What is ase-mcp?

ase-mcp is a bridge that lets an AI agent control a real, currently open session of Aseprite, a popular pixel art and animation program, using a standard called the Model Context Protocol. Instead of generating a flat image file behind the scenes, the AI draws directly inside a live, editable Aseprite project, so you can watch pixels appear, layers get added, and animation frames get created in real time, then keep editing the result yourself afterward. Installing it on the Aseprite side is a single extension file that bundles both the Aseprite plugin and the small server that talks to the AI agent. Once added through Aseprite's extension menu, it starts itself automatically every time Aseprite opens. The AI agent can either run on the very same computer or inside a separate virtual machine, with setup scripts provided to wire up networking and a security token for the virtual machine case. The bridge exposes around thirty three individual tools the AI can call: things like drawing individual pixels or shapes, filling areas with color, adding and duplicating layers and animation frames, creating tagged animation sequences with named playback directions, reading pixel colors back out, and exporting a finished sprite sheet. One of the tools allows running arbitrary custom code inside Aseprite for more advanced control. Because giving an AI agent the ability to run code and launch a program on your computer is inherently risky, the project requires a shared secret token for communication, keeps the server listening only on the local machine by default, and restricts where exported files can be saved. The project notes that people should read its security documentation before opening the connection up beyond a single machine. This tool currently targets Windows as the host operating system running Aseprite, and is released under the Apache 2.0 license, which permits free use, modification, and commercial use as long as attribution and license terms are preserved.