Illustrator Claw

Illustrator Claw

Gotchas

• SetAppearance requires UUID values from GetVisualAppearance. You cannot construct or guess UUIDs — always fetch them first.
• The Illustrator MCP bearer token is session-scoped and changes each time Illustrator (Beta) restarts. Never cache it or commit it.
• ListDocuments returns an empty list when Illustrator has no open files. Open a test document before any document or artwork call.
• The ignore flag in the menu command CSV means the command crashes or silently fails, not that it is deprecated. Skip these rows unless explicitly testing compatibility.
• RunPreflightChecks reports linked-asset warnings for files stored outside Illustrator's expected path. This is expected in sandbox or test setups — verify manually before treating it as a blocking failure.
• Menu commands operate on the active document at call time. If the active document switches between calls, you will operate on the wrong file. Use SwitchDocument to pin the target before a sequence.

Public Boundary

Never commit or paste these into any file or answer:

• API keys, bearer tokens, auth files, session files, logs, caches, local databases, .env files
• Private workspace names, hostnames, gateway details, account names, absolute paths, schedules, agent logs
• Client artwork, document names, screenshots, thumbnails, exports, production prompts

Use [local MCP URL], [bearer token], [workspace path] as placeholders when an example needs a value. Read docs/public-boundary.md before committing any change.

Automation Sequence

For any live Illustrator task:

• 1. Call ListDocuments. If empty, ask the user to open a test document first.
• 2. Call GetActiveArtboard and CapturePreview — confirm you are on the right file.
• 3. Call RunPreflightChecks — note any issues before touching artwork.
• 4. State the planned actions. If any are destructive, bulk, or irreversible, wait for explicit approval.
• 5. Execute — prefer MCP functions over menu commands when both can do the job.
• 6. Call CapturePreview again and confirm the visual outcome.
• 7. Store previews, logs, and exports outside this public repo.

Recolor Plan Pattern

Before calling SetAppearance:

1. Call GetVisualAppearance on the target objects — collect the exact UUIDs and current values.
2. Build a mapping: UUID → new fill/stroke values.
3. State the mapping for approval.
4. Call SetAppearance with the approved mapping only.
5. Call CapturePreview — verify visually and revert if the outcome is unexpected.

Menu Commands

Load docs/illustrator-menu-command-links.md when the user asks for a menu command value.

1. Find the row by menu path or display name.
2. Use the value field as the command identifier.
3. Check docRequired, selRequired, minVersion, maxVersion before running.
4. Skip rows where ignore is set.

After editing data/illustrator-menu-commands.csv, rebuild the index:

python3 -m py_compile tools/build-menu-command-links.py
python3 tools/build-menu-command-links.py

Repo Edit Checks

Run before committing:

git diff --check
rg -n "auth[.]json|session[_]index|state_[0-9]+[.]sqlite|logs_[0-9]+[.]sqlite|BEGIN (RSA|OPENSSH|PRIVATE) KEY" README.md CONTRIBUTING.md NOTICE.md SECURITY.md docs data tools workflows skills

Reference Files

Load only when the task requires it:

• docs/illustrator-claw-public-setup.md — connection steps and private value checklist
• docs/illustrator-claw-automation-blueprints.md — automation patterns and prompt starters
• docs/adobe-illustrator-mcp-tools.md — full 43-function MCP tool reference
• data/illustrator-menu-commands.csv — raw menu command data (use when rebuilding the index)