Premiere Reference Paths

Premiere reference paths are strings that identify objects inside the open Premiere project: project items, sequences, tracks, timeline clips and items, markers, effect components, and component parameters.

Most scripts do not need to type these paths by hand. Prefer blocks such as Pr Get Active Sequence Ref, Pr Get Track Ref, Pr Get Item Ref, Pr Get Marker Ref, Pr Get Component Ref, and list/loop blocks when the target depends on the current project. Use literal paths when you need a fixed, known target or when you store a reference returned by another block.

Reference paths are different from filesystem paths. Filesystem placeholders such as ::HOME:: and ::DESKTOP:: are for files and folders; Premiere reference paths use ::SEQ, ::TRACK, and similar typed tokens.

Basic Shape

A project item path is a backslash-separated path through the Premiere project panel:

MyProject.prproj\Footage\Intro.mov
MyProject.prproj\Sequences\Main Edit
MyProject.prproj\Bins\Same Name[1]

If the first segment ends in .prproj, it is treated as the project prefix. The project prefix must name a project that is currently open in Premiere. Premiere can have multiple projects open; Automation Agent does not open a project just because its name appears in a reference path. Open the project first if you need to target it.

The remaining segments are project items or bins. A leading backslash marks an absolute project-panel path in the currently active project without naming the project:

\Footage\Intro.mov

Typed path sections are appended with ::TOKEN\selector:

MyProject.prproj\Sequences\Main Edit::SEQ::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\CLIP#2

The canonical paths returned by Automation Agent are project-qualified and typed. User-authored paths can be shorter when a block allows it, but canonical refs are safer to store and reuse.

Sequences

A sequence can be referenced from its project item path:

MyProject.prproj\Sequences\Main Edit::SEQ

The active sequence has a special anchor:

::SEQ\ACTIVE

Use the active-sequence anchor only when the active timeline is intentionally part of the script. For deterministic scripts, store the result from Pr Get Active Sequence Ref or from sequence-creating blocks and pass that stored reference forward.

Tracks

Tracks belong to a sequence:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\AUDIO#0
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\CAPTION#0

Track indices are zero-based. VIDEO#0 means the first video track. Named track selectors are also supported:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO@V1
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\AUDIO@Dialogue[1]

Use [n] when there are duplicate names. [0] is the first matching duplicate.

Timeline Clips And Items

::CLIP targets clip items only:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::CLIP\#3
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\AUDIO#0::CLIP\@Intro Music[0]

::ITEM targets generic timeline items by kind:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\CLIP#3
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\TRANSITION#0
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\AUDIO#0::ITEM\GAP#2

Supported item kinds are CLIP, TRANSITION, GAP, PREVIEW, and FEEDBACK. Name selectors are only supported for CLIP items:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\CLIP@Intro[0]

Some timeline operations currently support clip items only. If a block requires a clip/item reference for trimming, moving, effects, or component parameters, use a CLIP item unless that block explicitly says it supports other item kinds.

Markers

Markers can belong to a project item, a sequence, or a timeline clip:

MyProject.prproj\Footage\Shot01.mov::MARKER\#0
MyProject.prproj\Sequences\Main Edit::SEQ::MARKER\@Chapter 1[0]
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::CLIP\#1::MARKER\~12.5s

Marker selectors can use:

• #0 for the first marker
• @Name[0] for the first marker with that name
• ~12.5s for a marker at a time in seconds

Markers are not supported directly on tracks, transitions, or gaps.

For permissions, ::MARKER can also be used without a selector as a marker namespace prefix:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::MARKER
MyProject.prproj\Footage\Shot01.mov::MARKER

This form means “the markers on this sequence or clip”. It is useful when a script should be allowed to create, edit, move, or delete markers without being allowed to otherwise modify the sequence or clip itself. A selector such as \#0 is still required when a block needs one specific marker reference.

Components And Parameters

Effect components belong to timeline clip items:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\CLIP#0::COMPONENT\#1
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\CLIP#0::COMPONENT\@Motion[0]

Component parameters belong to components:

::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\CLIP#0::COMPONENT\#1::PARAM\#3
::SEQ\ACTIVE::TRACK\VIDEO#0::ITEM\CLIP#0::COMPONENT\@Motion[0]::PARAM\@Position[0]

Component and parameter selectors support index selectors (#n) and name selectors (@Name[n]). Component paths currently support clip items only.

Escaping Names

Backslash separates project-panel segments and typed selectors. Escape these characters when they are part of a literal name:

Literal character	Write as
\	\\
:	\:
[	\[
]	\]

Because unescaped :: starts a typed section, a project item named Seq::Name is written as:

Seq\:\:Name::SEQ

Choosing A Form

Use index selectors when the order is stable and the script owns the setup, for example after creating a sequence or placing items. Use name selectors for human-managed project structures, and add [n] when duplicates are possible.

For dynamic context, prefer resolver blocks over literal paths:

• Pr Get Active Sequence Ref for the current timeline
• Pr Get Track Ref, Pr Get Clip Ref, and Pr Get Item Ref for timeline navigation
• Pr List Track Items or Pr For Each Track Item when you need to process many clips
• Pr Get Marker Ref, Pr List Markers, or Pr For Each Marker for markers
• Pr Get Component Ref and Pr Get Component Param Ref for effects and parameters

Store returned references in variables when several later blocks should act on the same target.