Photoshop MCP · Installation

Installing Photoshop MCP

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

Requirements

Photoshop	2022 (23.0) or newer (through 2026)
Node.js	18 or higher
OS	Windows 10/11 · macOS 12+
MCP client	Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, or any MCP client
License	Your Photoshop MCP license key (see /dashboard/licenses)

1. Install the CEP bridge plugin

The server doesn't talk to Photoshop directly — it needs the bridge panel installed inside Photoshop. Download the signed .zxp from /dashboard/downloads (needs an active license), install it with ZXP Installer and restart Photoshop. The panel appears under Window → Extensions (Legacy) → PS-MCP Bridge.

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

2. Verify the server downloads and starts

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

npx -y @synthetic-ai/photoshop-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 PS_MCP_LICENSE under env in your client config.

4. Open Photoshop and try it

Once your MCP client is configured, open Photoshop with any document, confirm the PS-MCP Bridge 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 text layer, exporting as PNG.

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

← Photoshop MCP Client setup