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Troubleshooting

Common problems, their causes, and step-by-step fixes.

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MCP not connected

Claude says the After Effects tools are unavailable or "MCP not connected".

Check license key format

The key is a UUID in the format XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX — no spaces before or after. Copy-paste directly from your dashboard.

Restart your MCP client

Close Claude Desktop (or Cursor / Windsurf) completely and reopen it. The license is validated on startup.

Verify Node.js is installed

Run node --version in a terminal — you need v18 or newer. Install from nodejs.org if missing.

Tools run but nothing happens in After Effects

Claude confirms the tool ran successfully, but no changes appear in AE.

After Effects must be open

The MCP can't communicate with AE if it's not running. Open After Effects before calling any tools.

No blocking dialogs

If AE is showing a modal dialog (save prompt, warning, etc.) it can't execute scripts. Dismiss any open dialogs and try again.

Active project required

Many tools require an open project. If no project is open, create a new one in AE first, or ask Claude to create one.

After Effects not found

Error message like "Could not find After Effects" or "AfterFX.exe not found".

Set AE_AFTERFX_PATH manually

Add the env var pointing to your AE executable. See the Configuration page for examples.

Windows example

claude_desktop_config.json

"AE_AFTERFX_PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\Adobe\\Adobe After Effects 2025\\Support Files\\AfterFX.exe"

macOS example

"AE_AFTERFX_PATH": "/Applications/Adobe After Effects 2025/Adobe After Effects 2025.app"

License invalid or rejected

Server logs or Claude reports "invalid license key" or "license validation failed".

Copy-paste from dashboard

Get your exact key from synthetic.com.ar/dashboard/licenses — don't retype it.

Check the format

UUID format: XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX. No quotes inside the value, no extra whitespace.

Check device limit

If you've hit your plan's device limit (1 for Monthly, 2 for Annual), deactivate an old device in the dashboard first.

Script timeout

Tool call returns a timeout error, especially on heavy operations like multi-layer renders.

Increase AE_MCP_TIMEOUT

Set AE_MCP_TIMEOUT to a higher value in milliseconds. The default is 30000 (30 seconds). For complex scripts, try 60000 or 120000.

Config example

claude_desktop_config.json

"env": {
  "AE_MCP_LICENSE": "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
  "AE_MCP_TIMEOUT": "60000"
}

Expression errors after baking

After calling bake_expression, the property shows errors or incorrect values.

Check expression syntax before baking

Use list_expression_errors to check for errors on a property before baking. Baking a broken expression will produce incorrect baked values.

Bake at correct time range

The bake operation samples the expression at each frame in the comp work area. Make sure the work area is set to the range you want before baking.

Undo is available

If the bake produced bad results, immediately use undo to restore the expression.

Getting debug logs

Set AE_MCP_LOG_LEVEL to debug in your config to see verbose output from the MCP server. This shows exactly which scripts are sent to AE and what responses come back — useful for diagnosing unexpected behavior.

claude_desktop_config.json

"env": {
  "AE_MCP_LICENSE": "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
  "AE_MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "debug"
}

FAQ Tools reference