Create and manage sprite animations with multiple frames, animation tags, frame durations, and linked cels. Use when the user wants to animate a sprite, add animation, create movement, make it move, mentions "animation", "animated", "frames", "keyframes", "frame rate", "FPS", "timing", "duration", "walk cycle", "run cycle", "idle animation", "attack animation", "jump", "movement", "motion", or describes actions like "walking", "running", "jumping", "attacking", "breathing", "bobbing", "bouncing"
Add this skill
npx mdskills install willibrandon/pixel-art-animatorComprehensive animation instruction guide with clear workflows, timing patterns, and practical examples
Create, animate, and export pixel art using Aseprite through natural language and commands in Claude Code.
Powered by pixel-mcp - a Model Context Protocol server for Aseprite.
Natural Language Pixel Art Creation
Animation Support
Advanced Techniques
Game-Ready Export
This plugin uses the pixel-mcp Model Context Protocol server to communicate with Aseprite. The MCP server provides 40+ tools for pixel art operations and is bundled with the plugin.
Option A: Via Claude Code (recommended)
In Claude Code, run:
/plugin
Then:
willibrandon/pixel-plugin (for GitHub) or ./path/to/local/marketplace (for local)pixel-pluginOption B: From command line
# Add the GitHub marketplace
claude plugin marketplace add willibrandon/pixel-plugin
# Install the plugin
claude plugin install pixel-plugin
Option C: Local development/testing
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/willibrandon/pixel-plugin.git
cd pixel-plugin
# Add as local marketplace (from parent directory)
cd ..
claude plugin marketplace add ./pixel-plugin
# Install from local source
claude plugin install pixel-plugin@pixel-plugin
Configure Aseprite path (one-time setup):
/pixel-setup
The command will auto-detect your Aseprite installation. If not found, specify the path manually:
/pixel-setup /Applications/Aseprite.app/Contents/MacOS/aseprite
# Using slash commands
/pixel-new 64x64 gameboy
"Draw a character sprite"
/pixel-export png character.png
# Or natural language only
"Create a 32x32 Game Boy sprite of a character"
"Export it as character.png"
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
/pixel-new [size] [palette] | Create new sprite | /pixel-new icon nes |
/pixel-palette [args] | Manage palettes | /pixel-palette set gameboy |
/pixel-export [file] | Export sprite | /pixel-export gif anim.gif |
/pixel-setup [path] | Configure plugin | /pixel-setup |
/pixel-help [topic] | Get help | /pixel-help palettes |
The plugin responds to natural language requests:
Creation:
"Create a 64x64 RGB sprite"
"Make a 16x16 tile with NES palette"
"Start a new 128x128 canvas"
Drawing:
"Draw a red circle in the center"
"Fill the background with blue"
"Draw a pixelated tree"
Animation:
"Add 4 frames for a walk cycle"
"Create a 2-frame idle animation"
"Set all frame durations to 100ms"
Advanced:
"Apply Floyd-Steinberg dithering"
"Reduce to 16 colors"
"Add shading with light from top-left"
"Convert to PICO-8 palette"
Export:
"Export as PNG at 4x scale"
"Export as animated GIF at 12 FPS"
"Create a horizontal spritesheet"
"Export with Unity JSON metadata"
/pixel-new 48x48 gameboy
"Draw a character sprite - round head, square body, stick limbs"
"Add a 2-frame breathing animation"
/pixel-export gif character-idle.gif fps=2
Result: Game Boy character with subtle idle animation.
/pixel-new tile nes
"Draw a brick wall pattern"
"Apply Bayer dithering for texture"
/pixel-export png brick-tile.png scale=4
Result: Retro NES-style brick tile, scaled 4x for modern displays.
/pixel-new 64x64
"Draw a detailed sword with silver blade and gold hilt"
"Add shading from top-left light source"
"Apply soft antialiasing to edges"
/pixel-export png sword.png scale=2
Result: Modern pixel art with shading and antialiasing.
/pixel-new 32x32 pico8
"Draw a simple character"
"Create an 8-frame run cycle"
"Set frames to 80ms each"
/pixel-export json game-character.json format=unity
Result: game-character.png spritesheet + game-character.json ready for Unity import.
nes - 54-color NES palettegameboy - 4-color Game Boy greengameboy-gray - 4-shade grayscalec64 - 16-color Commodore 64cga - 4-color IBM CGAsnes - 256-color Super Nintendopico8 - PICO-8 fantasy console (16 colors)sweetie16 - Popular 16-color palette by GrafxKiddb16 - DawnBringer's 16 colorsdb32 - DawnBringer's 32 colorsretro16 - Generic 16-color retroretro8 - Generic 8-color retrograyscale4/8/16 - Grayscale paletteshorizontal - All frames in a row (web animations)vertical - All frames in a columngrid - Optimal rows × columns (game engines)packed - Space-optimized (texture atlases)scale=1 - Original sizescale=2 - 2x pixel-perfectscale=4 - 4x pixel-perfectscale=8 - 8x pixel-perfectRun setup command:
/pixel-setup /path/to/aseprite
Platform-specific paths:
/Applications/Aseprite.app/Contents/MacOS/aseprite/usr/bin/asepriteC:\Program Files\Aseprite\Aseprite.execat ~/.config/pixel-mcp/config.json/pixel-setupchmod +x bin/pixel-mcpSee Known Issues for additional troubleshooting information.
Contributions welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')git push origin feature/amazing-feature)This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
Install via CLI
npx mdskills install willibrandon/pixel-art-animatorPixel Art Animator is a free, open-source AI agent skill. Create and manage sprite animations with multiple frames, animation tags, frame durations, and linked cels. Use when the user wants to animate a sprite, add animation, create movement, make it move, mentions "animation", "animated", "frames", "keyframes", "frame rate", "FPS", "timing", "duration", "walk cycle", "run cycle", "idle animation", "attack animation", "jump", "movement", "motion", or describes actions like "walking", "running", "jumping", "attacking", "breathing", "bobbing", "bouncing"
Install Pixel Art Animator with a single command:
npx mdskills install willibrandon/pixel-art-animatorThis downloads the skill files into your project and your AI agent picks them up automatically.
Pixel Art Animator works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Vscode Copilot, Windsurf, Continue Dev, Codex, Gemini Cli, Amp, Roo Code, Goose, Opencode, Trae, Qodo, Command Code. Skills use the open SKILL.md format which is compatible with any AI coding agent that reads markdown instructions.