Control Ableton Live with AI

This MCP server controls Ableton Live through OSC (Open Sound Control), letting AI assistants manipulate tracks, input/output routing, and other DAW functions using natural-language requests instead of manual mouse-and-keyboard operation. It exposes an MCP-compatible API built on python-osc for sending and receiving OSC messages, using the OSC address mapping from AbletonOSC as its control surface, and handles request-response command processing so an MCP client can issue a command and get back Ableton's resulting state. The server runs locally with a dedicated MCP socket (port 65432) alongside separate OSC send (11000) and receive (11001) ports.

Use this connector when you want an AI assistant to control an Ableton Live session - preparing a set for a specific recording scenario (e.g. setting up a rock band recording session), or bulk-editing track properties like input routing across every track matching a name pattern (e.g. setting all tracks with "voice" in their name to a specific external input).

It does not work without AbletonOSC installed and enabled as a control surface in Ableton Live first - the MCP server is a bridge on top of that existing OSC implementation, not a replacement for it.

• OSC-based track control: send and receive OSC messages mapped from AbletonOSC's address space to manipulate tracks, routing, and other DAW parameters
• Bulk track operations: apply a change (such as input routing) across multiple tracks matching a naming pattern in a single request
• Session setup automation: configure a set's tracks and routing for a specific recording or performance scenario from a single natural-language instruction
• Request-response command handling: issue an Ableton Live command through the MCP client and receive the resulting state back

Install the uv package manager, clone the repository, sync dependencies, and run the OSC daemon before configuring your MCP client:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
git clone https://github.com/your-username/mcp_ableton_server.git
cd mcp_ableton_server
uv sync
uv run osc_daemon.py

Then add it to Claude Desktop's config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Ableton Live Controller": {
      "command": "/path/to/your/project/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["/path/to/your/project/mcp_ableton_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

AbletonOSC must be installed and enabled as a control surface in Ableton Live first.

Music producers and audio engineers using Ableton Live who want to control track setup, routing, and session preparation through an AI assistant rather than manual DAW navigation.