higher

Install the MCP server package:

pip install photoshop-mcp-server
```

Or install via uvx:

uv install photoshop-mcp-server

Configure how the server connects to Photoshop using an MCP host. The recommended approach uses uvx to run the server with a specified Python version and Photoshop version, for example PS_VERSION=2024.

Additional configuration and usage notes

MCP host configuration example (standard, recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "photoshop": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--python", "3.10", "photoshop-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "PS_VERSION": "2024"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important environment variable you can set to target the Photoshop version you want to connect to is PS_VERSION. Use a value like "2024" or another year/version string that matches your installed Photoshop version.

You can also specify the Python version explicitly in the command arguments, for example to use Python 3.10 with the same server start: --python 3.10 in the args above. Any Python version from 3.10 to 3.14 is supported.

Examples of using the Photoshop MCP server

Basic actions include creating a document and adding a text layer, or opening a PSD and inspecting its layers. You interact with the server through your MCP client by invoking tools such as create_document and create_text_layer, then handling the results in your assistant’s response.

Advanced scenarios include building social media assets with gradient fills and styled text, or generating a summary of the current document’s layer structure. The server supports a broad set of Photoshop operations to enable AI-driven image workflows.

Notes and troubleshooting

- This server requires a Windows environment and local Photoshop installation. It will not run on macOS or Linux.

- Ensure Photoshop is running or is accessible to the MCP server process on Windows when performing actions that require an active application context.

- If you encounter issues starting the server, verify that the PS_VERSION environment variable matches a installed Photoshop version and that the uvx or Python runtime specified in the command is available on the system.

Security and best practices

- Run the MCP server on a trusted Windows host with restricted network access to prevent unauthorized control over local Photoshop sessions.

- Use standard MCP client authorization patterns and keep configuration files with the minimum necessary permissions.

Available tools

create_document

Create a new Photoshop document with default or specified dimensions and settings.

open_document

Open an existing Photoshop document by file path or identifier.

save_document

Save the active or specified Photoshop document.

create_text_layer

Create a text layer with specified content and styling.

create_solid_color_layer

Create a solid color fill layer and place it in the stack.

get_session_info

Retrieve information about the current Photoshop session.

get_document_info

Retrieve information about the active document, including size and properties.

get_layers

List all layers in the active document.

apply_effect

Apply an effect or adjustment to a target layer or document.