ae-dev-setup

name	ae-dev-setup
description	Automated dev environment setup for deadline-cloud-for-after-effects. Use when onboarding, setting up the After Effects integration repo, building the submitter, or installing dependencies. The agent automates all steps and only prompts when user input is required.
tags	["skill","deadline-cloud","deadline-cloud-for-after-effects","dev-setup","onboarding","after-effects","compositing"]

After Effects Dev Setup

Overview

AI-guided automated setup for the deadline-cloud-for-after-effects project. The agent executes all steps, validates results, and only prompts the user when manual intervention is truly required.

Usage

Use this skill when:

• Setting up a new dev environment for the After Effects integration
• Onboarding to the deadline-cloud-for-after-effects repo
• Building the submitter script for the first time

Core Concepts

Platform: Windows or macOS. After Effects 2024–2026, Python 3.9+.

Build system: Hatch (Python), jsxbundler (ExtendScript)

Agent Behavior

You MUST automate all possible steps by running commands directly. You MUST only prompt the user when their input is required (AE version, custom paths). You MUST validate each step's output before proceeding to the next. You MUST inform the user clearly when manual intervention is needed (e.g., installing After Effects itself). You SHOULD report progress at each step.

Setup Workflow

Follow the detailed step-by-step workflow in references/setup-guide.md.

Summary of steps:

1. Detect OS (Windows or macOS)
2. Verify Python 3.9+
3. Detect After Effects installation
4. Install Hatch
5. Install dependencies (hatch run sync)
6. Build the submitter script (jsxbundler.py)
7. Copy dist files to After Effects ScriptUI Panels folder (optional if using installer)
8. Install fonttools dependency
9. Display summary