ableton-mcp

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override_parameter_automation

Destructive

Take an active or overridden device/mixer automation control into manual control at a native value or display unit, preserving envelope playback and requiring guarded confirmation.

Instructions

Explicitly take one exact active or overridden device/mixer automation control into manual control at one absolute native value or finite unit display. Keeps the envelope and playback. Active automation may advance before confirmation; manual values and native ancestry remain bound. Recording/count-in and unsafe targets refuse. One write with bounded readback; partial work remains without rollback/replay. All profile.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`value`	No	Absolute raw native target within observed bounds; quantized controls require an integer. No clamping.
`dryRun`	No	False executes with token and hash.
`trackId`	Yes	track-N from list_tracks, return-N from get_set_mixer, or master.
`deviceId`	No	ID from list_devices.
`planHash`	No	Plan hash.
`parameterId`	Yes	Exact ID from get_parameter_automation_context; omit deviceId for mixer controls.
`targetDisplay`	No	Continuous controls only: finite native display in Hz/kHz, ms/s, dB or %. Choose value for other native display formats.
`confirmationToken`	No	Single-use plan token.
`expectedStateVersion`	Yes	Observed stateVersion.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedv0.3.1Oct 23, 2026

removedOutput schema / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -true
```

addedOutput schema / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "oneOf": [
+      {
+        "properties": {
+          "confirmation": {
+            "properties": {
+              "expiresAt": {
+                "type": "number"
+              },
+              "planHash": {
+                "pattern": "^[a-f0-9]{64}$",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "token": {
+                "minLength": 1,
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "token",
+              "planHash",
+              "expiresAt"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "dryRun": {
+            "const": true
+          },
+          "plan": {
+            "type": "object"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "dryRun",
+          "plan",
+          "confirmation"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      {
+        "properties": {
+          "dryRun": {
+            "const": false
+          },
+          "operationOutcome": {
+            "properties": {
+              "evidence": {
+                "items": {
+                  "type": "string"
+                },
+                "type": "array"
+              },
+              "reason": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "schemaVersion": {
+                "const": 1
+              },
+              "status": {
+                "enum": [
+                  "applied",
+                  "outcome_unknown",
+                  "postconditions_failed",
+                  "pending_postconditions",
+                  "pending_user_action"
+                ]
+              }
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "schemaVersion",
+              "status",
+              "reason",
+              "evidence"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "dryRun",
+          "operationOutcome"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      }
+    ],
+    "properties": {
+      "dryRun": {
+        "type": "boolean"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "dryRun"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  {
+    "properties": {
+      "error": {
+        "properties": {
+          "message": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "outcome": {
+            "enum": [
+              "unknown",
+              "not_executed"
+            ]
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "message",
+          "outcome"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  }
+]

Addedv0.3.0Oct 19, 2026

TDQS

B3.4/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare destructiveHint=true and idempotentHint=false, and the description adds substantial context beyond them: envelope/playback preservation, that active automation may advance before confirmation, refusal under recording/count-in, and that partial work remains with no rollback/replay. This is well above the annotation baseline, though the phrasing is cryptic in places.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Information-dense to the point of being run-on and jargon-heavy ('manual values and native ancestry remain bound', 'All profile'), with the trailing fragment adding little clarity. Core action is front-loaded, but some sentences are opaque rather than efficient.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With an output schema present, return values need not be explained, and annotations cover the safety profile. The description rounds this out with refusal conditions, partial-failure semantics, and envelope behavior, so an agent has what it needs to call a complex 9-param mutation correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the schema documents all nine parameters. The description hints at the value/targetDisplay distinction ('one absolute native value or finite unit display') but adds little syntax or format meaning beyond what the schema descriptions already provide. Baseline 3.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb+resource: 'take one exact active or overridden device/mixer automation control into manual control at one absolute native value or finite unit display.' An agent can grasp the action, though the phrasing is dense and it never names its closest sibling, re_enable_parameter_automation, to disambiguate.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines2/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It supplies boundary conditions ('Recording/count-in and unsafe targets refuse') but gives no explicit when-to-use versus the automation siblings (re_enable_parameter_automation, set_selected_parameter). The agent must infer the selection logic from the parameter context tools.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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