ableton-osc-mcp

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for controlling Ableton Live via AbletonOSC.

This enables AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, etc.) to interact with Ableton Live for beat-making, music production, and creative workflows.

Primary development target: Ableton Live 11.0.12 (the Live Object Model reports 11.0). Other Live 11/12 builds may work, but some tools depend on Live APIs that only exist (or behave differently) on newer versions — see Supported Ableton Live versions.

Features

• Control Ableton Live from AI assistants via MCP
• Create MIDI tracks and clips
• Add, read, and clear MIDI notes
• Get/set tempo
• Inspect tempo, playback state, scenes, and indexed tracks in one snapshot
• List devices on a track
• Load Drum Racks / presets from Live's Browser (with the included AbletonOSC patch)
• Browse Live Browser folders by path and load items onto tracks
• Search the local synced Splice library and load samples onto audio tracks (Live 12.0.5+)
• Set up a drum track with kit + clip + pattern in one recipe
• Run drum / bass / scene A/B comparisons through one create→audition recipe, then save taste locally
• A/B the same clip dry vs processed by bypassing FX (ableton_compare_fx_bypass)
• Compare mix balance with snapshots you can restore
• Humanize MIDI clips with microtiming, velocity variation, and swing
• Match an audio clip to the project tempo with Warp (e.g. after loading a sample)
• Analyze a local .wav, or reference-analyze an http(s)/YouTube URL, for duration, levels, BPM/key alternatives, chords, section map, rhythm density, rms_per_beat, band balance, match axes, and texture (URL streams in memory and is never saved; no melody extraction)
• Autogain tracks toward a target meter level while audio is playing
• Diagnose AbletonOSC connection and browser/master patch readiness
• Fire clip slots and send raw OSC for advanced control

Browser loading (AbletonOSC patch)

Stock AbletonOSC does not expose Live's Browser load_item() API. This repo ships a small Remote Script patch under remote-script/ that adds:

• /live/browser/find
• /live/browser/list_folder
• /live/browser/load_at_path
• /live/track/load/browser_item
• /live/device/load/preset
• /live/clip_slot/create_audio_clip (local audio file → session slot; Live 12.0.5+)
• /live/device/get/parameters/value_string (all parameter display strings in one reply)
• /live/device/set/parameter/string (set a parameter from a display string)
• /live/device/delete (delete a device; confirms with before/after device count)
• /live/device/get|set/is_active (device on/bypass for FX dry/wet A/B)
• /live/device/simpler/get · /set · /get/slices (Simpler playback/slicing state, control, and slice map)
• /live/device/simpler/set/slices (restore a saved manual slice map onto the same sample)
• /live/song/get/return_tracks (list return tracks for send indices)
• /live/device/get|set/input_routing_type|channel (+ available lists) for Compressor sidechain
• /live/clip/envelope/get|set_steps|clear|clear_all (+ /live/clip/get/has_envelopes) for Session clip automation

Install steps: see remote-script/README.md. After applying the patch, restart Ableton Live (a full restart is required the first time; /live/api/reload alone is not enough).

How it Works

flowchart LR
    subgraph AI["AI Assistant"]
        Claude["Claude / Cursor"]
    end

    subgraph MCP["MCP Server"]
        Server["ableton-osc-mcp<br/>(Go + Genkit)"]
    end

    subgraph Ableton["Ableton Live"]
        OSC["AbletonOSC<br/>(Python Remote Script)"]
        Live["Live Object Model"]
    end

    Claude <-->|"MCP (stdio)<br/>JSON-RPC"| Server
    Server <-->|"OSC / UDP<br/>port 11000-11001"| OSC
    OSC <--> Live

What is OSC?

OSC (Open Sound Control) is a network protocol designed for real-time communication between music software and hardware. It uses UDP for low-latency messaging, making it ideal for music applications where speed matters more than guaranteed delivery.

Communication Flow

1. AI Assistant → ableton-osc-mcp: MCP protocol over stdio (JSON-RPC)
2. ableton-osc-mcp → AbletonOSC: OSC messages over UDP (port 11000)
3. AbletonOSC → ableton-osc-mcp: OSC responses over UDP (port 11001)
4. AbletonOSC → Ableton Live: Direct access to Live Object Model (internal API)

The MCP server acts as a translator between MCP tool calls and OSC messages.

Comparison with ableton-mcp

There's another Ableton MCP implementation: ableton-mcp. Here's how they differ:

From an MCP client's perspective, both may feel similar (tools that create clips, set tempo, etc.). The big difference is the underlying transport + remote script (AbletonOSC/OSC vs custom script/socket protocol).

Which should you choose?

• ableton-osc-mcp: If you prefer standard protocols or want to reuse AbletonOSC for other purposes
• ableton-mcp: If you want tighter integration or need features not available via OSC

Both work well — choose based on your preference.

Prerequisites

• Ableton Live 11+ (see version notes below)
• AbletonOSC installed and enabled in Live
• This repo's Remote Script patch applied (see Browser loading)

Supported Ableton Live versions

Live's OSC/API only exposes a coarse version string (e.g. 11.0), so this project documents the full Suite build used in development (11.0.12) separately from what ableton_diagnose reports.

Version-gated or unavailable tools (examples):

Before relying on a gated feature, call ableton_diagnose and check capabilities[] (ok / next_step). A tool that exists in the MCP schema may still fail or be a no-op on your Live build if the underlying API or patch handler is missing.

Installation

Note: Ableton Live is officially supported on macOS and Windows only.

1. Install AbletonOSC

Tip: If the clone directory already exists, delete it first or skip the git clone step.

macOS

git clone https://github.com/ideoforms/AbletonOSC.git /tmp/AbletonOSC
mkdir -p ~/Music/Ableton/User\ Library/Remote\ Scripts
cp -r /tmp/AbletonOSC ~/Music/Ableton/User\ Library/Remote\ Scripts/AbletonOSC

Windows (PowerShell)

git clone https://github.com/ideoforms/AbletonOSC.git $env:TEMP\AbletonOSC
Copy-Item -Recurse $env:TEMP\AbletonOSC "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\Ableton\User Library\Remote Scripts\AbletonOSC"

Windows (Command Prompt)

git clone https://github.com/ideoforms/AbletonOSC.git %TEMP%\AbletonOSC
xcopy /E /I %TEMP%\AbletonOSC "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Ableton\User Library\Remote Scripts\AbletonOSC"

2. Enable AbletonOSC in Ableton Live

1. Open Ableton Live
2. Go to Preferences → Link / Tempo / MIDI
3. Under Control Surface, select AbletonOSC
4. Restart Ableton Live

3. Install ableton-osc-mcp

Choose the installation method that best fits your environment:

Option A: Homebrew (macOS/Linux) — Recommended

brew tap nozomi-koborinai/tap
brew install ableton-osc-mcp

The binary will be installed to /opt/homebrew/bin/ableton-osc-mcp (Apple Silicon) or /usr/local/bin/ableton-osc-mcp (Intel/Linux).

Option B: Download pre-built binary

Download from GitHub Releases for your platform:

macOS users: After downloading, remove the quarantine attribute:

chmod +x ableton-osc-mcp-darwin-*
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ableton-osc-mcp-darwin-*

Option C: Build from source

Requires Go 1.25+:

git clone https://github.com/nozomi-koborinai/ableton-osc-mcp.git
cd ableton-osc-mcp
go build -o ableton-osc-mcp .

4. Configure MCP Client

Find your binary path first:

# If installed via Homebrew
which ableton-osc-mcp
# Output: /opt/homebrew/bin/ableton-osc-mcp (Apple Silicon)
#         /usr/local/bin/ableton-osc-mcp (Intel/Linux)

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project or global config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ableton-osc-mcp": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/ableton-osc-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ableton-osc-mcp": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/ableton-osc-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /opt/homebrew/bin/ableton-osc-mcp with your actual binary path if different.

A/B comparison workflow

For the usual drum, bass, or scene listen-and-choose loop, start here:

1. Optional: ableton_get_taste_profile — see what to try next
2. ableton_compare_ab_variation — create one-axis B, audition A→B, get a preference prompt
3. Ask the listener which they prefer, then ableton_record_variation_preference

Keep the lower-level tools for special cases:

Mix is intentionally outside ableton_compare_ab_variation because it uses snapshots, not clip/scene slots.

Audio analysis

Two entry points estimate duration, peak/RMS level, onset density, BPM, and an approximate musical key/scale to help you place or warp a sample and build a part in a matching key. Both are reference analysis only: they extract factual metadata and never transcribe lyrics or extract note-for-note MIDI of a performance.

Key/scale is a chroma-based estimate (Krumhansl profiles) reported with a confidence; treat it as a starting hint, since dense mixes can fool it.

They also return an approximate chord progression: the audio is split into short windows, each matched to a major/minor triad, and consecutive matches are merged into a timed sequence (chord_progression) plus a compact summary (chord_summary, e.g. C | G | Am | F). Low-confidence spans are marked N.C.. This covers only major/minor triads — extended chords, inversions, and busy mixes will be approximated, so use it as a reference for building your own part, not as a transcription.

They also return an approximate section map (sections): the track is divided by a self-similarity/novelty analysis, and each span is labeled by relative energy (low / medium / high) with its start time. Use it to spot likely intros/breakdowns (low energy) versus drops/choruses (high energy). It is a coarse structural map, not a semantic labeling of the song's form.

Finally, a few texture indicators describe the mix objectively: brightness_hz (spectral centroid — higher is brighter), crest_factor_db (peak-to-RMS — higher is more dynamic/transient, lower is more compressed), and stereo_width (side/mid energy ratio — 0 is mono/centered, larger is wider). URL sources are decoded in stereo so width can be measured, then downmixed for the rest of the analysis.

For production decisions (not melody extraction), both tools also return:

• bpm_alternatives / key_alternatives — half/double tempo and second-best key when in range

• rhythm_density — onsets per bar at the estimated tempo

• rms_per_beat — per-beat energy envelope (capped) for chop / fill placement

• band_balance — relative low / mid / high energy shares

• match_axes — three observation axes (drum_density, low_end_role, space_amount) with short hints

• ableton_analyze_local_audio — inspects a local .wav path you already have. No network access.

• ableton_analyze_audio_url — reference-analyzes an http(s) URL (e.g. YouTube). It streams the track through yt-dlp + ffmpeg in memory, analyzes it, and discards it — nothing is written to disk (bounded to ~15 min for safety).

ableton_analyze_audio_url requires yt-dlp and ffmpeg on PATH; this server never downloads on its own. Accessing some sites may violate their terms of service, and you are responsible for your right to use any source you analyze.

Use results with files you have rights to use, then load into Live and call ableton_match_clip_tempo if needed.

To turn a reference into a starting point, pass a chord_summary (or your own progression like C | G | Am | F) to ableton_build_chord_clip, which writes a block-chord MIDI clip into a MIDI track you can build on. It is a sketch, not a finished arrangement.

Available Tools

Example Usage

Once configured, you can ask your AI assistant:

• "Set the tempo to 140 BPM"
• "Create a MIDI track, load Street Kit, and add a 4-bar clip"
• "Set up a Street Kit drum track with a four-on-floor pattern"
• "Compare a drum groove variation of clip 0 into empty slot 1, then ask which I prefer"
• "Check my taste profile and run the least-tried bass comparison next"
• "I prefer the variation; save that and suggest what to compare next"
• "Create a mix B with the bass 0.05 lower, let me listen, then restore A"
• "Humanize the drum clip with a bit of swing"
• "Warp that audio sample to the project tempo"
• "Analyze this local wav and tell me its BPM and how many bars it is at 128"
• "Autogain the drum and bass tracks while the beat is playing"
• "Search my local Splice library for a punchy kick and load one onto an audio track"
• "Find drum kits named Street in the browser"
• "List the Drums browser folder, then load Street Kit onto track 0"
• "Add a kick drum pattern on beats 1, 2, 3, 4"
• "What's the current tempo?"
• "Diagnose the AbletonOSC connection and patches"

Built With

• Go - Programming language
• Genkit for Go - AI framework with MCP support
• AbletonOSC - OSC interface for Ableton Live

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Related Projects

• AbletonOSC - OSC interface for Ableton Live (used by this project)
• ableton-mcp - Alternative MCP implementation (see comparison)

Advanced Configuration

In most cases, the default settings work fine. Change these only if:

• Ableton Live is running on a different machine → change ABLETON_OSC_HOST
• Port conflicts with other software → change port settings
• Heavy projects cause timeout errors → increase ABLETON_OSC_TIMEOUT_MS

Splice samples (local library)

This does not call the Splice cloud API or download new sounds. It uses samples already synced by the Splice desktop app.

1. Sync/download sounds in the Splice app
2. Optional: set ABLETON_OSC_SPLICE_PATH if auto-detect misses your folder
3. Re-copy remote-script/abletonosc/browser.py into AbletonOSC (adds /live/clip_slot/create_audio_clip) and restart Live
4. Use ableton_search_splice_samples → ableton_load_splice_sample on an audio track empty slot

Loading into a clip slot needs Ableton Live 12.0.5+ (ClipSlot.create_audio_clip).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.