Ableton Live

What is AbletonMCP?

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

How to use AbletonMCP?

To use AbletonMCP, you need to install it via Smithery or manually. Manual installation involves setting up prerequisites like Ableton Live 10+, Python 3.8+, and the uv package manager. You then configure Claude for Desktop or Cursor by adding specific JSON configurations for the MCP server. Finally, you install the Ableton Remote Script by downloading the __init__.py file and placing it in the correct Ableton MIDI Remote Scripts directory, then selecting "AbletonMCP" as a control surface in Ableton Live settings.

Once set up, ensure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded in Ableton Live and the MCP server is configured in Claude Desktop or Cursor. The connection should establish automatically when you interact with Claude. You can then use natural language prompts to control Ableton Live.

Key Features of AbletonMCP

Two-way communication: Connects Claude AI to Ableton Live via a socket-based server.
Track manipulation: Create, modify, and manipulate MIDI and audio tracks.
Instrument and effect selection: Claude can access and load 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.
Get session and track information.
Add notes to MIDI clips.
Change tempo and other session parameters.

Use Cases of AbletonMCP

AbletonMCP can be used for various music production tasks, including:

Prompt-assisted music production: Create entire tracks or specific musical elements using natural language commands.
Track creation: Quickly generate new MIDI or audio tracks.
Live session manipulation: Control playback, fire clips, and manage session parameters.
Creative exploration: Experiment with different musical ideas by asking Claude to generate variations or suggestions.
Examples: "Create an 80s synthwave track", "Create a Metro Boomin style hip-hop beat", "Add reverb to my drums", "Create a 4-bar MIDI clip with a simple melody", "Set the tempo to 120 BPM".

FAQ about AbletonMCP

Connection issues: Ensure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded and the MCP server is configured on Claude. Try restarting both Claude and Ableton Live.
Timeout errors: Simplify your requests or break them into smaller steps.
Limitations: Creating complex musical arrangements might require breaking them into smaller steps. The tool is designed to work with Ableton's default devices and browser items. Always save your work before extensive experimentation.
Is this made by Ableton?: No, this is a third-party integration and not made by Ableton.

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. Made by Siddharth

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:

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

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install Ableton Live Integration for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

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

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

Follow along with the setup instructions video

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

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "AbletonMCP": {
            "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

Follow along with the setup instructions video

Download the AbletonMCP_Remote_Script/__init__.py file from this repo
Copy the folder to Ableton's MIDI Remote Scripts directory. Different OS and versions have different locations. One of these should work, you might have to look:

For macOS:
- Method 1: Go to Applications > Right-click on Ableton Live app → Show Package Contents → Navigate to: Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts/
- Method 2: If it's not there in the first method, use the direct path (replace XX with your version number): /Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live XX/User Remote Scripts
For Windows:
- Method 1: C:\Users[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x.x\Preferences\User Remote Scripts
- Method 2: C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live XX\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\
- Method 3: C:\Program Files\Ableton\Live XX\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\ Note: Replace XX with your Ableton version number (e.g., 10, 11, 12)
Create a folder called 'AbletonMCP' in the Remote Scripts directory and paste the downloaded '__init__.py' file
Launch Ableton Live
Go to Settings/Preferences → Link, Tempo & MIDI
In the Control Surface dropdown, select "AbletonMCP"
Set Input and Output to "None"

Usage

Starting the Connection

Ensure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded in Ableton Live
Make sure the MCP server is configured in Claude Desktop or Cursor
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" Demo
"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.

Ableton Live Overview