The effects your AI agents are missing.

Add effects to images and videos directly from your prompts via Effect.app MCP

Install MCP See plans

Included with the Studio plan

When to reach for Effect.app MCP

Great for batch grading, improving AI production pipelines, and experimenting with styles.

Match a reference

Prompt

Make this image look like this reference.

Original shot before matching Before
Shot matched to the reference grade After

Finish AI renders

Prompt

Add a film look to this render — heavy grain and contrast.

Raw AI render before finishing Before
Render finished with grain and contrast After

Experiment with styles

Prompt

Make it look like a painting.

Original shot before stylizing Before
Shot restyled as a painting After

Batch grading variations

Prompt

Give me three color grading directions.

Original ungraded master Original
Grade variant 1 Variant 1
Grade variant 2 Variant 2
Grade variant 3 Variant 3

Add keyframe animations

Prompt

Keyframe the motion blur direction — make it bounce, and add a strobe on top.

Still frame before keyframed animation Before
After

Set up in under a minute

One config block. No API key needed.

  1. 1

    Upgrade your plan

    The AI integration is included with the Studio plan. Upgrading takes effect immediately — no restart needed.

    Get Studio
  2. 2

    Pick your assistant

    Choose your assistant to show the right setup command.

  3. 3

    Register the Effect.app MCP server

    In Effect.app, open Tools and choose Connect to Claude Desktop. The config is written for you.

    Manual config

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "effect-app": {
      "command": "/Applications/Effect.app/Contents/MacOS/Effect",
      "args": ["/Applications/Effect.app/Contents/Resources/effect-mcp-server.mjs"],
      "env": { "ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE": "1" }
    }
  }
}
  4. 4

    Restart your assistant

    Assistants pick up new connections at launch. Restart once and Effect.app shows up in its tools.

  5. 5

    Ask for a look

    Keep Effect.app open — it works on the window you can see. Cmd+Z undoes anything the assistant did.

FAQ

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants operate other apps. Effect.app ships an MCP server inside the desktop app, so assistants like Claude and Codex can load images, stack effects, tune parameters, animate them, and export — in the app window you have open.

Which plan do I need?

The AI integration is included with the Studio plan. The plan is re-checked on every call, so upgrading takes effect immediately — no restart needed.

Are my photos uploaded to the AI?

Your files stay on your machine. Effect.app renders locally, and the assistant talks to the app directly on your computer. The assistant only sees a preview when it explicitly requests one to check its work.

Can the assistant work without Effect.app open?

No. The assistant drives the app already running on your machine — everything happens in the window you can see. If Effect.app is closed, the assistant gets a clear "app is not running" message.

Can I undo what the assistant did?

Yes. The assistant's edits go through the normal undo history, so Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z on Windows) reverses them exactly like your own edits.

Does it work with ChatGPT?

ChatGPT's connectors only accept remote MCP servers reached from OpenAI's own infrastructure, so they cannot talk to an app on your laptop. Codex — OpenAI's coding assistant — does run local MCP servers and works fine.

Does it work on Linux?

Not yet. The Linux AppImage unpacks to a new temporary folder on every launch, which breaks the recorded path. macOS and Windows are fully supported.

Can the assistant save presets?

It can apply and remove existing presets. Saving new presets through an assistant isn't available yet.

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