Generative AI
Photoshop MCP exposes Photoshop's own generative features. Nothing is generated by this server — every request goes through Photoshop to Adobe Firefly, on your Adobe account, using your generative credits.
What you need
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Photoshop 24 or newer | Generative Fill, Remove and Expand landed in 24 |
| Photoshop 27 or newer | Generative Upscale only |
| A signed-in Adobe account with generative credits | Firefly calls are billed to your account |
| An internet connection | The generation happens on Adobe's servers |
Ask for capabilities before assuming a feature exists:
Check Photoshop's capabilities and tell me whether generative fill is available.That calls photoshop_get_capabilities, which reports the Photoshop version and which generative features this install supports. Agents should call it before the first generative tool rather than discovering the limit through a failure.
Firefly tools
Generative Fill — photoshop_generative_fill
Fills the current selection from a text prompt. Requires a selection; make one first, or run a selection tool in the same request.
Select the sky, then generative fill it with "dramatic storm clouds at golden hour".Parameters: prompt (required).
Generative Remove — photoshop_generative_remove
Erases what is inside the selection and reconstructs the background. Use this instead of Generative Fill when you want something gone rather than replaced.
Parameters: feather_px, auto_select_subject.
Generative Expand — photoshop_generative_expand
Outpaints past the current canvas edge. Useful when a crop needs to become a wider aspect ratio without losing the subject.
Parameters: prompt, direction.
Generative Upscale — photoshop_generative_upscale
Increases resolution with invented detail. Photoshop 27+ only.
Parameters: target_scale (2 or 4).
Text to image — photoshop_generate_image
Generates new image content on a blank or active document.
Parameters: prompt, width, height.
Sky Replacement — photoshop_sky_replacement
Uses Photoshop's native Sky Replacement. With a sky_image_path it uses your own sky file; without one it picks from Photoshop's built-in presets. This is not a Firefly call and does not consume credits.
Parameters: sky_image_path (optional).
Neural Filters
photoshop_neural_filter reaches Neural Filters through a companion UXP plugin, because Photoshop does not expose them to scripting. Install the plugin from uxp-plugin/ — see Development — and keep Photoshop open while it runs.
Filters: skin_smoothing, harmonize, depth_blur, super_zoom, colorize. Parameters vary by filter: smoothness, blur.
Without the plugin installed, the tool returns a structured error naming the missing bridge rather than failing silently.
Credits and cost
Only the Firefly tools above consume generative credits, and only when you ask for them. Background removal, retouching, color grading, export and every other recipe are ordinary Photoshop automation with no Adobe billing attached. If credit use matters to you, prefer:
photoshop_recipe_remove_distraction(content-aware fill) over Generative Remove for small objects on simple backgrounds.photoshop_recipe_remove_background(Select Subject and a mask) over generative cut-outs.- Stack modes for tourist removal and noise reduction — several frames of the same scene, no AI involved.
When generation fails
Generative calls fail more often than local ones: no credits left, no selection, a region too small, or a prompt Adobe declines. Failures come back as structured JSON with a code and often a suggested_next_tool, so an assistant can recover — usually by making a selection first, enlarging it, or falling back to content-aware fill.
See Troubleshooting for the specific error codes.