ableton-mcp 1.0.0

Ableton Live integration through the Model Context Protocol

AbletonMCP - Ableton Live Model Context Protocol Integration

AbletonMCP connects Ableton Live to Claude AI through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing Claude to directly interact with and control Ableton Live. This integration enables prompt-assisted music production, track creation, and Live session manipulation.

Join the Community

Give feedback, get inspired, and build on top of the MCP: Discord

Features

• Two-way communication: Connect Claude AI to Ableton Live through a socket-based server
• Track manipulation: Create, modify, and manipulate MIDI and audio tracks
• Instrument and effect selection: Claude can access and load the right instruments, effects and sounds from Ableton's library
• Clip creation: Create and edit MIDI clips with notes
• Session control: Start and stop playback, fire clips, and control transport

Components

The system consists of two main components:

1. Ableton Remote Script (AbletonMCP/__init__.py): A MIDI Remote Script for Ableton Live that creates a socket server to receive and execute commands
2. MCP Server (server.py): A Python server that implements the Model Context Protocol and connects to the Ableton Remote Script

Installation

Prerequisites

• Ableton Live 10 or newer
• Python 3.8 or newer
• uv package manager

If you're on Mac, please install uv as:

brew install uv

Otherwise, install from [uv's official website][https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/]

⚠️ Do not proceed before installing UV

Claude for Desktop Integration

1. Go to Claude > Settings > Developer > Edit Config > claude_desktop_config.json to include the following:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "ableton": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "ableton-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Cursor Integration

Run ableton-mcp without installing it permanently through uvx. Go to Cursor Settings > MCP and paste this as a command:

uvx ableton-mcp

⚠️ Only run one instance of the MCP server (either on Cursor or Claude Desktop), not both

Installing the Ableton Remote Script

1. Download the AbletonMCP folder from this repo

2. Copy the folder to Ableton's MIDI Remote Scripts directory:

   For macOS:

   • Method 1: Right-click on Ableton Live app → Show Package Contents → Navigate to: Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts/
   • Method 2: Use the direct path (replace XX with your version number): /Applications/Ableton Live XX.app/Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts/
   • For Suite version: /Applications/Ableton Live XX Suite.app/Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts/
   • For older versions: /Applications/Ableton Live XX.app/Contents/Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts/

   For Windows:

   • Primary location: C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live XX\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\
   • Alternative location: C:\Program Files\Ableton\Live XX\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\
   • For portable installations: Look in your Ableton installation folder for Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\

   Note: Replace XX with your Ableton version number (e.g., 10, 11, 12)

3. Launch Ableton Live

4. Go to Preferences → Link/MIDI

5. In the Control Surface dropdown, select "AbletonMCP"

6. Set Input and Output to "None"

Usage

Starting the Connection

1. Ensure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded in Ableton Live
2. Make sure the MCP server is configured in Claude Desktop or Cursor
3. The connection should be established automatically when you interact with Claude

Using with Claude

Once the config file has been set on Claude, and the remote script is running in Ableton, you will see a hammer icon with tools for the Ableton MCP.

Capabilities

• Get session and track information
• Create and modify MIDI and audio tracks
• Create, edit, and trigger clips
• Control playback
• Load instruments and effects from Ableton's browser
• Add notes to MIDI clips
• Change tempo and other session parameters

Example Commands

Here are some examples of what you can ask Claude to do:

• "Create an 80s synthwave track"
• "Create a Metro Boomin style hip-hop beat"
• "Create a new MIDI track with a synth bass instrument"
• "Add reverb to my drums"
• "Create a 4-bar MIDI clip with a simple melody"
• "Get information about the current Ableton session"
• "Load a 808 drum rack into the selected track"
• "Add a jazz chord progression to the clip in track 1"
• "Set the tempo to 120 BPM"
• "Play the clip in track 2"

Troubleshooting

• Connection issues: Make sure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded, and the MCP server is configured on Claude
• Timeout errors: Try simplifying your requests or breaking them into smaller steps
• Have you tried turning it off and on again?: If you're still having connection errors, try restarting both Claude and Ableton Live

Technical Details

Communication Protocol

The system uses a simple JSON-based protocol over TCP sockets:

• Commands are sent as JSON objects with a type and optional params
• Responses are JSON objects with a status and result or message

Limitations & Security Considerations

• Creating complex musical arrangements might need to be broken down into smaller steps
• The tool is designed to work with Ableton's default devices and browser items
• Always save your work before extensive experimentation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Disclaimer

This is a third-party integration and not made by Ableton.