Automated fibre placement (AFP) systems have successfully intensified the demand for high-quality composite component manufacturing in both the military and civilian fields. One of the main elements of these systems is the AFP mechanism for accomplishing individual fibre delivery, clamp/cut/restart (CCR) and the consolidation process, and it consists of several functional sub-mechanisms presenting strong coupling relationships and motion sequences. This review aims to summarize the development of AFP mechanisms and the associated research achievements and provide insight into the research challenges in promoting innovative design in such mechanisms. The systematic development of AFP systems is reviewed in detail, and subsequently, engineering tendency and the general principle of AFP mechanisms are introduced. Focusing on the mechanism design of AFP sub-mechanisms, including the creel assembly CCR and compaction mechanisms, the mechanical schemes as well as the AFP process parameter control are discussed. To improve system reliability and fully optimise AFP mechanisms, the essential theoretical foundation for AFP mechanisms are provided. It is believed that this attempt will help to change the design and optimisation of similar complete mechanisms. Based on the reviewed research, overall remarks and perspectives are presented to serve as a guide for exploring the possibility of novel easy-to-use and cost-effective integrated AFP applications.