VectorCraft expert

Illustrator workflows, summarised independently and translated into VectorCraft, the ArtCraft Illustrator-class vector app, driven over MCP (mcp__vectorcraft__* in Claude Code; the same tool names in any MCP-capable agent). Every command id below exists in the live catalogue (906 commands, 140 effects, checked 2026-11-03). Read the exact params with command_list {filter:"<id>"} before using an id for the first time.

0. Rule zero: re-check before you say "missing"

ArtCraft apps are updated almost daily. Every "absent" in this skill is a snapshot of 2026-11-03, not a limit. Before telling the user a feature is missing, and before using a workaround, run command_list {filter:"<keyword>"} (and effect.list / document.formats for effects and formats) on the live app. If the command now exists, use it with the Adobe workflow described here (the target behaviour stays documented for that reason), and update this skill (or open an issue on the repository) so the snapshot stays accurate.

1. How VectorCraft works (read first)

• No UI. Every menu item is a command: command_list {filter|menu, brief} → command_run {id, params}; several at once with command_batch. Convenience tools: draw_shape, draw_path, set_paint, pathfinder, add_text, text_wrap, transform, apply_effect, export, doc_inspect, render_preview.
• Coordinates are points, y down, origin top-left of artboard 0, even in mm documents (1 mm = 2.8346 pt). A4 = 595.28 × 841.89 pt.
• Work by id. New objects come back with an id and become the selection. Pass ids to commands; for param-less commands (e.g. type.createOutlines) call select.set {ids} first.
• New-art default = white fill + 1 pt black stroke. For flat shapes pass stroke:"none".
• Look and verify constantly: render_preview {max_side} after each block of work, doc_inspect (bounds, fills, layers, overflow of text) before delivery.
• Never open or overwrite the user's files unless asked; tests go in a new document (file.new) closed with file.close {index}.
• File access is sandboxed. The server reads and writes only under its allowed root (e.g. ~/Craft in a default install); check the server instructions or the error message for the actual root and use paths inside it for open_file, file.place, save_file and export.

2. Vector principles and recommended workflow

Vector art = paths (anchors + Bézier handles) with fill/stroke/appearance; resolution-independent, editable, small. Keep it live (live shapes, global swatches, styles, symbols, repeats, effects) as long as possible; expand/outline only for the final deliverable copy.

1. Brief and setup — purpose, sizes, output (screen → RGB/px/72 ppi; print → CMYK/mm/300 ppi/bleed). file.new {width,height,units,colorMode,bleed,artboards}; one artboard per format/variant (artboard.new, artboard.setProps).
2. Structure — layers before drawing: Background / Artwork / Text / Logo / Notes (layer.new, layer.setCurrent); guides and safe areas (guide.add, view.guides.make).
3. Palette — global swatches first (swatch.new {global:true}, swatch.newGroup), type styles (paraStyle.new, charStyle.new).
4. Construction — big shapes first: live shapes, Shape Builder, Pathfinder, Pen paths (draw_path {d}); name every object.
5. Colour and depth — swatches, gradients, blends, patterns, appearance stacks.
6. Details — type, brushes, effects, symbols, masks.
7. Check — render_preview, doc_inspect, preflight (§6).
8. Export — source .vectorcraft + deliverables (§4 recipes, references/export-and-sharing.md).

3. Mapping: Illustrator function → VectorCraft

Legend: ✅ exists (id), ✔ verified with a real call on 2026-11-03, ⏳ not available as of 2026-11-03 (searched in the full catalogue; snapshot — re-check, see §0 and §3b).

Count (snapshot 2026-11-03): 84 rows mapped; 76 available in VectorCraft (20 of them verified with real calls), 8 rows not available yet — see §3b.

3b. Not available as of 2026-11-03 (snapshot — re-check)

Re-check each with command_list {filter} before saying it is missing (§0). The Adobe behaviour is the target: apply it as soon as the command appears.

4. Recipes

Logo — 1) square artboard 1000×1000 pt RGB (or CMYK if print-first); 2) global swatches for 1–3 brand colours; 3) build the mark from live shapes, Shape Builder and Pathfinder, curves with draw_path {d} (few anchors); align on geometric bounds; 4) wordmark with add_text, kerning/tracking via text.setStyle; 5) variants on extra artboards: full colour, one colour, reversed, mark only; 6) delivery copy: type.createOutlines, object.path.outlineStroke, object.expandShape, unite same-colour pieces; 7) export SVG (outlineText:true), PNG 2x, PDF; keep the live source. Icon set — grid of artboards (e.g. 24 or 48 pt, artboard.rearrange); keyline guides; consistent stroke weight, caps and corner radius; draw on whole/half points; strokes outlined at the end; document.exportForScreens {formats:[{format:"svg"},{format:"png",scale:"2x"}]} with artboard names as file names. Illustration — layers per plane (sky, background, midground, subject, foreground); big flat shapes first, then shading with blends/gradients/freeform gradients, texture with brushes or patterns; colour via global swatches so recolor.apply can make variants; masks to keep everything inside the frame. Social post / carousel — px document at the platform size (1080×1350 feed, 1080×1920 story), one artboard per slide; keep a consistent grid and safe margins across slides, leave room for platform UI overlays, let photos be large, avoid decorative placeholder icons, and break lines at natural phrase ends rather than mid-sentence; for many similar slides, generating an SVG per slide and opening/placing it is often faster than drawing each by hand; check overflow; export PNG with useArtboards and range. Pattern — motif from a few shapes with global colours → object.pattern.make {tileType} → pattern.options spacing → object.pattern.done; test on a large rectangle with render_preview; colourways with recolor.apply. Print file / packaging — CMYK document at final size in mm, bleed 3 mm (8.5 pt) or as the printer asks, safe margin guides; backgrounds extended to the bleed; images ≥ 300 ppi effective, embedded or packaged; black text K100, rich black only on big areas; overprint check view.overprintPreview; die-cut line on its own non-printing or spot layer (swatch.new {spot:true}); document.exportPdf {standard:"pdfX4" (or pdfX1a), bleed:{useDocument:true}, marks:{trim:true}, advanced:{outlineText:true}}; read all warnings; file.package for the source. Exports — SVG for web/UI (outlineText:true, minify), PNG for social and slides (scale), JPG for photo-heavy posts, PDF for print/review, .vectorcraft always as source. Details: references/export-and-sharing.md.

5. Common mistakes

• mm values passed as pt; RGB file sent to print; no bleed.
• Default white fill + black stroke left on shapes.
• Commands applied to the wrong selection (no ids).
• Text overflow ignored (overflow:true), fallback fonts ignored (warning in text.setStyle).
• Expanding/outlining the only copy; no live source kept.
• Pathfinder on stroked objects without outlining strokes; open paths that should be closed.
• Raster effects (shadows, glows) assumed to stay vector; low raster-effect ppi for print.
• Gradient angle:90 runs bottom → top (stop 0 at the bottom).
• Hex values in doc_inspect of a CMYK file are previews, not the stored colour.

6. Preflight before delivery

1. doc_inspect {depth:0} → layers named, nothing unexpected hidden/locked; doc_inspect {kind:"Type"} → text content, no overflow.
2. select.object.strayPoints, select.object.openPaths, addon.cleanup.check → delete stray points, fix open shapes.
3. Colours: swatch.unused, recolor.colors on everything; CMYK only for print, no RGB images (edit.colors.toCMYK), K100 text.
4. links.check → no missing images; text.missingFonts → none.
5. render_preview of every artboard at max_side ≥ 1024; compare with the brief.
6. Export, then reopen/inspect the export (PDF warnings, PNG pixel size, SVG viewBox).
7. Deliver the exports plus the live .vectorcraft source together, with clear file names (project, format, variant), to wherever the requester expects them.

7. References

• references/workspace-and-document.md — setup, artboards, rulers, guides
• references/selection-and-transform.md — selecting, aligning, transforming, repeats
• references/shapes-and-pathfinder.md — live shapes, cutting/joining, Shape Builder, Pathfinder, width, intertwine
• references/pen-and-curves.md — Bézier paths, Pen/Curvature/Pencil, dashes, arrows
• references/color.md — colour modes, swatches, Recolor, Live Paint
• references/type.md — point/area/path type, styles, wrap, warp, outlines
• references/layers.md — layers and clipping masks
• references/gradients-blends-patterns.md
• references/brushes.md
• references/effects-and-appearance.md — appearance, effects, 3D, graphic styles
• references/time-savers.md — symbols, libraries, global edit, mockups
• references/images-and-image-trace.md — placing, masks, links, Image Trace
• references/export-and-sharing.md — package, PDF, export for screens, collaboration
• references/generative-ai.md — Illustrator AI features and agent substitutes

Sources

The workflow is informed by Adobe's Illustrator Classroom in a Book 2026 Release (Adobe Press) and verified against VectorCraft's live command catalogue on 2026-11-03. It is written independently and reproduces no text from the book.