idml-mcp

MCP server that lets AI agents read and safely edit Adobe InDesign files (IDML) — no InDesign required.

Unlike MCP servers that remote-control a running InDesign instance, idml-mcp works directly on .idml files via idmlkit. It runs anywhere Node.js runs — servers, CI, Linux — with nothing from Adobe installed, and its write-back preserves everything it doesn't touch byte-for-byte.

Setup (Claude Code / Claude Desktop)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "idml": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "idml-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

| Tool | Purpose | | --- | --- | | idml_summarize | Structured summary of pages, frames, stories, images, styles | | idml_get_story | One story's plain text + indexed runs with styles | | idml_set_text | Replace one run's text (layout untouched, byte-for-byte) | | idml_relink_image | Point an image link at a new file (geometry untouched) |

Then ask Claude things like "Summarize catalog.idml and replace every 2025 date with 2026."

License

MIT. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe. "Adobe" and "InDesign" are trademarks of Adobe Inc., used here only to describe compatibility.