Ableton Live MCP Server

Control Ableton Live from an AI assistant. This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives Claude, Cursor, Codex, or any MCP client 104 tools for building tracks, editing MIDI, loading instruments and effects, mixing, and mastering inside a running Ableton Live set.

A Remote Script runs inside Live and exposes the Live API over a local socket. The MCP server turns that into typed, validated tools that an AI can call correctly, with per-tool documentation, read-only and destructive hints, and workflow prompts.

Quickstart

You need Ableton Live 11 or 12, Python 3.10+, and uv (brew install uv).

1. Register the MCP server.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add AbletonMCP -s user -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/wstierhout/ableton-live-mcp@v1.0.1 ableton-live-mcp

Claude Desktop or Cursor, in the mcpServers block of the config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "AbletonMCP": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/wstierhout/ableton-live-mcp@v1.0.1", "ableton-live-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

2. Install the Remote Script. This copies the Live-side script into your User Library:

uvx --from git+https://github.com/wstierhout/ableton-live-mcp@v1.0.1 ableton-live-mcp install

Then restart Live and set Settings > Link/Tempo/MIDI > Control Surface to AbletonMCP (Input and Output: None). You only do this once. See Ableton's guide to third-party Remote Scripts if the entry does not appear.

3. Check the setup.

uvx --from git+https://github.com/wstierhout/ableton-live-mcp@v1.0.1 ableton-live-mcp doctor

4. Ask for music. For example: "Make a lofi beat at 80 BPM with a dusty drum kit, an upright bass, and Rhodes chords, then put a limiter on the master at -1 dB."

Related MCP server: AbletonMCP Enhanced

What it can do

There are also two workflow prompts (make_a_beat, mix_and_master) and a set of server instructions that teach the model the conventions before its first call: 0-based indices, beats for time, 0.85 volume equals 0 dB, and native ranges for device parameters.

Notes

Every action is a specific tool with validated arguments; there is no arbitrary-code path. Some tools still make destructive edits (delete a track, replace a clip's notes, overwrite an arrangement region), so save your work before a big session.

Focusing the toolset

The server registers 104 tools. That is a lot for a model to choose from on a small task. Set ABLETON_TOOLSETS to load only the groups you need, for example ABLETON_TOOLSETS=session,tracks,clips,generators. Groups: session, tracks, clips, devices, browser, arrangement, generators. Unset loads everything.

Conventions

• Indices are 0-based. Times and lengths are in beats. Volume uses Live's 0.0 to 1.0 fader range where 0.85 is 0 dB.

• Device parameters use each parameter's own range. Read get_device_parameters first and check min, max, and the display value before setting.

• add_notes_to_clip replaces the clip's notes. Use edit_notes to add or remove a few without touching the rest.

• Placing a session clip into the arrangement overwrites whatever is under it, which is also how you replace a section.

• Transport replies report the state before the command ran. Confirm with get_session_info.

Troubleshooting

• AbletonMCP is missing from the Control Surface list: the folder has to be named exactly AbletonMCP, and Live only scans scripts at startup, so restart it.

• Every command times out: a dialog is open in Live and it blocks the script. On the trial, that is the startup nag. Dismiss it and retry.

• Port 9877 is not listening: Live is not running, or the Control Surface is not set.

• You cannot export or freeze from a tool: Live's API has no render or freeze function, so those stay manual. For rendered audio, export with the shortcut and analyse the file separately.

Security

The Remote Script listens on 127.0.0.1:9877 with no authentication. It is bound to loopback so only local processes can reach it. Do not forward that port or change the bind address to a public interface. See SECURITY.md.

Development

MCP_Server/
  connection.py    socket client to the Remote Script
  app.py           FastMCP app, lifecycle, and server instructions
  tools/           session, tracks, clips, devices, browser, arrangement,
                   generators, prompts
AbletonMCP_Remote_Script/
  __init__.py      the Live-side script and its command dispatch tables
tests/             protocol, dispatch-contract, and registration tests

uv run --extra dev pytest      # tests
uvx ruff check .               # lint

CI runs lint, a byte-compile of the Remote Script, and the tests on Python 3.10 and 3.12.

Credits and license

MIT licensed, maintained by Wouter Stierhout. See LICENSE. Not affiliated with Ableton.