Ableton Live MCP server

This Python-based tool connects Ableton Live to Claude AI through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing Claude to control Ableton Live directly for AI-assisted music production. The integration enables two-way communication to create tracks, manipulate MIDI, select instruments, and control your Ableton session through conversational prompts.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Ableton Live 10 or newer
• Python 3.8 or newer
• uv package manager

To install uv on Mac:

brew install uv

For other platforms, install from uv's official website

⚠️ Do not proceed before installing UV

Installing via Smithery

The easiest way to install is via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @ahujasid/ableton-mcp --client claude

Claude for Desktop Integration

1. Open Claude > Settings > Developer > Edit Config > claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add the following configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "AbletonMCP": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "ableton-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Cursor Integration

To use with Cursor, go to Cursor Settings > MCP and paste this command:

uvx ableton-mcp

⚠️ Only run one instance of the MCP server (either on Cursor or Claude Desktop), not both

Installing the Ableton Remote Script

1. Download the AbletonMCP_Remote_Script/__init__.py file from the repository

2. Copy the file to Ableton's MIDI Remote Scripts directory:

   macOS:

   • Option 1: Applications > Right-click on Ableton Live > Show Package Contents > Navigate to: Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts/
   • Option 2: /Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live XX/User Remote Scripts

   Windows:

   • Option 1: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x.x\Preferences\User Remote Scripts
   • Option 2: C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live XX\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\
   • Option 3: C:\Program Files\Ableton\Live XX\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\

   Note: Replace XX with your Ableton version number (e.g., 10, 11, 12)

3. Create a folder called 'AbletonMCP' in the Remote Scripts directory and place the downloaded __init__.py file inside it

4. Launch Ableton Live

5. Go to Settings/Preferences → Link, Tempo & MIDI

6. In the Control Surface dropdown, select "AbletonMCP"

7. Set Input and Output to "None"

Usage

Starting the Connection

1. Ensure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded in Ableton Live
2. Make sure the MCP server is configured in Claude Desktop or Cursor
3. The connection will establish automatically when you interact with Claude

Capabilities

With the MCP server connected, Claude can:

• Get information about your Ableton session and tracks
• Create and modify MIDI and audio tracks
• Create, edit, and trigger clips
• Control playback
• Load instruments and effects from Ableton's browser
• Add notes to MIDI clips
• Change tempo and other session parameters

Example Commands

Here are some examples of what you can ask Claude to do:

• "Create an 80s synthwave track"
• "Create a Metro Boomin style hip-hop beat"
• "Create a new MIDI track with a synth bass instrument"
• "Add reverb to my drums"
• "Create a 4-bar MIDI clip with a simple melody"
• "Get information about the current Ableton session"
• "Load a 808 drum rack into the selected track"
• "Add a jazz chord progression to the clip in track 1"
• "Set the tempo to 120 BPM"
• "Play the clip in track 2"

Troubleshooting

• Connection issues: Make sure the Ableton Remote Script is loaded, and the MCP server is configured on Claude
• Timeout errors: Try simplifying your requests or breaking them into smaller steps
• Have you tried turning it off and on again?: If you're still having connection errors, try restarting both Claude and Ableton Live

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "AbletonMCP" '{"command":"uvx","args":["ableton-mcp"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "AbletonMCP": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "ableton-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

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

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "AbletonMCP": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "ableton-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect