Troubleshooting and FAQ

Fixes for the problems people actually run into, then answers to common questions. Setup steps are in the User Guide.

Lightroom not reachable

Make sure Lightroom Classic is open. Classic, not the cloud version.
Choose File > Plug-in Extras > Claude Bridge: Show Status. If "Run loop active" says no, choose Claude Bridge: Start / Restart from the same menu.
Check that the plug-in is enabled in File > Plug-in Manager.
In Terminal, run ./lrc daemon stop, then ./lrc ping.

Starting the plug-in is a step in Lightroom's menus; no Terminal command can do it for you.

No active photo

Select a photo in Lightroom. Most edits act on the active photo, the one that is most selected.

The first edit did nothing

This is expected. When a photo is sitting in the Library module, the very first edit is swallowed by Lightroom's switch to Develop: it reports success and changes nothing. Send it again. More generally, a success reply from Lightroom is not proof that a value landed, which is why the agent reads values back and checks the render.

A mask does not seem to do anything

AI masks (sky, subject, background) are still being calculated when their settings first arrive, so the settings often land weak. The agent re-applies them and checks the render, sometimes more than once. Lightroom also always reports mask values as zero when asked, so only a render can confirm a mask.

Radial and linear masks cannot be placed at a chosen spot through Lightroom's plug-in interface; they appear at Lightroom's default position. For a fixed placement, build it once by hand, save it as a preset, and have the agent apply the preset.

A preview looks stale

Ask for a render rather than a thumbnail. A render is a fresh export through Lightroom's full pipeline and always shows the current edit, crop and masks included. Thumbnails come from Lightroom's preview cache, which is often out of date for the photo you are editing; the bridge falls back to a render automatically when that happens.

The bridge stops responding after Lightroom restarts

The plug-in serves one connection at a time. Choose File > Plug-in Extras > Claude Bridge: Start / Restart, then run ./lrc daemon stop and ./lrc ping.

Contact sheets fail

The contact-sheet helpers need Pillow: run pip3 install --user Pillow.

Where the logs are

The bridge's own log: ~/.claude-lrc-bridge/daemon.log
The plug-in's status: File > Plug-in Extras > Claude Bridge: Show Status

Include both when you report a problem.

Frequently asked questions

Does it modify my RAW files?

No. Develop settings live in your Lightroom catalog. Your original files are never touched, which is also why every edit can be undone.

Does it upload my photos anywhere?

The bridge does not: it only talks to Lightroom on your own Mac. Your AI agent does send the previews it looks at to its provider, exactly as if you pasted an image into a chat. See the privacy policy.

Does it use generative AI on my photos?

Only if you ask. Lightroom's generative tools can be reached through the bridge, but they are not part of any default workflow, partly because Adobe marks the result with AI metadata and some platforms label such images. Sky and subject masks are analysis, not generation, and add no such metadata.

Can it edit several photos at once?

Yes, for batch edits, ratings and culling. Single adjustments act on one photo at a time on purpose, so each result can be checked.

Which AI model works best?

For judging and grading photos, the strongest model you have. The gap between models is large for aesthetic calls and small for mechanical work, so a cheaper model for triage and a strong one for the photos you publish is an efficient split.

Can I use it without Claude?

Yes. The MCP server works with any MCP client, the command line works from any script, and the project includes instructions written for other AI agents.

Does it work on Windows?

Not today. The connection relies on macOS features, and it is untested elsewhere.

Is it free?

Yes. Lightroom AI Bridge is free and open source under the MIT license. You need your own copy of Adobe Lightroom Classic and your own AI agent.

Get help

Bugs and feature requests: open an issue on GitHub. Include your Lightroom Classic version, the output of ./lrc ping --raw, and the last lines of ~/.claude-lrc-bridge/daemon.log.
Anything else: [email protected]