AbletonMCP Extended

A heavily extended fork of @ahujasid/ableton-mcp — 38 tools total (22 new) for full music production workflows from Claude.

The upstream ableton-mcp exposes 16 mostly-additive tools (create track, create clip, add notes, fire/stop, set tempo). This fork adds device parameter control, track state management, audio import, return/master track support, full Arrangement view operations, device routing (sidechain!), and locator/cue point management — everything you need to take Claude from "writes MIDI notes" to "actually mixes and arranges a song."

Every tool in this fork was added during a real production session (a 12+ hour Afro-deep-house track build), in response to a real blocker. Nothing is speculative.

Why this fork exists

Upstream ableton-mcp is a brilliant bridge — it solves the hard problem of connecting Claude to Ableton via a Remote Script + socket server. But its surface is narrow:

• No device parameter control → Claude can drop a Reverb on a track but can't set its decay

• No deletion → Mistakes accumulate; can't say "scratch that, remove the device"

• No track state → Can't mute, solo, set volume, set pan, set sends

• No Arrangement view → Clips only land in Session view; you drag every one onto the timeline yourself

• No return / master tracks → Can't put reverb on a return, can't load a limiter on master

• No device routing → Can't set sidechain inputs (so no deep-house pumping)

• No locators / loop region → Can't mark section boundaries or loop a section

• Audio import is fragile → File path loading isn't direct in Live's Python API

This fork addresses all of the above with 22 new tools plus enhancements to 10 existing tools.

Quickstart

Prerequisites

• Ableton Live 11 or 12 (tested on Live 12.4 Beta)

• Python 3.10+

• uv package manager

• Either Claude Desktop or Claude Code (CLI)

Install

# Clone this fork
git clone https://github.com/farmhutsoftwareteam/ableton-mcp-extended.git
cd ableton-mcp-extended

Install the Remote Script (the side that runs INSIDE Ableton)

⚠️ On Ableton Live 12, install the Remote Script at:

~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Remote Scripts/AbletonMCP/__init__.py

NOT the path the upstream README suggests (User Remote Scripts under Preferences — that's for Instant Mappings, not full Remote Scripts). This is a Live 12 change that the upstream README hasn't been updated for.

mkdir -p "$HOME/Music/Ableton/User Library/Remote Scripts/AbletonMCP"
cp AbletonMCP_Remote_Script/__init__.py "$HOME/Music/Ableton/User Library/Remote Scripts/AbletonMCP/__init__.py"

On Windows, the path is %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Ableton\User Library\Remote Scripts\AbletonMCP\__init__.py.

Wire it up in Ableton

1. Launch Ableton Live

2. Settings → Tempo & MIDI

3. Under Control Surface, pick AbletonMCP

4. Set Input = None, Output = None

If "AbletonMCP" doesn't appear in the dropdown, fully quit Live (⌘Q / Alt-F4) and reopen — Remote Scripts are only scanned on startup.

Connect Claude to this fork

For Claude Desktop, edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Mac) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ableton-mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/absolute/path/to/ableton-mcp-extended", "python", "-m", "MCP_Server.server"]
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code (CLI):

claude mcp add ableton-mcp -s user -- uv run --directory /absolute/path/to/ableton-mcp-extended python -m MCP_Server.server

Restart your Claude client. You should see ableton-mcp connected with 38 tools available.

Tool reference

Legend: 🆕 = new in this fork · ⊕ = enhanced (extra parameters) · ✅ = unchanged from upstream

Session & track inspection

Track creation & management

Clip operations (Session view)

Device operations

Arrangement view (entirely new in this fork)

Transport & global

Total: 38 tools.

The story — how this fork came to be

This fork was built in a single ~12-hour production session, alongside the actual music it was being used to make ("Mbira Tension Stems" — an Afro-deep-house track combining Suno-generated stems with original Ableton MIDI). Every tool was added in direct response to a real production blocker. The fork evolved across five versions:

v1 — Device parameter control + track state (9 tools)

Blocker: Claude could load a Reverb but couldn't set its decay. Could create tracks but couldn't mute or solo them.

Added: get_device_parameters, set_device_parameter, set_track_volume, set_track_mute, set_track_solo, set_track_arm, delete_track, delete_clip, delete_device.

The single biggest unlock was set_device_parameter — turning Claude from "load default devices" into "dial in actual settings." Suddenly we could specify "set Compressor attack to 0.5ms, ratio to 4:1" and have it happen.

v2 — Audio tracks + pan/send + audio import (4 tools)

Blocker: Couldn't create audio tracks. Couldn't set pan or sends. Couldn't import audio files.

Added: create_audio_track, set_track_pan, set_track_send, import_audio_file.

import_audio_file is the gnarly one. Live's Python API doesn't accept arbitrary file paths directly — files have to be reachable through Live's browser. The implementation walks the browser tree looking for a match, with multiple fallback strategies and honest error messages when it can't find the file. This is documented as a known limitation.

v3 — Return + master track support (1 tool + 10 enhanced)

Blocker: Couldn't put reverb on a return track. Couldn't load a limiter on master.

Realized Live distinguishes _song.tracks, _song.return_tracks, and _song.master_track — three separate collections. Added an optional track_kind parameter ("regular", "return", "master") to 10 existing tools (get_track_info, set_track_name, set_track_volume, set_track_pan, set_track_mute, set_track_solo, load_instrument_or_effect, get_device_parameters, set_device_parameter, delete_device). Plus added get_master_track_info() as a convenience.

v4 — Arrangement view operations (5 tools)

Blocker: All clips landed in Session view. Building a song timeline meant dragging every clip manually onto Arrangement.

Added: place_clip_in_arrangement, clear_arrangement_clips, get_arrangement_clips, set_locator, set_loop.

place_clip_in_arrangement reads notes from a Session MIDI clip (via clip.get_notes_extended()), creates a new clip on the Arrangement timeline via track.create_midi_clip(start, end), then writes the notes into it. This let us programmatically construct a 120-bar song timeline with 186 clip placements in two batches of MCP calls.

v4.1 — Bug fixes + clear_locators (1 tool)

Bugs found in v4:

1. get_notes_extended() returns tuples, not objects. My first implementation assumed it returned MidiNote objects with .pitch attributes — it actually returns tuples (pitch, time, duration, velocity, mute). Fixed to handle all three shapes (tuples, objects, dicts).

2. current_song_time can't be set past song length. Live refused to position the playhead at beat 192 when the song was only 0 bars long. The locator API requires moving the playhead first. Fixed with a song-length pre-check + clearer error message. Workaround: place arrangement clips first to extend the song, then add locators.

Added: clear_locators() for redo workflows.

v5 — Device routing (sidechain input) (2 tools)

Blocker: Couldn't set sidechain inputs on Compressors. This is THE deep-house signature — kick triggers bass + pads ducking. Without it, the mix doesn't breathe.

Realized Live distinguishes "parameters" (continuous knob values) from "routings" (channel source selections). set_device_parameter only handles parameters. Sidechain INPUT is a routing.

Added: get_device_routings, set_device_routing. They probe multiple Live API surfaces (available_input_routing_types, input_routing_types, input_routings, audio_inputs) because the property names vary across Live versions, and return diagnostic info on failure.

Implementation notes (the gnarly parts)

Live API gotchas this fork handles

• get_notes_extended() returns tuples on Live 12.4 Beta, not objects. The implementation handles tuples, objects with .pitch, and dicts.

• current_song_time can't be set past song length. Locator placement validates against song length first; gives a clear error message pointing to the fix (place clips first).

• Browser scanning is lazy. Files added to User Library during a Live session aren't indexed until rescanned. import_audio_file tries multiple fallbacks: direct clip_slot.create_audio_clip(path), app.browser.refresh(), walks all browser attributes via dir().

• Routing vs parameters are different APIs. Sidechain input is a routing, not a parameter. Required a separate tool (set_device_routing) with its own discovery flow (get_device_routings).

• Track kinds. _song.tracks, _song.return_tracks, _song.master_track are three different collections. The track_kind parameter dispatches correctly.

Threading

All commands that modify Live state are scheduled on Live's main thread via self.schedule_message(0, main_thread_task). Read-only commands (get_session_info, browser inspection) run directly. This matches the upstream pattern.

Error handling philosophy

Every tool returns rich diagnostic info on failure — what was tried, what was available, what the Live API surfaced. Production sessions hit unfamiliar API surfaces constantly; clear errors save hours.

Limitations & known issues

• Automation envelopes are not yet supported. Filter sweeps over time, volume rides per section, reverb send automation — these all require clip.envelopes API which isn't exposed in this fork. Coming in a future version.

• Audio import requires browser-reachable files. Files must be in ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/ or a folder added as a Place in Live's browser sidebar. The browser-walk implementation can find them only after Live has indexed them.

• Sidechain input routing depends on Live version. The implementation probes multiple attribute names but Live 12.4 Beta exposes a different API surface than Live 11. Manual routing dropdown click may still be needed in some setups.

• Trial Ableton licenses block save and export. Production work is in-session only on the trial.

• No vocal sample generation / no audio synthesis. This is a Live control bridge, not an audio generator. Bring your own samples or use Live's stock instruments.

Keywords / discoverability

ableton, ableton live, ableton 12, ableton 11, ableton mcp, ableton remote script, ableton python api, live object model, model context protocol, mcp, claude, claude code, claude desktop, anthropic, anthropic mcp, ai music, ai music production, ai daw, ai assisted music, generative music, prompt music production, deep house, afro house, deep house production, midi, midi automation, ableton automation, ableton sidechain, ableton arrangement, ableton routing, daw automation, mbira, zimbabwean music, kalimba, claude ableton, ableton plugin, ableton extension, music ai tools, mixing, mastering, ableton scripting, live api python, max for live alternative, ableton remote control, ableton tooling, ableton developer

Credits

Built on top of @ahujasid/ableton-mcp by Siddharth Ahuja. All credit for the original Remote Script framework + socket bridge + initial tool set goes there.

Extensions in this fork by farmhutsoftwareteam (Munya Makosa), built during production of the Mbira Tension Stems project. Pull requests welcome.

License

MIT (same as upstream).

Contributing

Found a Live API quirk this fork doesn't handle? Want to add automation envelopes, vocal-chop importing, M4L device control, or any of the other missing pieces? PRs welcome. Open an issue first if it's a big change.

The codebase is small and well-documented — AbletonMCP_Remote_Script/__init__.py is the Remote Script (lives inside Live), MCP_Server/server.py is the MCP server (talks to Claude). Each tool follows a simple pattern: add the command_type to the dispatch list, add an elif handler, add an implementation method, add a matching @mcp.tool() in the server.

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial third-party integration. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ableton.