Effect House Plugin

Effect House Plugin helps you create TikTok effects by chatting with Codex or Claude Code. Describe your idea, watch it take shape in the live preview, and keep refining it until it feels right.

You can create visual effects, interactive games, and 3D or AR experiences. When you want more control, open Studio to inspect your scene, fine-tune details, and prepare your effect for publishing.

How It Works

Every effect follows the same path. The steps below show how the workflow comes together.

Step	What you do
1. Install and sign in	Add the plugin to your agent, start a new session, and sign in by scanning a QR code with TikTok
2. Share your idea	Describe your effect in a sentence. Attach reference images, videos, or links if you have them.
3. Keep refining	Send follow-up messages until the result is exactly what you want
4. Preview and test	Watch the live preview, try other models or your camera, check performance, and test on your phone
5. Fine-tune	Drag the sliders in Adjustments, or open Studio for detailed edits
6. Publish	Add an icon, sound, and challenge, review the details, and submit straight to TikTok

Get Started

Install the Plugin

In the Codex App or Claude App

1. Choose or create a workspace folder to work in, and trust it when Codex or Claude Code asks

2. Paste the install prompt from the Effect House website into the chat, and the agent installs the plugin for you

Codex

Make sure you are in Codex, not ChatGPT.

Install/Update EffectHouse AI Plugin: Fetch https://github.com/tiktok/effect-house-agent-plugins/blob/main/codex_install_update.md directly with curl, not web search. Follow it to install/update and set up EffectHouse AI, then fork this chat and continue there if supported.

Claude Code

Make sure you are in Claude Code.

Install/Update EffectHouse AI Plugin: Fetch https://github.com/tiktok/effect-house-agent-plugins/blob/main/claude_install_update.md directly with curl, not web search. Follow it to install/update and set up EffectHouse AI, then fork this chat and continue there if supported.

3. When installation finishes, start a new session so the plugin can load
4. We recommend switching to Full access before you send your first message so you do not need to approve every step one by one

Check That the Plugin Is Installed

Once it's installed, you'll find EffectHouse AI in your agent's plugin list. Open it to see its version, skills, and connectors (MCP servers).

Sign In with TikTok

The first time you use the plugin, you need to sign in with your TikTok account. When the agent needs you to sign in, it shows a QR code right in the chat. Scan it with the TikTok app on your phone:

1. Open the TikTok app and tap Profile
2. Tap the menu (☰) in the top-right corner, then select Your QR code
3. Tap the scan button in the top-right corner, scan the code in the chat, and confirm the sign-in on your phone

1. Tap Profile

2. Open the menu and select Your QR code

3. Tap the scan button in the top-right corner

Then go back to your agent and keep creating. If the code expires, ask for a new one.

The agent shows a sign-in QR code right in the chat

Once you confirm on your phone, you're signed in

Just Chat. See What Happens.

Start with one of these prompts, then ask the agent to make it your own.

Visual effects

Interactive games

3D and AR

Type	Example prompt
Visual effects	"Create an iridescent ribbon effect with glowing sparkles floating around my face."
Interactive games	"Make a 2D game where I move my head to catch falling stars in a dreamy night sky."
3D and AR	"Create a cute pink pig hood with little floppy ears that follows my head."

Each example was made with Effect House Plugin from the prompt shown. Your results may vary.

Create Through Conversation

Describe Your Idea

Tell the agent what people should see, how they should interact with the effect, and what should happen. You can also describe the style, colors, or mood you want. You do not need to know Effect House component names. For games, explain the controls, the goal, and how someone wins or loses.

Create a Halloween-themed whack-a-mole effect for me.

The agent plans the effect, creates the art, builds it, checks it in the live preview, and tells you what it made.

Add References

References help the agent understand the look or behavior you want. Keep your effect original, and make sure you have the rights to any assets you use.

Reference	How to use it	Example prompt
Image	Attach an image and say which details to borrow: shape, colors, materials, or composition	"Use this image as a reference for the soft iridescent style. Make the falling stars pastel rainbow, and keep the gameplay the same."
Video	Attach a video or a few frames. Describe the moment you want, with a timestamp when it helps.	"Use the interaction at 00:03–00:07 as a reference. Make an original game where opening my mouth makes a character jump."
Link	Share a URL and say what to focus on: the look, movement, interaction, or game mechanic	"Use the game at this link as a reference. Focus on the controls and scoring, and give it an original visual style."

Support for images and videos depends on your agent and model. Some links need a sign-in or can't be opened. If the agent can't read a reference, share screenshots or a short description instead.

Refine Your Effect

Keep the conversation going. Name the part you want to change and describe the result you want. It usually works best to ask for one change at a time, then check the preview. You can also ask the agent to search the Effect House library for makeup, accessories, and other assets that match your idea.

Find some Halloween makeup or accessories in the asset library that suit this effect.

If you prefer to browse assets yourself, in Studio, select Assets to open the Asset Library and add makeup, filters, accessories, stickers, backgrounds, and more.

Preview and Test

Switch Preview Models

Use the footage picker under the preview to try your effect on different people, poses, and movements. For face effects, check expressions and head turns, not just a front-facing view.

Show this effect on another model and test it while they turn their head.

Testing head turns on another model

The footage picker: faces, full body, hands, pets, your own media, and your camera

Use Your Camera

Choose Camera in the footage picker and allow camera access when prompted. Move naturally so you can check tracking, placement, and responsiveness.

Check Performance

Before you submit, ask the agent to run a performance check. It estimates frame rate, memory usage, and package size, then compares the result with Effect House limits. These results are estimates, so if anything looks risky, test the effect on a real phone. Running this check sends a build to Effect House for analysis, but it does not submit your effect.

Check this effect's performance and explain anything I should improve before submitting.

You can also run the check yourself: in Studio, open the ··· menu and select Test performance.

Preview on Your Phone

Ask the agent for a phone preview, or select Preview in TikTok and scan the QR code with TikTok. This is a private test and does not publish anything. On your phone, test touch, motion, and audio. For games, play a full round and make sure the results screen and restart flow work as expected.

Let me preview this effect on my phone.

Fine-Tune Your Effect

Adjustments

The agent can add sliders for settings worth tuning, such as size, color, speed, or difficulty. Open Adjustments and drag a slider to see the result right away. If you want another control, ask for it.

Add a control for how fast the ghosts appear.

The default editing view: live preview with Adjustments on the right

Adjustments for this game

Studio

Select Edit in Studio when you want to inspect the scene, adjust layers, or make more detailed edits yourself. Changes sync to the preview automatically, and you can keep chatting with the agent about any selected part of the effect.

Make the selected object smaller, and change its color to purple.

Publish Your Effect

Icon

Choose an icon that clearly shows what your effect does, even at a small size. The agent can capture one from the preview or generate one for you, then apply it automatically.

Generate an icon for this effect.

If you want to create one manually, select Create Icon in Studio. You can apply your effect to a template photo or upload your own image.

Sound

Ask the agent to search the Effect House sound library for something that fits your effect, then review your selection in the Publish window. If your effect uses the microphone, test the sound and the interaction together.

Find a playful sound that fits this effect.

Challenge

Ask which Effect House challenges are currently open. Review the brief, eligibility requirements, and deadline, then choose an eligible challenge when you submit.

Are there any current challenges that fit this effect?

Submit for Review

Ask the agent to prepare your effect for submission. It runs a pre-submit check and lists the details that will be sent, including the name, icon, category, hint, description, tags, sound, and challenge. Nothing is submitted until you confirm.

Prepare this effect for submission so I can review the details.

After submission, you can ask the agent to check the status of your effect. Once it is live, the agent can also show views, posts, and likes.

Check my effect submission status.

tip

Your effect goes live on TikTok only after approval. Before you submit, test on a phone and review the latest Effect Guidelines.

Work with Other Tools

These workflows are optional. They are not built into the plugin, so you need to install each tool separately. What you can do depends on your agent and your setup.

Tool	What it's for	Example prompt
Blender	Model, reshape, or optimize a custom 3D asset, then bring it into your effect. Check its scale, orientation, materials, and performance in the preview.	"Use Blender to make the hat brim wider and prepare the model for this effect."
Mixamo	Rig and animate a compatible humanoid character, then bring the animated model into your effect	"Help me prepare this humanoid character for Mixamo, then use a dance animation in my effect."

Troubleshooting

What you see	What to do
The agent says it has no Effect House tools	Start a new session: the plugin only loads in a new session after you install or update it. Still missing? Run node -v in a terminal and make sure Node.js 20 or later is installed.
Tool calls fail with "requires approval"	You probably switched the permission mode while the agent was working. Send your message again: the next message uses the new mode.
The sign-in QR code expired	Ask the agent for a new one
Something else went wrong	In Studio, open the ··· menu and select Save diagnostics for a bug report. It saves a zip of logs and versions to attach to your report. Sign-in cookies, tokens, and your home folder path are removed.

Check Your Version and Update

Check Your Version

Your installed plugin version appears in the same plugin screens shown in Check That the Plugin Is Installed. In the Codex app, open Plugins and select EffectHouse AI. In Claude Code, type /plugin, open Installed, and select EffectHouse AI.

Claude Code

Codex (at the bottom of the plugin page)

Get New Versions

You do not need to check for updates manually. When a new version is available, the agent tells you at the start of a reply, and Studio shows an update card. You see a version notice at most once a day, and not again after you choose Not now.

Where	What you see
Chat, Claude Code	A line under your message: EffectHouse AI 0.0.124 is available; you have 0.0.123. Ask in the chat to update, or use /plugin → Installed → EffectHouse AI → Update now. The agent then asks with two choices: Update now and Not now.
Chat, Codex	The agent asks the same question the next time it uses an Effect House tool
Studio	A New version available card at the bottom left with the installed and available versions. Later collapses it to a pill that says 0.0.124 available; select the pill to open the card again.

Studio shows a new version in a card at the bottom left

Later collapses the card to a pill

Update

Each option below uses your agent's own plugin update flow, so you do not need to type a command.

• In the chat by choosing Update now when the agent asks, or asking for an update at any time
• In Studio by selecting Update now on the update card
• In the plugin menu by opening the EffectHouse AI plugin in Claude Code or Codex and selecting Update

The update usually takes up to a minute. The engine downloads again only when it has changed. Your projects are not modified during an update.

Use the New Version

A new version loads in a new session. After updating, start a new session or fork an existing one if you want to keep the context.

Automatic Updates

• Claude Code installs new versions automatically shortly after the first message in a session, but you still need to create or fork a new session to use the new version
• Codex installs new versions when you restart the Codex app

When an Update Is Required

Rarely, a version can no longer be used, for example after a security fix. Then the agent offers only the update, Studio shows an Update required page, and nothing else works until you update. Your projects on disk are untouched.

If an Update Goes Wrong

What you see	What to do
The agent still has the old tools after an update	The new version loads in a new session: start one (Claude app, Codex) or type /reload-plugins (Claude Code in a terminal)
The update didn't finish on the Studio card	Check your internet connection and select Try again, or update from your agent's plugin menu
Update from the plugin menu on the Studio card	Studio could not find the claude or codex command. Update from the chat or from your agent's plugin menu.
You never hear about new versions	The daily check reads the plugin's repository on GitHub. Make sure github.com is reachable from your computer.

Feedback

Have feedback, found a bug, or want help with the plugin? Join the Effect House Discord to ask questions and share issues.

Q&A

Sometimes, if you enable auto mode in Claude Code, the agent may ask you to set autoUpdate yourself. If that happens, just ask it to handle the change for you.

For the plugin folder, we recommend creating a separate folder instead of reusing the existing Effect House Ask AI workspace folder.