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Glama

ableton-mind

ableton-mind MCP server

Definitive MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Ableton Live. Exposes the full Live Object Model to LLMs (Claude, Cursor, etc.) with an embedded native device knowledge base, declarative music recipes, an integrated verify loop, and reactive listeners.

Status: alpha / v0.1.1 published — core smoke passed against Ableton Live 12.4.1 on macOS and package validation is green. npm, GitHub Release .mcpb, and the MCP Registry are live. Glama has a listing, but its hosted release/deploy must be published separately from the Glama admin build flow; Smithery metadata is present and may lag indexing. API unstable. Don't use in production yet.

Phase 8 status: slice 1 delivers read-only Max for Live/plug-in introspection and Link/remote status discovery. Deeper M4L control, VST3 sidecars, remote DAW integration and mobile companion work remain pending.

📚 Full documentation: pantani.github.io/ableton-mind/

Architecture (3 layers)

Claude/Cursor ──MCP/stdio──▶ ableton-mind (TS, Node 20+) ──TCP NDJSON JSON-RPC──▶ Remote Script (Python, inside Live)
  • src/ — TypeScript MCP server. Tools, resources, prompts, TCP client, recipe runner, knowledge loader.

  • live/AbletonMind/ — Python Remote Script. TCP server on port 9876, dispatches JSON-RPC to LiveAPI.

  • recipes/, src/knowledge/ — embedded JSON (drum kits, basslines, racks, device schemas).

Full spec in PLAN.md. Frozen contracts in _workspace/contracts/.

Related MCP server: Ableton MCP

Highlights vs. existing MCP/OSC servers

Capability

ahujasid/ableton-mcp

AbletonOSC + MCP wrapper

ableton-mind

MCP tools

22

~30

36

LOM coverage

~10%

~95%

~100%

Knowledge base

none

none

55 devices, scales, drum kits

Recipes

none

none

14 across 7 categories

Verify loop

no

no

yes, integrated (session_snapshot/diff)

Render preview

no

no

yes (snapshot now, bounce planned)

Reactive listeners → MCP notifications

no

partial (OSC)

yes (7 events live)

Transactions (undo unitary)

no

no

yes

Automation envelopes

no

partial

complete (linear / hold)

Push 1/2/3 control

no

no

yes (pad/button/mode LEDs)

Docker

no

no

yes

.mcpb 1-click

no

no

yes

Doctor CLI

no

no

yes

Requirements

  • Node 20+

  • Ableton Live 12 (priority; Live 11 supported)

  • macOS (primary), Windows (Phase 1 final)

Setup (source install)

npm install
npm run typecheck
npm run lint
npm run test
npm run build

Install Remote Script (Python bridge)

Dev mode (symlink):

node scripts/install-remote-script.mjs           # creates symlink
node scripts/install-remote-script.mjs --check   # status only
node scripts/install-remote-script.mjs --copy    # full copy (CI / snapshot)

Manual:

  • macOS: copy live/AbletonMind/ to ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Remote Scripts/AbletonMind/

  • Windows: copy to ~/Documents/Ableton/User Library/Remote Scripts/AbletonMind/

Then Live → Preferences → Link/Tempo/MIDI → Control Surface → AbletonMind.

Smoke test: docs/smoke-test.md.

Run the MCP server

npm run build
node dist/index.js

Env vars:

Var

Default

ABLETON_MIND_HOST

127.0.0.1

Python bridge host

ABLETON_MIND_PORT

9876

Bridge TCP port

ABLETON_MIND_TIMEOUT_MS

5000

Per-request timeout

ABLETON_MIND_MAX_FRAME_BYTES

1048576

Max incoming JSON-RPC frame

ABLETON_MIND_MAX_PENDING_REQUESTS

128

Max in-flight JSON-RPC calls

ABLETON_MIND_LOG_LEVEL

info

debug | info | warn | error

Local copilot

Run a local LLM against a curated subset of the same Ableton tools:

ollama pull qwen2.5:3b      # optional; the UI can pull too
node dist/index.js chat     # opens http://127.0.0.1:4142
node dist/index.js ask "What is in this set?"

The default tier is read-only (safe). Use --write for simple changes or --creative for recipes/browser load.

Var

Default

ABLETON_MIND_LLM_BASE_URL

http://127.0.0.1:11434/v1

OpenAI-compatible endpoint

ABLETON_MIND_LLM_MODEL

qwen2.5:3b

Local model id

ABLETON_MIND_LLM_TIER

safe

safe | standard | creative

ABLETON_MIND_CHAT_PORT

4142

Browser UI port

See Local copilot.

Doctor CLI

npx ableton-mind-doctor

Checks Node version, Remote Script install, bridge port, knowledge base integrity, recipes.

Distribution

  • npm: npm install -g ableton-mind.

  • Claude Code plugin marketplace: claude plugin marketplace add Pantani/ableton-mind, then claude plugin install ableton-mind@ableton-mind.

  • Claude Desktop one-click: download ableton-mind-0.1.1.mcpb from the v0.1.1 GitHub Release.

  • MCP Registry: io.github.Pantani/ableton-mind is active in the official registry.

  • Glama: listed at glama.ai/mcp/servers/Pantani/ableton-mind; hosted release is separate from the GitHub Release and still requires the Glama admin deploy + Make Release flow.

  • Source: npm ci && npm run build && npm run install:remote-script.

  • Docker: docker build -t ableton-mind . && docker run --rm -i --network host ableton-mind.

  • Smithery: smithery.yaml is ready for listing/indexing.

Roadmap

See PLAN.md §12 and _workspace/PROGRESS.md.

Phase

Status

0 — Spike

✅ real smoke pass

1 — ahujasid parity

✅ 22/22

2 — Listeners

✅ 7 events

3 — Knowledge

✅ 55 devices

4 — Automation envelopes

✅

5 — Preview/verify

✅ snapshot+diff (bounce planned)

6 — Push

✅ pad/button/mode LEDs

7 — Distribution

✅ DXT/Docker/Smithery/CI/release ready

8 — Long tail

🔵 slice 1 delivered: read-only M4L/plug-in introspection + Link/remote status discovery; deeper M4L/VST3/remote DAW/mobile work pending

License

MIT.

Available Tools

36 tools
apply_recipeA

Apply an embedded recipe by id with optional overrides. Use after list_recipes when the user asks for a genre pattern, rack, mix chain, or arrangement scaffold. NOT fully transactional in Phase 5; returns progress and failed_at/error if a step fails.

Inputs: recipe_id (required), overrides.

arrangement_add_automation_pointA

Add one automation point in the Arrangement view for a mixer or device parameter path. Use for incremental arrangement automation edits. NOT idempotent: repeated calls add more points; returns the written time/value/curve after the bridge accepts it.

Inputs: track_index (required), parameter_path (required), time (required), value (required), +1 more.

browser_get_categoriesA

Read-only list of root categories exposed by the Ableton Live Browser. Use before loading instruments, effects, presets, or samples by browser path; returns available=false with a reason when browser access is unavailable or headless.

Inputs: no named parameters.

browser_load_itemA

Load an Ableton Browser item such as an instrument, effect, preset, or sample onto the selected or armed track. Use after browser_get_categories/path discovery. Idempotent best-effort: if the selected/armed track already has the item, returns changed=false; otherwise returns changed=true with loaded item name/path.

Inputs: path (required).

clip_add_notesA

Add MIDI notes to an existing session clip using ADR-0003 note fields. Use after creating or locating the target clip. NOT idempotent: repeated calls append notes; returns added count and verification diff if the count does not match.

Inputs: track_index (required), clip_slot_index (required), notes (required).

clip_fireB

Trigger a session clip slot. Use when the user wants to launch a specific clip in Session view. Idempotent for already-playing clips, returning changed=false; playback state is async, so verification is marked unverified.

Inputs: track_index (required), clip_slot_index (required).

clip_set_envelopeA

Replace all automation points for one clip envelope. Use when the user wants a complete envelope rewrite for mixer or device parameters. NOT idempotent for partial edits; returns written point count and verification diff after hold-curve expansion.

Inputs: track_index (required), clip_slot_index (required), parameter_path (required), points (required).

clip_set_loopA

Configure a clip's loop_start, loop_end, and/or looping flag while preserving omitted fields. Use for clip loop edits after locating the clip. Idempotent within 1e-4 and verified against only the fields provided by the caller.

Inputs: track_index (required), clip_slot_index (required), loop_start, loop_end, +1 more.

clip_set_nameA

Rename a session clip by track and slot index. Use after confirming the target clip exists. Idempotent: unchanged names return changed=false; verified via read-after-write and returns before/after names.

Inputs: track_index (required), clip_slot_index (required), name (required).

clip_stopA

Stop playback for a specific session clip slot. Use to halt one clip without stopping the global transport. Idempotent for already-stopped clips; returns changed=false when no launch state changed and marks async playback verification unverified.

Inputs: track_index (required), clip_slot_index (required).

create_midi_clipA

Create an empty MIDI clip in a session clip slot. Use when the target MIDI track and clip slot are known and a new clip is needed. NOT idempotent for occupied slots; wrapped in an undo step and verified by returned clip length/name.

Inputs: track_index (required), clip_slot_index (required), length_beats (required), name.

device_get_parametersA

Read-only list of parameters for a device by track/device index. Use before parameter automation or value changes; returns value/range/automation state and knowledge-base unit/description metadata when the device matches bundled schemas.

Inputs: track_index (required), device_index (required).

device_inspect_patcherA

Read-only Max for Live patcher discovery for a device. Use when deciding whether a device exposes inspectable M4L patcher metadata. Returns available=false with a reason when the target is not inspectable or the runtime lacks patcher access.

Inputs: track_index (required), device_index (required).

device_inspect_pluginA

Read-only VST/AU plug-in discovery for a device. Use when identifying third-party plug-ins without relying on user-edited device names. Returns plug-in identity and parameters, or available=false with a reason for native devices or unsupported runtimes.

Inputs: track_index (required), device_index (required).

device_set_parameterA

Set one device parameter by parameter_index or parameter_name. Use after device_get_parameters when possible. Idempotent within 1e-4 (or exact for quantized values); name lookup adds one bridge call and returns before/after value with verification diff.

Inputs: no named parameters.

list_promptsA

Read-only list of MCP prompts bundled with the server for clients that do not expose prompt discovery natively. Use when the user asks what workflows are available; returns prompt names, descriptions, arguments, and total count.

Inputs: no named parameters.

list_recipesA

Read-only list of embedded music recipes, optionally filtered by category. Use before apply_recipe to choose a valid recipe id; returns recipe metadata, tags, version, category, and total count without touching Live.

Inputs: category.

list_resourcesA

Read-only list of MCP resources exposed by the server for clients that do not expose resource discovery natively. Use when the user asks what context URIs are available; returns resource URI, name, description, MIME type, and total count.

Inputs: no named parameters.

playA

Start or continue Ableton Live playback. Use when the user wants transport running; optional from_beginning restarts at song start. Idempotent: already-playing sessions return changed=false; transport state is async, so the result is marked unverified with current song time.

Inputs: from_beginning.

push_set_button_ledA

Set the LED color and mode for a Push transport or utility button. Use for hardware feedback after Push detection. Requires Push 2/3; defaults mode to solid and returns sent=true with the accepted button/color/mode.

Inputs: button (required), color (required), mode.

push_set_modeA

Switch Ableton Push 2/3 to note, session, drum, or step mode. Use when preparing a performance or editing workflow on Push hardware. Requires Push 2/3; returns sent=true with the mode accepted by the bridge.

Inputs: mode (required).

push_set_pad_colorA

Set the color of one Ableton Push 2/3 pad on the 0..63 grid. Use for visual feedback or performance layouts after hardware detection. Requires Push 2/3; returns sent=true with the pad and color accepted by the bridge.

Inputs: pad (required), color (required).

render_previewA

Preview the current Live set state. Use when an agent needs a lightweight result check; mode 'snapshot' returns deep state without audio, while mode 'bounce' is reserved for future audio export and returns requested bar count.

Inputs: mode, bars.

scene_fireA

Fire a Session view scene by index, triggering all clips on that row. Use for arrangement-style playback from scenes. NOT idempotent: re-triggering restarts clips; returns scene name and marks async transport verification unverified.

Inputs: index (required).

session_diffA

Compare a previous session_snapshot with the current Live state. Use after a mutation batch to verify what actually changed; returns added/removed/changed paths with before/after values and a change count.

Inputs: previous (required).

session_get_infoA

Read-only top-level snapshot of the Live set. Use first when orienting an agent before edits; returns tempo, transport, time signature, track counts, root note, and scale without mutating the session.

Inputs: no named parameters.

session_snapshotA

Read-only deep snapshot of the Live session. Use before and after mutating tools to verify changes with session_diff; returns tracks and optional clips/devices without changing playback or session state.

Inputs: include_clips, include_devices.

set_tempoA

Set the global Ableton Live tempo in BPM (20-999). Use for song-wide tempo changes before creating clips or scenes. Idempotent within 0.001 BPM and verified via read-after-write; returns before/after tempo and diff if verification disagrees.

Inputs: bpm (required).

stopA

Stop Ableton Live playback. Use before editing or when the user asks to halt audio. Idempotent: already-stopped sessions return changed=false; transport state is async, so the result returns current song time and is marked unverified.

Inputs: no named parameters.

track_createA

Create a new MIDI or audio track at an optional index. Use when the user explicitly wants another track. NOT idempotent: every call creates a track; returns the created track and verifies that its type matches the request.

Inputs: type (required), index, name.

track_get_infoA

Read-only details for one regular track by index. Use before track-scoped edits to inspect name, type, volume, panning, sends, clip slots, clips, and device counts; returns verified state without mutating the session.

Inputs: index (required).

track_listA

Read-only list of regular, return, and master tracks in the current Live set. Use before addressing tracks by index or deciding where to create content; returns counts and optional return/master sections without mutating the session.

Inputs: include_master, include_returns.

track_set_nameA

Rename a regular track by index. Use after track_list or track_get_info has confirmed the target track. Idempotent: unchanged names return changed=false; verified via read-after-write and returns before/after names.

Inputs: index (required), name (required).

track_set_volumeB

Set a regular track's mixer volume as a normalized 0..1 value. Use for mix balance changes after confirming the track index. Idempotent within 1e-4; returns linear and dB before/after values with verification diff on mismatch.

Inputs: index (required), volume (required).

track_upsertA

Find or create a track by name and type. Use when a workflow needs a named target track but should avoid duplicates. Idempotent: returns changed=false when the track already exists; verified by returned name/type.

Inputs: name (required), type (required), index.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

    TDQS

    A3.6/5.0

    Scored across 36 tools

    Disambiguation4/5

    Most tools have distinct purposes, with clear domain boundaries (clip_, track_, device_, session_). However, session_snapshot and render_preview serve similar roles (deep vs lightweight snapshot), and list_recipes/list_prompts/list_resources are generic utility tools that could cause minor confusion.

    Naming Consistency4/5

    The naming follows snake_case with a consistent resource_verb pattern within groups (clip_, track_, device_, session_, browser_). A few tools like list_recipes and apply_recipe deviate (verb first), but overall the pattern is predictable and readable.

    Tool Count4/5

    36 tools is on the higher side but appropriate for Ableton Live's complexity. The toolset covers many aspects (clips, tracks, devices, browser, transport, Push, recipes, utilities). A few tools could be consolidated (e.g., list_prompts and list_resources), but the count is defensible.

    Completeness2/5

    Significant gaps exist: no tools for deleting clips/tracks/devices, no pan/send control, no arrangement clip editing beyond automation points, and no ability to manage return/master tracks beyond listing. These omissions will cause agent failures in common workflows.

    Maintenance

    ActivityNo data
    ResponsivenessOutdated data

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