Adobe AE jsx && tsx Runner

Purpose and Intention

This VSCode extension allows users to run Adobe After Effects JSX or TSX scripts directly from VSCode, without needing the ExtendScript Toolkit. It detects running After Effects instances, compiles TypeScript/TSX to JSX if needed, and executes scripts in the selected AE instance.

Key Behaviors

Platform Detection and AE Instance Discovery

• On Windows, uses PowerShell scripts to enumerate running AfterFX.exe processes and installed AE versions by reading the Windows Registry.
• On macOS, uses mdfind to locate After Effects applications.

Script Execution

• On Windows: Executes After Effects scripts by launching AfterFX.exe with the -r flag and the script path.
• On macOS: Uses osascript (AppleScript) to tell After Effects to run a script file.

TypeScript/TSX Compilation

• Detects the build tool (rollup, webpack, esbuild, or tsc) based on workspace files or configuration.
• Compiles .ts/.tsx files to .jsx using the detected build tool.
• Supports custom build commands.

Configuration and User Interaction

• Reads and writes VSCode workspace configuration for input/output paths.
• Presents a quick-pick UI for selecting the AE version to use.
• Handles errors and provides user feedback via VSCode notifications.

Filesystem and Process Activity

• Reads/writes files: Reads tsconfig.json, writes output JSX files, updates VSCode workspace settings.
• Executes child processes for PowerShell, osascript, build tools, and AfterFX.exe.

Registry Access (Windows only)

• Reads registry keys under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Adobe\After Effects to find installed AE versions and their paths.

API Calls and Network Activity

• No network communication or remote URLs/domains are present in the code.
• Uses Node.js APIs: child_process, fs, path, util.

Obfuscation

• The code is not obfuscated. It is minified/bundled, but variable/function names are readable and logic is clear.

Potentially Sensitive Operations

• Process Execution:
  • Executes shell commands (PowerShell, osascript, build tools, AfterFX.exe).
• Registry Read:
  • Reads Windows registry to enumerate AE installations.
• File Creation:
  • Writes compiled .jsx files to disk.
• No evidence of privilege escalation, persistence, data exfiltration, user creation, or clipboard access.

Example Code Snippets

PowerShell Execution (Windows AE detection)

const psScriptBase64 = import_buffer.Buffer.from(psScript, "utf16le").toString("base64");
const stdoutBuffer = (0, import_child_process.execSync)(
  `powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -EncodedCommand ${psScriptBase64}`,
  { encoding: "utf8", timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT }
);

After Effects Script Execution (Windows)

(0, import_child_process.execSync)(`"${aePath}" -r ${scriptPath}`, {
  timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT
});

AppleScript Execution (macOS)

const command = `osascript -e 'tell application "${escapedAppPath}" to DoScriptFile (POSIX file "${escapedScriptPath}")'`;
const output = (0, import_child_process2.execSync)(command, {
  encoding: "utf8",
  timeout: 3e4
});

Registry Read (Windows)

const $ae = Get-ChildItem 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Adobe\After Effects' |
Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name |
ForEach-Object {
    $name = $_ -replace 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Adobe\\After Effects\\'
    $InstallPath = (Get-ItemPropertyValue ('HKLM:\\SOFTWARE\\Adobe\\After Effects\\' + $name) -Name "InstallPath") + 'AfterFX.exe'
    ...
}

File Creation (TSX to JSX)

• Output path is determined and written to disk after compilation.

No evidence of malicious intent or behavior was observed. All operations are consistent with the extension's stated purpose.