ableton-extensions

Write Ableton Live extensions in Python, on top of Ableton's official Extensions SDK.

Add right-click menu actions, read and write the Live Set (tracks, clips, notes, scenes, devices, parameters, racks, take lanes, cue points), show modal dialogs and progress bars -- all from Python. When you are done, build a single .ablx that installs on Windows and macOS with no Python on the user's machine.

Beta. MIT-licensed. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ableton AG.

Install

pip install ableton-extensions

Write an extension

from ableton_extensions import Extension, MidiClip

app = Extension("My Tool")

@app.context_menu("MidiClip", "Humanize")
def humanize(clip: MidiClip):
    notes = clip.notes
    for n in notes:
        n.velocity = max(1, min(127, (n.velocity or 100) + 5))
    clip.notes = notes

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run()

Develop, then ship

ableton-ext install-bridge     # writes a small bridge .ablx -- drag it into Live once
ableton-ext run my_ext.py      # fast loop: right-click a MIDI clip -> "Humanize"
ableton-ext build my_ext.py    # -> one universal .ablx (~6 MB) to give to users

Your user drags the built .ablx into Live -> Settings -> Extensions. No Python, no Node, no Developer Mode, no native binary -- the Python runs as WebAssembly inside Live, so the same file works on Windows, Intel Mac, and Apple Silicon.

Limits

Request/response only: no observers, no transport/playback, no automation; device parameter values are raw internal numbers. The SDK can only do what Ableton's official Extensions SDK exposes.

Links

• Documentation and examples: https://github.com/XTERMINATORAPPS/ableton-python-sdk
• Homepage: https://www.xterminatorapps.shop