Using Sidekick with Claude Code - Sidekick for InDesign

Claude Code is Anthropic’s command-line interface that brings Claude directly into your terminal. It’s a powerful way to work with Claude on coding projects, but it can also control InDesign through Sidekick.

There’s one catch: Claude Code doesn’t support MCPB files—the one-click installation format used by Claude Desktop. You’ll need to install the standalone MCP server instead.

Watch the Setup

Step 1: Install the InDesign Plugin

First, install the Sidekick plugin inside InDesign from Adobe Exchange. This is the bridge that lets any AI assistant communicate with InDesign.

Step 2: Install the Standalone Server

Download and run the installer for your platform from our standalone installation page. This installs the indesign-sidekick command-line tool.

After installation, verify it’s working by opening a terminal:

indesign-sidekick --version

Step 3: Register with Claude Code

Unlike Claude Desktop, Claude Code uses the claude mcp add command to register MCP servers. Run this in your terminal:

claude mcp add indesign-sidekick -s user -- indesign-sidekick start

The -s user flag makes Sidekick available across all your projects. Without it, Sidekick would only be registered for the current directory.

Step 4: Verify the Connection

Restart Claude Code (or start a new session), then ask Claude to check the connection:

Is InDesign connected?

If the Sidekick panel in InDesign shows “Connected”, you’re all set.

Troubleshooting

“command not found: indesign-sidekick”

The installer adds indesign-sidekick to your PATH, but you may need to restart your terminal or open a new one for the change to take effect.

InDesign shows “Disconnected”