Claude Code plugin · MCP server

ableton-mcp-max

Drive Ableton Live 11 and 12 straight from Claude. 187 tools spanning tracks, clips, MIDI, devices, mixing, automation, arrangement, scenes, transport, composition, and full preset generation - built on the Live Object Model with preset-XML backdoors for the controls Live keeps hidden.

187

Tools

Install

The fastest path is the Robworks marketplace as a Claude Code plugin.

1. Add the marketplace and install the plugin

In Claude Code:

/plugin marketplace add robworks-code/robworks-claude-code-plugins
/plugin install ableton@robworks-claude-code-plugins

The plugin bundles the MCP server and registers it automatically over stdio (it talks to Live on localhost:9877). You still need to put the Remote Script half inside Live - the next step does that for you.

2. Run guided setup

/ableton:setup

This installs the Live Remote Script, warms the server, and walks you through enabling the Control Surface. It expects uv installed and Ableton Live 11 or 12.

3. Enable the Control Surface in Live

In Ableton: Settings → Link, Tempo & MIDI → Control Surface → AbletonMCP. Restart Live if it was already open (Live only scans Remote Scripts at launch). Live is now listening on localhost:9877.

4. Verify

Ask Claude to call get_session_info. A JSON blob with track / scene / tempo info means both halves are connected. The first call right after enabling the surface can fail while the server reconnects - just retry once.

Manual install (without the plugin): clone the repo, run bash scripts/install_remote_script.sh, enable the Control Surface, run bash scripts/register_mcp.sh, then restart Claude Code.

What you can do

Tracks & session - create / duplicate / delete tracks, fold groups, drive selection and the detail view, undo/redo.
Clips & MIDI - create clips, edit notes with the Live 11 extended note API, loop, quantize, launch, and stop.
Devices & racks - read and set device parameters, rack macros, and chains; load instruments and effects.
Mixer & routing - volume, pan, sends, and input/output routing for every track type.
Automation - read and write clip automation envelopes for any automatable parameter.
Arrangement - cue points, the arrangement loop, and timeline clips.
Transport - tempo, groove, metronome, recording, punch, and the playhead.
Presets - generate Wavetable and Simpler presets and patch racks (macros, zones, mappings) through the preset-XML backdoor - reaching controls the LOM doesn’t expose.

See the full tool reference →

How it works

Two halves talk over localhost:9877:

A FastMCP server (Python, launched by Claude Code) exposes the 187 @mcp.tool() functions.
A Remote Script running inside Live’s own Python applies them against the Live Object Model.

Values are resolved, normalized, and clamped on the server, so the Remote Script just applies already-canonical commands. Controls that the LOM marks read-only or doesn’t expose at all (sample refs, wavetables, macro mappings) are reached by patching factory preset .adv/.adg XML and loading the result through the browser.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ableton AG. “Ableton” and “Live” are trademarks of Ableton AG.