Surehand MCP › Setup guide
Use Windsurf with Adobe® After Effects®.
Surehand MCP connects Windsurf, now called Devin Desktop, to After Effects. It works on your project through Surehand's tools, and every edit comes back with an exact list of what changed.
Works with Windsurf, Devin Desktop · Tested on After Effects 2025 and 2026, macOS and Windows 11 · Free and MIT licensed
Set it up
Four steps.
No administrator rights and no account. Node.js comes with the installer.
Install Surehand MCP
Run the Mac
.pkgor the WindowsSetup.exefrom the download page and keep Windsurf / Devin Desktop ticked.Restart After Effects once
The Surehand bridge starts with After Effects from then on.
Restart Windsurf
The surehand-ae server is listed in its MCP settings.
Check the connection
Ask: "Check After Effects is connected." The Surehand panel shows Ready.
The entry uses the same surehand-ae server as every other app.
What to ask
Ask in your own words.
Windsurf picks the tool; the tool does the measuring.
"Check Endcard against our broadcast spec before I send it."
"Stress-test the lower third with long German names and Arabic."
"Un-precompose Logo_Lockup and prove nothing changed."
"I inherited this project. What does the render queue actually pull in?"
With Windsurf
What you get.
Agent Skills
The four Surehand skills are installed in ~/.agents/skills/, where Windsurf reads them.
Precision tools
Keyframes in whole frames with exact speed and influence, and layout aligned by measured on-screen bounds.
Checks before delivery
Preflight against your own spec and stress tests with worst-case text and data.
Questions
Windsurf and After Effects.
Is Windsurf the same as Devin Desktop?
Windsurf is now called Devin Desktop. Surehand writes its entry for both, including Windsurf's older settings folder while it exists.
Can Windsurf edit After Effects projects?
Yes, through Surehand MCP's tools, which run inside the open After Effects. Every edit is one undo step with a change report.
Do I need to set anything up by hand?
No. The installers write the entry. To add it later, use ☰ › Connect an AI app… in the Surehand panel.