Most problems with Prism trace back to one of three connection links, or to a small After Effects quirk that has a quick fix. Work through the checks below in order. If a step passes, move to the next; the issue is almost always the first one that fails.

The short version

Three things must be true: the panel is open, you are signed in, and the Prism MCP address is set in your AI client.

If tools appear but nothing happens, the comp you expect probably is not the active one: open it and ask again.

If a result looks wrong, undo once (it is a single step) and re-ask with more specific instructions.

Clipped text in AE 2026 means a default stroke is eating glyphs. Ask for text without a stroke.

The three connection checks

Prism only works when all three links in the chain are live. Run them top to bottom.

Panel open: In After Effects: Window → Extensions → After Effects MCP. The panel must be open for any tool to run; it is the executor that performs the action inside AE.
Signed in: The panel shows whether you are signed in. If you are not, click Sign in; your browser finishes it, and if you are already signed in to your dashboard it takes one click.
MCP address set (Your AI client: Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Windsurf, and more) needs the Prism MCP address in its MCP or connector settings: https://live.oneprism.io/after-effects. It is the same for everyone, and one entry covers every client.

If your AI client says it cannot reach Prism, your Prism MCP URL is missing or out of date in the client's MCP settings, not a problem inside After Effects. See your AI client cannot connect below.

Your AI client cannot connect

If your AI client says it cannot reach Prism, start by restarting the AI client. Many clients only load their MCP connections at startup, so a fresh start clears most connection problems on its own.

First fix: fully close and reopen your AI client, then ask the AI again. If it still cannot reach Prism, the next fix lives in the panel, not in After Effects.

The address is the same for everyone and never changes, so a broken link is never the wrong URL. Check it character for character and re-approve the connection.

Copy the MCP address

Open the MCP panel in After Effects and copy the address it shows: https://live.oneprism.io/after-effects. It is the same for everyone, holds no secret, and never changes. What identifies you is your sign-in, not the link.

Re-copy the same URL

Copy the full URL straight from the panel. It is the same URL as before: your URL is permanent, so you do not get a new one. Never type a token by hand.

Re-paste it in your client

In your AI client, replace the existing Prism entry with the URL you just copied. In Claude: Settings → Connectors → the Prism connector. In Cursor: the url value in mcp.json. In ChatGPT or another client: the custom MCP server entry. Save, then ask the AI again.

The quickest confirmation that the link is live: ask "Tell me about my current composition." When the AI reads your comp back, the connection is working.

The panel shows no URL

If the panel has no Prism MCP URL to copy, you have not connected yet. The URL is created the moment you connect, not before.

Sign in from the panel first. Then give your AI client the Prism address and approve the connection in the browser when it asks. Someone who pastes the address but never approves has a Prism that never answers. See connecting your AI client for the full flow.

Tools are listed, but nothing happens

If your AI client lists Prism's tools and a request runs without changing anything, the chain is connected, the issue is usually context.

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Request completes, comp unchanged	No active composition, or the wrong one is active	Open the comp you want and bring it forward, then ask again
AI describes a change it cannot make	Panel closed mid-session	Reopen the MCP panel and re-run
Nothing returns at all	Signed out	Click Sign in in the panel
Every request fails with the same error	After Effects is not running Prism's script	See Prism cannot reach After Effects
Every result comes back empty, with no error	Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network is off	After Effects ▸ Settings ▸ Scripting & Expressions. It is off on a fresh install and fails without erroring, so it looks like a broken connection

The active comp is the context the AI acts on (see compositions), so the comp you have open is the one that changes. Naming the comp in your request also helps.

A result looks wrong

Recovery is cheap. Every Prism action is reversible (see how Prism works). So a wrong result is never a dead end.

Undo once

Press undo. The entire action (every layer and keyframe) reverts in one step.

Re-ask with specifics

Tell the AI exactly what was off: timing, position, easing, which layer, target values. Specific instructions produce native, editable results closer to your intent.

Treat a wrong result as a conversation, not a failure. The AI reads the true state of your comp, so correcting it with concrete detail is the fastest path to the result you want.

Clipped or hollow glyphs (AE 2026)

After Effects 2026 can apply a default stroke to new text that eats into the glyphs, leaving letters looking thin or hollowed out.

Ask for the text without a stroke. Phrase it plainly: for example, "create this text with no stroke." That removes the default stroke and restores clean glyphs.

Also note that fonts are referenced by their PostScript name, so prefer the exact PostScript form (for example HelveticaNeue-Bold) when a specific weight matters.

An operation behaves intermittently

A few operations are flaky inside After Effects itself, independent of Prism. They may not apply cleanly on the first try.

Re-run the same request once. If it succeeds on the retry, that is the known intermittent behavior, not a configuration problem.

If a step still fails after a retry and the three connection checks above all pass, the issue is reproducible and worth reporting with the exact request you used.

Still stuck?

If all three connection checks pass and the behavior is consistent, revisit getting set up to confirm each link, then note the exact request and what happened so it can be reproduced.

When you need a person, reach the support channel that comes with your plan. On the Free plan, support is the community. On a paid plan, you can email support@oneprism.io. For anything about your plan or your usage, your dashboard is the fastest path.

Your plan	Where to reach us
Free	Community support
Pro	Priority, support@oneprism.io

For plan, billing, or usage questions, including downloading the panel again, open your dashboard. For everything else on a paid plan, email support@oneprism.io with the exact request you used and what happened.

Prism cannot reach After Effects: when the panel is open and connected but every request fails.
When Prism rejects your script: the TypeScript gate, the result-envelope rule, and constructs After Effects cannot run.
After Effects quirks: locked layers, ease arrays, match names, parenting, fonts.
Known issues: open problems and their workarounds.
Connect your AI client: the full per-client connection setup.
How Prism works: the read-reason-write loop and why every action is reversible.
Compositions: why the active comp is the context.
Your dashboard: usage, plan, AI balance, and the panel download.

Troubleshooting