Illustrator MCP · Installation

Installing Illustrator MCP

Illustrator MCP runs as a Node.js server your MCP client launches (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex), connecting over WebSocket to a CEP bridge plugin inside Illustrator. No installer for the server itself — just node + npx.

The fastest way: use the Synthetic Installer. It installs the tools, connects your AI apps and keeps everything up to date. See the installer guide

Requirements

Illustrator	2022 (26.0) or newer
Node.js	18 or higher
OS	Windows 10/11 · macOS 12+
MCP client	Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, or any MCP client
License	Your Illustrator MCP license key (see /dashboard/licenses)

1. Install the CEP bridge plugin

The server doesn't talk to Illustrator directly — it needs the bridge panel installed inside Illustrator. The easiest way is the Synthetic installer, which installs it for you; you can also download the signed panel (.zxp) from /dashboard/downloads and install it with ZXP Installer. The panel appears under Window → Extensions (Legacy) → Synthetic Illustrator MCP.

Open the panel inside Illustrator and confirm it says "Connected" (it retries every 3s on its own). Without this, the MCP server has no way to move anything in Illustrator.

2. Verify the server downloads and starts

In any terminal (no need to have Illustrator open yet), run:

npx -y @synthetic-ai/illustrator-mcp

The first time it takes a couple of seconds to download. If it starts and waits for stdio input, you're good — press Ctrl+C to exit and move on to step 3.

If you get "command not found: npx", install Node.js from nodejs.org (LTS).

3. Wire it into your MCP client

Each MCP client has a config file where servers are declared. See the MCP client setup guide for the exact JSON snippet you paste into Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex or another client.

Your license key is on /dashboard/licenses — paste the value into IL_MCP_LICENSE under env in your client config.

4. Open Illustrator and try it

Once your MCP client is configured, open Illustrator with any document, confirm the Synthetic Illustrator MCP panel says "Connected", and restart your MCP client so it picks up the new server. Then ask it something simple:

List the layers in the active document.

If the response is a list of your layers, the round-trip is working. Try something next — adding a shape, exporting as SVG.

Important: Illustrator must be open with the Synthetic Illustrator MCP panel connected when the MCP client runs a tool. If the panel says "Disconnected", no tool will work.

← Illustrator MCP Client setup