How to Control ArtCraft with AI: Claude & Cursor MCP Guide

ArtCraft applications are built with a command-first architecture. Every action you can perform in the graphic interface—such as adding a curve adjustment, resizing an artboard, or exporting an asset—is registered as an engine command.

Because of this design, you can drive the exact same engine headlessly through a Command Line Interface (CLI), a JSON channel, or a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.

This guide shows you how to connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, or custom AI agents directly to PhotoCraft and VectorCraft.

1. How ArtCraft MCP Works

Unlike traditional graphic suites that rely on slow proprietary plugins or cloud-locked APIs, ArtCraft's MCP server runs locally on your machine.

When an AI agent connects via MCP, it gains access to core design tools:

• command_list: Discovers available engine commands and parameter schemas.
• command_run: Executes a specific action (e.g., applying a sharpen filter or adding an adjustment layer).
• command_batch: Runs an ordered sequence of commands in a single pass.
• doc_inspect: Returns the active document's layer tree, blend modes, and dimensions.
• render_preview: Generates a fast PNG render of the current canvas so the AI can inspect its own work.

All operations execute locally on your CPU and GPU. Your artwork and project files are never sent to external servers.

2. Setting Up the CLI and MCP Server

The command-line tools (photocraft-cli and vectorcraft-cli) are included with the ArtCraft release packages or can be compiled directly from source.

To start an MCP session with explicit filesystem sandboxing:

photocraft-cli mcp --automation-read-root /path/to/project --automation-write-root /path/to/project

Specifying --automation-read-root and --automation-write-root ensures the AI agent can only read from and write to your designated workspace folder.

3. Connecting Claude Desktop

You can add ArtCraft tools to Claude Desktop by updating your local configuration file.

Step 1: Open the Claude Desktop Configuration

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Add the PhotoCraft and VectorCraft Servers

Add the following entries under mcpServers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "photocraft": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/photocraft-cli",
      "args": [
        "mcp",
        "--automation-read-root", "/Users/yourname/Documents/DesignProjects",
        "--automation-write-root", "/Users/yourname/Documents/DesignProjects"
      ]
    },
    "vectorcraft": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/vectorcraft-cli",
      "args": [
        "mcp",
        "--automation-read-root", "/Users/yourname/Documents/DesignProjects",
        "--automation-write-root", "/Users/yourname/Documents/DesignProjects"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Note: On Windows, use the full path to photocraft-cli.exe (e.g., C:\\Program Files\\ArtCraft\\photocraft-cli.exe).

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Once restarted, Claude Desktop will display a hammer icon indicating that PhotoCraft and VectorCraft tools are ready to use.

4. Practical Automation Examples

Once connected, you can prompt your AI assistant using natural language:

Inspecting Layer Structure

"Please inspect poster.psd in my project folder and list all text layers, font sizes, and adjustment masks."

Claude will run doc_inspect to read the document tree and display the exact hierarchy.

Applying Batch Color Adjustments

"Open product.psd, add an S-curve to increase mid-tone contrast, apply a Vibrance adjustment of +15, and save the result as product-graded.psd."

Behind the scenes, the agent calls:

{
  "id": "layer.newAdjustmentLayer.curves",
  "params": {
    "points": [[0,0], [64,48], [192,212], [255,255]]
  }
}

Visual Verification with Previews

Because ArtCraft provides render_preview, you can ask:

"Render a 1024px preview of the adjusted canvas to make sure the highlights are not blown out."

The model will evaluate the rendered image and adjust parameters if needed.

5. Connecting Cursor IDE or Cline

If you are developing design templates or scripts in Cursor:

1. Open Cursor Settings › Features › MCP Servers.
2. Click Add New MCP Server.
3. Set Name to ArtCraft PhotoCraft.
4. Set Command to photocraft-cli mcp --automation-read-root . --automation-write-root ..
5. Now you can use Cursor Composer (Cmd+I) to generate assets directly inside your repository.

6. Summary

ArtCraft's native MCP integration turns your desktop creative suite into an automated production pipeline:

• No subscriptions: Run unlimited commands without cloud token costs.

• Local privacy: All operations remain strictly on your local disk.

• Bi-directional: Inspect, manipulate, and visually verify changes in seconds.

• Download ArtCraft Launcher & Tools

• Explore PhotoCraft Features

• Check out the Source Code on GitHub