Skills

Skill 7 of 200

Adobe Illustrator Integrations

Build, debug, package, and document Adobe Illustrator integrations: CEP extension panels, C++ SDK plug-ins (.aip), the coming UXP plugins, MCP servers that drive Illustrator…

5 minutes · 1,185 words · 8 sections

Install

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill adobe-illustrator-integrations

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot

» /plugin marketplace add github/awesome-copilot

The first command installs just this skill, by the name in its SKILL.md; the second installs the whole repository.

Guidance for everything that sits around an Illustrator script: the panel a user clicks, the native plug-in that adds a tool, the command line or AI agent that starts Illustrator work from outside, and the documentation that ships with it. For the Illustrator DOM itself (documents, layers, paths, colors, exports), use the adobe-illustrator-scripting skill.

When to Use This Skill

Choosing how to deliver an Illustrator feature: a script, a CEP extension, a C++ plug-in, a UXP plugin, an MCP server, or an OS automation script
Building or fixing a CEP extension panel (HTML, JavaScript, and an ExtendScript host)
Building or fixing a C++ plug-in (.aip) with the Illustrator SDK
Running .jsx scripts from batch, PowerShell, bash, Python, or AppleScript, including passing parameters and reading results
Building or reviewing an MCP server that lets an AI tool drive Illustrator
Working in Illustrator through a computer-use tool when no scripting route exists
Writing step-by-step instructions people follow by hand, or install and usage docs for an asset, script, extension, or plug-in someone will publish
Organizing the files of an Illustrator project (sources, linked assets, exports, docs) so automation can find them

Script, Extension, or Plug-in

Adobe’s own terms:

A script is ExtendScript (.jsx), AppleScript, or VBScript run against Illustrator’s scripting object model. It has no persistent UI beyond ScriptUI dialogs.
An extension is a CEP panel: an HTML and JavaScript UI hosted in Illustrator that calls ExtendScript through CSInterface.evalScript.
A plug-in is native code built with the Illustrator C++ SDK (.aip). In apps that already run UXP (Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro), “plugin” also means a UXP plugin; Illustrator UXP plugins are not public yet.

Option	What it is	UI	Installs to	Ships as	Pick it when
Manual instructions	Steps a person follows	Illustrator’s own	Nothing	A document	The task is rare, or needs judgment at every step
ExtendScript script	`.jsx` run in Illustrator	Optional ScriptUI dialog	`Presets/<locale>/Scripts` or anywhere (File > Scripts > Other Script)	`.jsx` file	One action, batch work, or a step another tool calls
CEP extension	HTML panel plus ExtendScript host	Dockable panel	CEP `extensions` folder	Signed `.zxp`	Users need a persistent panel with controls and previews
C++ plug-in	Native `.aip` from the Illustrator SDK	Tools, menus, notifiers, native dialogs	Plug-ins folder or the Additional Plug-ins Folder	`.aip` per OS and major version	You need a custom tool, live effects, speed, or events scripts cannot reach
UXP plugin	Modern JavaScript plugin model	Panels and dialogs	Through Creative Cloud	`.ccx`	Plan for it; Illustrator’s public beta is due by Spring 2027
MCP server	A process an AI tool calls, which runs scripts in Illustrator	The AI tool’s chat	The AI tool’s MCP config	A package or repo	An agent should create or inspect artwork through tools
OS automation	Batch, PowerShell, bash, or AppleScript that starts scripts	None	Anywhere	Script files	Illustrator work is one step of a larger pipeline

Start with the lowest tier that meets the need. A script that works is the core of every higher tier: a CEP panel, an MCP tool, and an OS script all end up calling ExtendScript.

Extensibility Timeline

From Adobe’s announcement “Investing in the future of Creative Cloud extensibility” (blog.developer.adobe.com, September 2026):

Illustrator UXP plugins: public beta by Spring 2027.
CEP in Illustrator, After Effects, and Media Encoder: the Adobe Marketplace stops accepting new CEP submissions in December 2028, and CEP is disabled by default from December 2028.
CEP leaves these apps from December 2029, with at least two years between each app’s UXP public beta and CEP’s removal from new versions.
ExtendScript is not affected by the transition.

So a CEP extension built today has a working life of a few years. Keep its logic in plain ExtendScript files the panel calls, which carry over to a UXP plugin or an MCP server unchanged.

Workflow

Scope: what the user does, which Illustrator versions and OSes it must run on, and who installs it.
Pick the tier from the table above.
Write the ExtendScript core first with the adobe-illustrator-scripting skill, as functions that take a plain settings object and return a result string, so any front end can call them.
Add the front end:
- CEP panel: references/cep-extensions.md (opens in a new tab) (folder layout, manifest, CSInterface, debug mode, signing, install)
- C++ plug-in: references/cpp-plugins.md (opens in a new tab) (SDK, build, PiPL, suites, notifiers, debugging)
- Command line, MCP server, or computer use: references/automation-and-mcp.md (opens in a new tab) (COM, AppleScript, parameters, results, MCP design, safety)
Test inside Illustrator on a copy of a real document: run every option, export a PNG of the result, and compare it with the expected output.
Package: a signed ZXP for CEP, a per-OS .aip for plug-ins, a versioned folder or package for scripts and servers.
Document with references/publishing-docs.md (opens in a new tab): requirements, compatibility, install steps per OS, a walkthrough with screenshots, a GIF, troubleshooting, and a changelog.

Running a Script From Outside Illustrator

Platform	Route	Notes
Windows	COM `Illustrator.Application`	`DoJavaScriptFile(JavaScriptFile, [Arguments], [ExecutionMode])` and `DoJavaScript(JavaScriptCode, [Arguments], [ExecutionMode])`; ExecutionMode 1 never shows the debugger
macOS	AppleScript `do javascript`	`do javascript "$.evalFile(new File(arguments[0]))" with arguments {scriptPath}`, with the path passed to `osascript` as an argument so it never enters script source; check the exact app name for your version
Both	VS Code ExtendScript Debugger	Adobe’s extension for running and debugging `.jsx` against a running app
Windows (legacy)	ExtendScript Toolkit `-run`	32-bit, does not run on macOS 10.15 or later; keep only for old pipelines

Pass parameters through a sidecar key=value file (no JSON parser or eval needed in ES3) and have the script write its result to a file, because arguments handling differs between launchers. The patterns are in references/automation-and-mcp.md (opens in a new tab).

Instructions People Follow by Hand

When the deliverable is a set of steps rather than code (for a complex graphic, or for an asset someone downloads):

Name the Illustrator version the steps were checked on, and give menu paths exactly as they appear (Object > Path > Offset Path).
One action per step, with the panel and the value to set (Stroke panel: Weight 2 pt, Align Stroke to Inside).
Show the expected result after each group of steps, with a screenshot or a small PNG.
Mark the steps that differ on Windows and macOS (shortcuts, file dialogs, font paths).
Offer the scripted route next to the manual one when a script exists.

Guardrails

Work on copies of user documents; never overwrite an original without a backup.
Ask before writing into Adobe’s install folders, the system CEP folder, or the registry.
Development mode (PlayerDebugMode) belongs on development machines only. Ship signed ZXPs to users.
Never commit signing certificates, certificate passwords, API keys, or tokens. Read secrets from environment variables.
Prefer scripting, COM, or AppleScript over clicking through the UI; use computer use only for what has no scripting route.
Never automate around sign-in, licensing, or account dialogs.
Fonts from Adobe Fonts cannot be bundled in a plug-in or extension; document them as a requirement instead.
Version-specific details (CEP version, SDK version, menu names) change; say which version you checked and point to Adobe’s docs.

References

references/cep-extensions.md (opens in a new tab): CEP panels from folder layout to signed ZXP
references/cpp-plugins.md (opens in a new tab): C++ plug-ins with the Illustrator SDK
references/automation-and-mcp.md (opens in a new tab): command-line runs, MCP servers, and computer use
references/publishing-docs.md (opens in a new tab): install and usage docs for a published Illustrator tool
Adobe CEP Resources (CEP 12 cookbook, CSInterface.js, ZXPSignCMD): Adobe-CEP/CEP-Resources (opens in a new tab)
Adobe CEP getting-started guides (packaging, signing, distribution): Adobe-CEP/Getting-Started-guides (opens in a new tab)
UXP and CEP timeline: Investing in the future of Creative Cloud extensibility (opens in a new tab)

About this skill

Trigger

Build, debug, package, and document Adobe Illustrator integrations: CEP extension panels, C++ SDK plug-ins (.aip), the coming UXP plugins, MCP servers that drive Illustrator, computer-use automation, and OS scripts (batch, PowerShell, bash, AppleScript) that run ExtendScript in Illustrator. Use when creating or fixing an Illustrator extension or plug-in, choosing between a script, extension, or plug-in, connecting an AI tool to Illustrator, automating Illustrator from the command line, or writing install and usage docs for an Illustrator tool someone will publish. Pairs with adobe-illustrator-scripting for the ExtendScript DOM.

The verbatim description from this skill’s front matter — the string an agent matches on to decide whether to load it.

Colophon for this issue

Colophon

How this issue was made

Source

github.com/github/awesome-copilot, branch main, last pushed 6 November 2026.

Licence

MIT — the text of every skill is reproduced unmodified, frontmatter included, under the upstream licence.

Discovery

200 skills found by walking the repository tree for SKILL.md, not by matching a directory convention. 2 distinct layouts observed: .github/skills/*/SKILL.md, skills/*/SKILL.md.

Authorship

3 of 200 skills are installed into the repository rather than published from it. They are shelved in the closing “Credited skills” part and remain the work of their own authors. A skill counts as credited when its only copy lives under one agent’s dot directory; visible directories, per-agent mirror sets, and skills installable from this repository on skills.sh all count as published.

Issue colours

Resolved from a curated brand profile — hue 295°, chroma 0.190. Two accent tones are generated per issue and each is proven against its own ground before it ships: a single accent that passes AA on both light and dark paper is arithmetically impossible.

Heading repairs

1 repair applied to this skill so the document has one h1 and no skipped levels:

Removed “Adobe Illustrator Integrations”, a leading h1 that duplicated the skill title.

Spec compliance

Every skill satisfies the Agent Skills specification’s frontmatter rules.

Images

Images inside a skill come from the upstream repository. Where the author gave no alternative text we mark the image decorative rather than inventing a description — a plausible caption we made up is worse than none for the reader who depends on it.

Marketplace

A plugin manifest is published at .github/plugin/marketplace.json by GitHub, declaring 207 plugins. It is read for editorial metadata only — never as the skill index, which is always the repository tree.

Signal

Install counts come from skills.sh. They measure downloads, not quality, and an unranked repository is not an unread one.

Agent surfaces

The whole issue is available as one markdown document at /github/awesome-copilot.md, and each skill at its own .md URL.

Publication

Set by Skills Docs from the source repository. Body text is Literata at the reader’s chosen size and measure; code is Geist Mono. Nothing on this page was written by us except this paragraph.

When to Use This Skill

Choosing how to deliver an Illustrator feature: a script, a CEP extension, a C++ plug-in, a UXP plugin, an MCP server, or an OS automation script
Building or fixing a CEP extension panel (HTML, JavaScript, and an ExtendScript host)
Building or fixing a C++ plug-in (.aip) with the Illustrator SDK
Running .jsx scripts from batch, PowerShell, bash, Python, or AppleScript, including passing parameters and reading results
Building or reviewing an MCP server that lets an AI tool drive Illustrator
Working in Illustrator through a computer-use tool when no scripting route exists
Writing step-by-step instructions people follow by hand, or install and usage docs for an asset, script, extension, or plug-in someone will publish
Organizing the files of an Illustrator project (sources, linked assets, exports, docs) so automation can find them

Script, Extension, or Plug-in

Adobe’s own terms:

A script is ExtendScript (.jsx), AppleScript, or VBScript run against Illustrator’s scripting object model. It has no persistent UI beyond ScriptUI dialogs.
An extension is a CEP panel: an HTML and JavaScript UI hosted in Illustrator that calls ExtendScript through CSInterface.evalScript.
A plug-in is native code built with the Illustrator C++ SDK (.aip). In apps that already run UXP (Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro), “plugin” also means a UXP plugin; Illustrator UXP plugins are not public yet.

Option	What it is	UI	Installs to	Ships as	Pick it when
Manual instructions	Steps a person follows	Illustrator’s own	Nothing	A document	The task is rare, or needs judgment at every step
ExtendScript script	`.jsx` run in Illustrator	Optional ScriptUI dialog	`Presets/<locale>/Scripts` or anywhere (File > Scripts > Other Script)	`.jsx` file	One action, batch work, or a step another tool calls
CEP extension	HTML panel plus ExtendScript host	Dockable panel	CEP `extensions` folder	Signed `.zxp`	Users need a persistent panel with controls and previews
C++ plug-in	Native `.aip` from the Illustrator SDK	Tools, menus, notifiers, native dialogs	Plug-ins folder or the Additional Plug-ins Folder	`.aip` per OS and major version	You need a custom tool, live effects, speed, or events scripts cannot reach
UXP plugin	Modern JavaScript plugin model	Panels and dialogs	Through Creative Cloud	`.ccx`	Plan for it; Illustrator’s public beta is due by Spring 2027
MCP server	A process an AI tool calls, which runs scripts in Illustrator	The AI tool’s chat	The AI tool’s MCP config	A package or repo	An agent should create or inspect artwork through tools
OS automation	Batch, PowerShell, bash, or AppleScript that starts scripts	None	Anywhere	Script files	Illustrator work is one step of a larger pipeline

Start with the lowest tier that meets the need. A script that works is the core of every higher tier: a CEP panel, an MCP tool, and an OS script all end up calling ExtendScript.

Extensibility Timeline

From Adobe’s announcement “Investing in the future of Creative Cloud extensibility” (blog.developer.adobe.com, September 2026):

Illustrator UXP plugins: public beta by Spring 2027.
CEP in Illustrator, After Effects, and Media Encoder: the Adobe Marketplace stops accepting new CEP submissions in December 2028, and CEP is disabled by default from December 2028.
CEP leaves these apps from December 2029, with at least two years between each app’s UXP public beta and CEP’s removal from new versions.
ExtendScript is not affected by the transition.

So a CEP extension built today has a working life of a few years. Keep its logic in plain ExtendScript files the panel calls, which carry over to a UXP plugin or an MCP server unchanged.

Workflow

Scope: what the user does, which Illustrator versions and OSes it must run on, and who installs it.
Pick the tier from the table above.
Write the ExtendScript core first with the adobe-illustrator-scripting skill, as functions that take a plain settings object and return a result string, so any front end can call them.
Add the front end:
- CEP panel: references/cep-extensions.md (opens in a new tab) (folder layout, manifest, CSInterface, debug mode, signing, install)
- C++ plug-in: references/cpp-plugins.md (opens in a new tab) (SDK, build, PiPL, suites, notifiers, debugging)
- Command line, MCP server, or computer use: references/automation-and-mcp.md (opens in a new tab) (COM, AppleScript, parameters, results, MCP design, safety)
Test inside Illustrator on a copy of a real document: run every option, export a PNG of the result, and compare it with the expected output.
Package: a signed ZXP for CEP, a per-OS .aip for plug-ins, a versioned folder or package for scripts and servers.
Document with references/publishing-docs.md (opens in a new tab): requirements, compatibility, install steps per OS, a walkthrough with screenshots, a GIF, troubleshooting, and a changelog.

Running a Script From Outside Illustrator

Platform	Route	Notes
Windows	COM `Illustrator.Application`	`DoJavaScriptFile(JavaScriptFile, [Arguments], [ExecutionMode])` and `DoJavaScript(JavaScriptCode, [Arguments], [ExecutionMode])`; ExecutionMode 1 never shows the debugger
macOS	AppleScript `do javascript`	`do javascript "$.evalFile(new File(arguments[0]))" with arguments {scriptPath}`, with the path passed to `osascript` as an argument so it never enters script source; check the exact app name for your version
Both	VS Code ExtendScript Debugger	Adobe’s extension for running and debugging `.jsx` against a running app
Windows (legacy)	ExtendScript Toolkit `-run`	32-bit, does not run on macOS 10.15 or later; keep only for old pipelines

Instructions People Follow by Hand

When the deliverable is a set of steps rather than code (for a complex graphic, or for an asset someone downloads):

Name the Illustrator version the steps were checked on, and give menu paths exactly as they appear (Object > Path > Offset Path).
One action per step, with the panel and the value to set (Stroke panel: Weight 2 pt, Align Stroke to Inside).
Show the expected result after each group of steps, with a screenshot or a small PNG.
Mark the steps that differ on Windows and macOS (shortcuts, file dialogs, font paths).
Offer the scripted route next to the manual one when a script exists.

Guardrails

Work on copies of user documents; never overwrite an original without a backup.
Ask before writing into Adobe’s install folders, the system CEP folder, or the registry.
Development mode (PlayerDebugMode) belongs on development machines only. Ship signed ZXPs to users.
Never commit signing certificates, certificate passwords, API keys, or tokens. Read secrets from environment variables.
Prefer scripting, COM, or AppleScript over clicking through the UI; use computer use only for what has no scripting route.
Never automate around sign-in, licensing, or account dialogs.
Fonts from Adobe Fonts cannot be bundled in a plug-in or extension; document them as a requirement instead.
Version-specific details (CEP version, SDK version, menu names) change; say which version you checked and point to Adobe’s docs.

References

references/cep-extensions.md (opens in a new tab): CEP panels from folder layout to signed ZXP
references/cpp-plugins.md (opens in a new tab): C++ plug-ins with the Illustrator SDK
references/automation-and-mcp.md (opens in a new tab): command-line runs, MCP servers, and computer use
references/publishing-docs.md (opens in a new tab): install and usage docs for a published Illustrator tool
Adobe CEP Resources (CEP 12 cookbook, CSInterface.js, ZXPSignCMD): Adobe-CEP/CEP-Resources (opens in a new tab)
Adobe CEP getting-started guides (packaging, signing, distribution): Adobe-CEP/Getting-Started-guides (opens in a new tab)
UXP and CEP timeline: Investing in the future of Creative Cloud extensibility (opens in a new tab)

Adobe Illustrator Integrations

When to Use This Skill

Script, Extension, or Plug-in

Extensibility Timeline

Workflow

Running a Script From Outside Illustrator

Instructions People Follow by Hand

Guardrails

References

About this skill

Trigger

Colophon

Adobe Illustrator Integrations

When to Use This Skill

Script, Extension, or Plug-in

Extensibility Timeline

Workflow

Running a Script From Outside Illustrator

Instructions People Follow by Hand

Guardrails

References

Appendix 7.1–7.4

ReferencesMarkdown · 4 files

About this skill

Trigger

Colophon

Appendix 7.1–7.4

ReferencesMarkdown · 4 files