How it works
The MCP server holds the logic, the panel runs each instruction, and your AI reads, reasons, and writes native keyframes.
Prism connects your AI to your live After Effects project so it can read what is really there, plan a change, and write the same native, editable layers and keyframes you would make by hand. Underneath, two pieces do the work: the MCP server that holds all the logic, and a small panel inside After Effects that runs each instruction. This page walks through how that fits together, end to end.
For why a live server beats a frozen plugin in the first place, see What is an MCP server for After Effects.
Two pieces: server and panel
Prism splits cleanly into a remote server and a local panel.
The MCP server runs Prism's 200+ tools and all of their logic. When your AI calls a tool, Prism generates the exact instruction for that action — baking in details like which comp or layer is in focus — and sends it to the panel on your machine.
The panel lives inside After Effects (Window → Extensions → AE Prism). It holds no logic of its own. It receives the instruction, runs it in After Effects, and returns the result. That is its whole job.
The MCP server is the product; the panel inside After Effects simply runs what it's told.
Why logic lives on the server
Keeping every tool server-side has concrete benefits. Tools improve, get fixed, and expand on the server — so you never reinstall the panel and never run a version that drifts out of sync with the rest. It also means the panel stays small and predictable: one executor, many tools.
The read → reason → write loop
Every Prism action follows the same three-step loop.
First the AI reads your active composition — layers, properties, keyframes, and markers as true state, not a description you typed. Then it reasons about that state and plans the change. Finally it writes the result as native, editable After Effects objects: the same keyframes and layers you would create yourself.
Nothing about this is destructive by surprise. Everything is undoable in a single step, and a restore point precedes anything that could remove or overwrite your work.
What the tools cover
The work is grouped into server-side tool categories — animation, composition, effects and presets, expressions, layers, media and assets, project management, properties and transform, timeline, and utility — plus tools that bring formats AI already understands into After Effects. There are 200+ tools and capabilities in all.
These surface through the Prism panel's three tabs — MCP, JSON, and Tools — starting with the MCP tab.
Privacy by design
Because the logic stays on the server and execution stays on your machine, your project files stay on your machine; only the specific action you request round-trips to the server. For exactly what data is handled and how, see the security page.
Where to go next
These pages run in order — follow them top to bottom to get from nothing to your first edit.
- Install the Prism panel to add it to After Effects and activate it with your license key.
- Connect your AI to copy the MCP URL the panel shows and add it to your client.
- Your first prompts for what to ask once you are connected, and exactly what comes back.
- You bring your own AI client — any MCP-compatible one works; see bring your own AI.
Related
- What is an MCP server for After Effects — why a live server beats a frozen plugin.
- The MCP tab — one of the Prism panel's three tabs, and how each request is triggered.
- Real keyframes, not scripts — why the output is editable, never a script.
- Bring your own AI — supported clients and why AI actions are unlimited.