Troubleshooting
Fix the most common Prism issues in After Effects — connection checks, tools that do nothing, wrong-looking results, clipped glyphs, and intermittent operations.
Most problems with Prism trace back to one of three connection links, or to a small After Effects quirk that has a quick fix. Work through the checks below in order. If a step passes, move to the next; the issue is almost always the first one that fails.
The three connection checks
Prism only works when all three links in the chain are live. Run them top to bottom.
- Panel open — In After Effects: Window → Extensions → AE Prism. The panel must be open for any tool to run; it is the executor that performs the action inside AE.
- Key activated — The panel shows your activation state. If it is not activated, paste your license key and activate. Prism remembers the device after the first activation.
- MCP URL set — Your AI client — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Windsurf, and more — needs your personal Prism MCP URL in its MCP or connector settings. You copy that URL from the panel: in the MCP tab, click Connect. One entry covers every client.
If your AI client says it cannot reach Prism, your Prism MCP URL is missing or out of date in the client's MCP settings — not a problem inside After Effects. See your AI client cannot connect below.
Your AI client cannot connect
If your AI client says it cannot reach Prism, start by restarting the AI client. Many clients only load their MCP connections at startup, so a fresh start clears most connection problems on its own.
First fix: fully close and reopen your AI client, then ask the AI again. If it still cannot reach Prism, the next fix lives in the panel, not in After Effects.
The URL you give your client is personal and permanent. If the link is still broken, re-copy the same URL from the panel and re-paste it.
url value in mcp.json. In ChatGPT or another client: the custom MCP server entry. Save, then ask the AI again.The quickest confirmation that the link is live: ask "Tell me about my current composition." When the AI reads your comp back, the connection is working.
The panel shows no URL
If the panel has no Prism MCP URL to copy, you have not connected yet. The URL is created the moment you connect, not before.
Activate the panel with your license key first. Then, in the MCP tab, click Connect. Your personal URL appears once you are connected — if the field is empty, you are still on the activation step. See connecting your AI client for the full flow.
Tools are listed, but nothing happens
If your AI client lists Prism's tools and a request runs without changing anything, the chain is connected — the issue is usually context.
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Request completes, comp unchanged | No active composition, or the wrong one is active | Open the comp you want and bring it forward, then ask again |
| AI describes a change it cannot make | Panel closed mid-session | Reopen the Prism panel and re-run |
| Nothing returns at all | Activation lapsed or device changed | Re-activate the panel with your license key |
The active comp is the context the AI acts on (see compositions), so the comp you have open is the one that changes. Naming the comp in your request also helps.
A result looks wrong
Recovery is cheap — every Prism action is reversible (see how Prism works). So a wrong result is never a dead end.
Treat a wrong result as a conversation, not a failure. The AI reads the true state of your comp, so correcting it with concrete detail is the fastest path to the result you want.
Clipped or hollow glyphs (AE 2026)
After Effects 2026 can apply a default stroke to new text that eats into the glyphs, leaving letters looking thin or hollowed out.
Ask for the text without a stroke. Phrase it plainly — for example, "create this text with no stroke." That removes the default stroke and restores clean glyphs.
Also note that fonts are referenced by their PostScript name, so prefer the exact PostScript form (for example HelveticaNeue-Bold) when a specific weight matters.
An operation behaves intermittently
A few operations are flaky inside After Effects itself, independent of Prism — they may not apply cleanly on the first try.
Re-run the same request once. If it succeeds on the retry, that is the known intermittent behavior, not a configuration problem.
If a step still fails after a retry and the three connection checks above all pass, the issue is reproducible and worth reporting with the exact request you used.
Still stuck?
If all three connection checks pass and the behavior is consistent, revisit getting set up to confirm each link, then note the exact request and what happened so it can be reproduced.
When you need a person, reach the support channel that comes with your plan. On the Free plan, support is the community. On a paid plan, you can email support@oneprism.io. For anything about your plan, your license key, or freeing a device, the License Portal is the fastest path.
| Your plan | Where to reach us |
|---|---|
| Free | Community support |
| Pro | Priority — support@oneprism.io |
For plan, billing, license-key, or device questions — including freeing a device or downloading the panel again — open the License Portal. For everything else on a paid plan, email support@oneprism.io with the exact request you used and what happened.
Related
- Connect your AI client — the full per-client connection setup.
- How Prism works — the read-reason-write loop and why every action is reversible.
- Compositions — why the active comp is the context.
- The License Portal — copy your key, change your plan, free a device.