FAQ

FAQ

Does my project leave my computer?

Surehand itself runs locally and sends nothing anywhere, apart from the once-a-day update check (which only reads the latest version number from GitHub) and downloads you start or allow. But the AI app you use sends your chat to its provider, and that includes whatever the AI reads from your project: layer names, text, values, frames it looks at. That is governed by your AI app and provider. See Security.

Which AI app should I use?

Any of them works. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf / Devin Desktop and LM Studio start Surehand directly on your computer. ChatGPT in a browser needs a secure link; see ChatGPT on the web. Apps that show in-chat views (for example Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, VS Code and Cursor) also show Preflight, X-ray, stress-test and proof results as views. Results depend more on the model than on the app.

Can I chat with the AI inside After Effects?

Yes, in 1.4: the panel's chat runs Codex, Claude Code or Antigravity on your own sign-in, under the same Full / Ask / Read-only setting. See Chat in After Effects.

Do I need to keep the panel open?

No. The bridge starts with After Effects by itself. The panel is for seeing what the AI does and choosing what it may do. In Ask mode, a small pop-up appears when the panel is closed.

Can I undo what the AI did?

Yes. Every tool call is one undo step in After Effects: use Edit › Undo, ask the AI to undo, or click Undo on the newest change in the panel (1.4). For bigger changes, ask for a checkpoint first.

Can the AI break my project file?

It works on the open project like you do. It saves only when asked to (or as part of a checkpoint, which saves first). Checkpoints are never overwritten by a restore, and Save As refuses to replace an existing file unless the AI says it means to. For risky sessions: Ask mode, a checkpoint, and Pause AI if anything looks wrong.

What's the difference between my AI app asking "Allow this tool?" and Surehand's Ask mode?

Your AI app's prompt is its own setting and shows the tool call as the app sees it. Surehand's Ask mode works inside After Effects, shows the exact script or arguments with risk chips, and can't be answered by the AI app itself. You can use either, both, or neither. See Approvals.

Does it work in After Effects in another language?

Yes. English property, effect and menu names work in any language: Surehand maps them to After Effects' internal names. Project X-ray and the stress test also flag expressions that will break when the project is opened in another language.

I have After Effects 2025 and 2026 open. Which one does the AI use?

The one you used most recently. Each has its own bridge and its own panel. Ask the AI to switch ("use After Effects 2025"), or set "instance" in config.json. See Troubleshooting.

Why are only some tools loaded?

Every tool's description goes into every chat. Loading the 29 core tools instead of all 114 saves about 38k tokens per chat. The others are still available on demand. See What the AI can do.

Can I try betas?

Yes: ☰ › Settings › Beta updates › On in the panel. See Upgrading.

Does Surehand include ready-made looks or templates?

No. Surehand is a precise tool for working in your own projects: it runs your instructions, measures, verifies and reports. Preflight checks against your delivery spec, with no built-in specs.

Is "Proven identical" a guarantee?

It is evidence for the frames that were compared: pixel by pixel, at the sampled times, within the tolerance. Frames between the samples, audio and the comp's background color are not compared. See Proven edits.

Does the stress test change my template?

No. Every variant is set on a scratch copy that is removed again, and your comp is read back afterwards and must be identical. See Stress test.

Is Preflight's flash check enough for broadcast?

No. It is a pre-check to catch obvious problems early, not a certified PSE / Harding test. If your broadcaster requires one, run the certified test.

Can the AI render?

Yes: through the render queue (which blocks After Effects while it renders), through Adobe Media Encoder, or in the background with aerender so After Effects stays usable. See Rendering. It can also profile a render, package a project for someone else, and split a render into chunks for several processes or machines; see Render speed, handoff and farms.

Can it run my own scripts?

Yes. ae_list_scripts finds the scripts in After Effects' Scripts folder and in folders you list as scriptFolders in config.json; ae_run_script_file runs one. See What the AI can do.

Is it affiliated with Adobe?

No. Surehand MCP is an independent open-source project (MIT licence). Adobe and After Effects are trademarks of Adobe.

Where do I report a bug?

At github.com/ConformLabs/surehand-mcp/issues, with the report from ☰ › Copy diagnostics. See Troubleshooting.