AbletonMCP - Ableton Live Model Context Protocol Integration

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 AI-assisted music production, track creation, and Live session manipulation.

200+ tools for near-complete Ableton Live Object Model (LOM) coverage including AI-powered music generation.

Three Ways to Use AbletonMCP

Features

Transport & Session

• Play, stop, record, overdub, capture MIDI, tap tempo, continue playing
• Tempo, time signature, metronome, count-in, swing, groove
• Arrangement loop, locators, jump to time, scrub

Track Control

• Create/delete/duplicate MIDI, audio, group, and return tracks
• Volume, pan, mute, solo, arm, color, monitoring, delay
• Freeze/flatten, fold/unfold groups, implicit arm
• Input/output routing, crossfade assign
• Multi-track operations: solo exclusive, unsolo all, unmute all, unarm all

Clip Operations

• Create/delete/duplicate/fire/stop clips
• Loop settings, start/end markers, gain, pitch, color
• Warp modes, warp markers, RAM mode
• Launch modes, launch quantization, follow actions
• Clip fades (in/out), trigger quantization
• Playing position, velocity amount

MIDI Editing

• Add/remove/transpose notes, get notes in range
• Move notes (time + pitch shift), replace all notes
• Quantize, deselect all, duplicate loop
• Select all notes, set clip notes

Devices & Effects

• Load instruments/effects from browser, toggle on/off, delete
• Get/set any device parameter, device presets
• Move devices (left/right/to position), collapse/expand
• Rack chains, rack macros, drum rack pads (mute/solo/name)
• Simpler/Sampler sample info and parameters

Scene Management

• Create/delete/duplicate/fire/stop scenes, color, name

Automation

• Clip automation envelopes (get/set/clear)
• Session automation record, arrangement overdub
• Re-enable automation

Browser

• Navigate browser tree, search, load items
• Browse by path, get children, categories

View & Selection

• Focus view (Session/Arrangement/Detail)
• Select track/scene/clip/device
• Detail clip, highlighted clip slot
• Draw mode, follow mode, grid quantization, zoom

Recording

• Arm, record, overdub, capture MIDI
• Session/arrangement record modes
• MIDI recording quantization

Mixing

• Track/master output metering (L/R)
• Send levels, pre/post send
• Return track volume/pan
• Master volume/pan, cue volume
• Crossfader position

Song Properties

• Root note, scale, signature
• Groove amount, exclusive arm/solo
• Punch in/out, back to arrangement
• Record mode, can capture MIDI

AI Music Helpers

• Scale reference (12+ scale types)
• Drum pattern generation (8 styles: house, techno, hip-hop, trap, dnb, jazz, funk, basic)
• Bassline generation (6 styles: basic, walking, synth, funk, octave, arpeggiated)
• Quantize/humanize timing and velocity

Installation

Prerequisites

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

Install uv:

# macOS
brew install uv

# Other platforms
# See https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

Location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

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

Installing via Smithery

npx -y @smithery/cli install @ahujasid/ableton-mcp --client claude

Installing the Ableton Remote Script

1. Download AbletonMCP_Remote_Script/__init__.py from this repo

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

   macOS:

   • Right-click Ableton Live app > Show Package Contents > Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts/
   • Or: /Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live XX/User Remote Scripts

   Windows:

   • C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x.x\Preferences\User Remote Scripts
   • Or: C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live XX\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\

3. Create a folder called AbletonMCP in the Remote Scripts directory

4. Paste the __init__.py file into the AbletonMCP folder

5. Launch Ableton Live

6. Go to Settings > Link, Tempo & MIDI

7. In Control Surface dropdown, select "AbletonMCP"

8. Set Input and Output to "None"

Cursor Integration

Go to Cursor Settings > MCP and add:

uvx ableton-mcp

Usage Guide

Getting Started

1. Ensure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded (look for "AbletonMCP" in Control Surface)
2. Configure Claude Desktop or Cursor with the MCP server
3. Start chatting with Claude about your music production needs

Example Workflows

Create a Beat

"Create a hip-hop drum pattern at 90 BPM with a 808 kit"

Build a Full Track

"Create a raw hypnotic techno track at 135 BPM with kick, hats, clap, bass, and acid lead"

Mix and Arrange

"Add reverb to the drums, set up a sidechain send, and create intro/verse/chorus/outro scenes"

Sound Design

"Load a Simpler on track 3, show me the sample parameters, and adjust the filter"

AI Music Generation

Generate Drum Patterns

Available styles: basic, house, techno, hip_hop, trap, dnb, jazz, funk

Generate Basslines

Available styles: basic, walking, synth, funk, octave, arpeggiated

Get Scale Notes

Available scales: major, minor, dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian, locrian, harmonic_minor, melodic_minor, pentatonic_major, pentatonic_minor, blues

REST API (Ollama & Other LLMs)

AbletonMCP includes a REST API for use with any LLM provider.

Quick Start with Ollama

1. Install Ollama: https://ollama.ai
2. Pull a model: ollama pull llama3.2
3. Install dependencies: pip install fastapi uvicorn pydantic
4. Start the server: python MCP_Server/rest_api_server.py
5. Run interactive chat: python examples/ollama_example.py

REST API Features

• 200+ commands whitelisted and validated
• API key authentication (optional, via REST_API_KEY env var)
• Rate limiting (configurable per-IP)
• CORS configured for localhost by default
• Pagination on list endpoints (scenes, tracks, device parameters)
• OpenAI-compatible tool definitions at /tools

Key Endpoints

Supported LLM Providers

Max for Live Device

For a fully integrated experience inside Ableton, use the Max for Live device.

Features

• Multi-provider support (Ollama, OpenAI, Claude API, Groq)
• Visual chat UI inside Ableton's device view
• 200+ tool definitions for complete LOM control
• No external server needed

Installation

1. Copy AbletonMCP_M4L folder to:

   • macOS: ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Presets/Audio Effects/Max Audio Effect/
   • Windows: Documents\Ableton\User Library\Presets\Audio Effects\Max Audio Effect\

2. Build the .amxd binary (the repo includes a .maxpat source file):

   python3 scripts/build_amxd.py
   

   Or rename AbletonMCP.amxd.maxpat to AbletonMCP.amxd

3. Drag onto any track in Ableton Live

4. Select your AI provider and start chatting!

See AbletonMCP_M4L/README.md for detailed setup.

Documentation

• MANUAL.md - Complete command reference with examples and a step-by-step techno track tutorial
• CONFIG.md - Configuration and environment variables

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Verify AbletonMCP is selected in Ableton's Control Surface settings
• Check that no other application is using port 9877
• Restart both Claude and Ableton Live

Timeout Errors

• Break complex requests into smaller steps
• Allow time for Ableton to process commands

Script Not Loading

• Ensure the __init__.py file is in a folder named exactly AbletonMCP
• Check Ableton's Log.txt for errors

Commands Not Working

• Make sure you're requesting actions on valid track/clip indices
• Check that clips exist before trying to edit notes
• Verify devices are loaded before adjusting parameters

Technical Details

Communication Protocol

JSON-based protocol over TCP sockets (port 9877):

// Request
{"type": "command_name", "params": { ... }}

// Response
{"status": "success", "result": { ... }}

Architecture

Claude AI <-> MCP Server (Python/FastMCP) <-> Ableton Remote Script (Python)
                    |                              |
              Port 9877 TCP                   Ableton Live API (LOM)

REST API (FastAPI) <-> Ableton Remote Script
       |
  Port 8000 HTTP

Max for Live Device <-> LLM Provider API (Ollama/OpenAI/Claude/Groq)
       |
  Node for Max (JavaScript)

Contributing

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

Credits

• Original AbletonMCP by Siddharth
• Extended with 200+ tools, REST API, M4L device, and AI helpers

Bug Fixes

Remote Script (AbletonMCP_Remote_Script/__init__.py)

• load_instrument_or_effect not routed to main thread — command was defined but missing from the gating condition that dispatches to the main-thread handler, causing "Unknown command" errors.
• load_browser_item param name mismatch — the REST API schema sends uri but the remote script expected item_uri. Now accepts both.
• set_arrangement_loop param name mismatch — REST API sends loop_start/loop_length/loop_on but remote script expected start/end/enabled. Now accepts both naming conventions.
• _find_browser_item_by_uri didn't search plugins/samples/packs — the URI search only covered 5 standard categories (instruments, sounds, drums, audio_effects, midi_effects), so VST/AU plugin URIs were never found.
• None categories caused search crash — optional browser categories (plugins, samples, packs) could be None, causing attribute errors during URI search.

REST API Server (MCP_Server/rest_api_server.py)

No functional bugs — only added new command definitions:

• Added load_item_to_master and load_device_preset_by_name to ALLOWED_COMMANDS and COMMAND_PARAM_SCHEMAS.

New Commands

Disclaimer

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

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.