What is Ableton Live

The Ableton Live MCP Server is a server that implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to enable communication between LLMs (Large Language Models) and Ableton Live. It utilizes Open Sound Control (OSC) to send and receive messages, providing a means for automated music production and control of live performances. The server is built on the AbletonOSC framework and maps OSC addresses to tools accessible to MCP clients.

Use cases

Potential use cases include automating music production tasks, such as setting up recording configurations, adjusting track settings dynamically, or controlling effects in real-time during live performances. This server facilitates interactions with Ableton Live via natural language instructions, making music production more intuitive and accessible.

How to use

To use the server, first, run the OSC daemon with the command ‘uv run osc_daemon.py’, which sets up communication with Ableton Live. Then, configure the MCP server in your client application, such as Claude Desktop, by adding appropriate commands and paths to your settings. After configuration, you can send commands to control Ableton Live directly from the MCP client using natural language prompts.

Key features

Key features include an MCP-compatible API for controlling Ableton Live, integration with python-osc for OSC communication, and a built-in request-response mechanism for executing commands in Ableton Live. The project also includes comprehensive mapping of OSC addresses to various tools, allowing for extensive control over music production elements.

Where to use

The Ableton Live MCP Server is meant for use in a local development environment where musicians, producers, and developers can interact with Ableton Live through LLM-powered MCP clients. It is suitable for creative music projects, live performances, and automation scripts in music production, particularly in environments using Python and OSC for audio-related tasks.

Ableton Live MCP Server

📌 Overview

The Ableton Live MCP Server is a server implementing the
Model Context Protocol (MCP) to facilitate
communication between LLMs and Ableton Live. It uses OSC (Open Sound
Control) to send and receive messages to/from Ableton Live. It is based on
AbletonOSC implementation and
exhaustively maps available OSC adresses to
tools accessible to
MCP clients.

This project consists of two main components:

• mcp_ableton_server.py: The MCP server handling the communication between
  clients and the OSC daemon.
• osc_daemon.py: The OSC daemon responsible for relaying commands to Ableton
  Live and processing responses.

✨ Features

• Provides an MCP-compatible API for controlling Ableton Live from MCP clients.
• Uses python-osc for sending and receiving OSC messages.
• Based on the OSC implementation from
  AbletonOSC.
• Implements request-response handling for Ableton Live commands.

⚡ Installation

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• python-osc (for OSC communication)
• fastmcp (for MCP support)
• uv (recommended Python package installer)
• AbletonOSC as a control surface

Installation Steps

1. Install uv (https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation):

   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
   

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/mcp_ableton_server.git
   cd mcp_ableton_server
   

3. Install the project and its dependencies:

   uv sync
   

4. Install AbletonOSC Follow the instructions at
   AbletonOSC

🚀 Usage

Running the OSC Daemon

The OSC daemon will handle OSC communication between the MCP server and Ableton
Live:

uv run osc_daemon.py

This will:

• Listen for MCP client connections on port 65432.
• Forward messages to Ableton Live via OSC on port 11000.
• Receive OSC responses from Ableton on port 11001.

Example Usage

In Claude desktop, ask Claude:

• Prepare a set to record a rock band
• Set the input routing channel of all tracks that have “voice” in their name
  to Ext. In 2

⚙️ Configuration

By default, the server and daemon run on localhost (127.0.0.1) with the
following ports:

• MCP Server Socket: 65432
• Ableton Live OSC Port (Send): 11000
• Ableton Live OSC Port (Receive): 11001

To modify these, edit the AbletonOSCDaemon class in osc_daemon.py:

self.socket_host = '127.0.0.1'
self.socket_port = 65432
self.ableton_host = '127.0.0.1'
self.ableton_port = 11000
self.receive_port = 11001

Claude Desktop Configuration

To use this server with Claude Desktop, you need to configure it in your Claude
Desktop settings. The configuration file location varies by operating system:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add the following configuration to your mcpServers section:

This configuration ensures that:

• The server runs with all dependencies properly managed
• The project remains portable and reproducible

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests to improve this
project.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for
details.

Acknowledgments

• Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• python-osc for OSC handling
• Daniel John Jones for OSC implementation with
  AbletonOSC
• Ableton Third Party Remote Scripts
• Julien Bayle @Structure Void for endless
  inspirations and resources.

TODO

• Explore resources and prompts primitives opportunities.
• Build a standalone Ableton Live MCP client.

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