ableton-osc

The ableton-osc-mcp server acts as a translator between MCP clients and Ableton Live via the AbletonOSC remote script. Clients speak MCP over stdio using JSON-RPC, and the MCP server converts those requests into OSC messages sent over UDP to AbletonOSC on ports 11000 (to AbletonOSC) and receives responses back on 11001. This enables AI assistants and automation tools to control Ableton Live 11+—creating MIDI tracks and clips, reading and writing MIDI notes, adjusting tempo, listing devices, firing clips, and even sending raw OSC messages for advanced control. The server exposes a set of tools described in the project (e.g., ableton_create_midi_track, ableton_create_clip, ableton_add_midi_notes, ableton_set_tempo, ableton_get_tempo, ableton_get_track_names, ableton_get_track_devices, ableton_fire_clip_slot, and ableton_osc_send), which you can invoke from your MCP client as structured JSON-RPC calls. To use it, ensure Ableton Live is running with the AbletonOSC remote script enabled, and point your MCP client at the ableton-osc-mcp binary or service.

When configuring your MCP client, you’ll typically emit JSON-RPC requests that map to these tools. For example, to set the tempo, you might call the ableton_set_tempo tool with a tempo value, and to create a new MIDI track you’d call ableton_create_midi_track followed by clip creation and note input via ableton_add_midi_notes. The server handles the translation to OSC and returns responses or errors via the MCP protocol.

Prerequisites:\n- Ableton Live 11+ running on macOS or Windows.\n- AbletonOSC remote script installed and enabled in Ableton Live.\n- A supported environment for running the MCP server (macOS, Linux, or Windows).\n\n1) Install AbletonOSC in Ableton Live:\n\nFollow these steps to install AbletonOSC:\n\nOptionally clone and install the remote script as described in the README:\n- macOS: clone to /tmp/AbletonOSC and copy to ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Remote Scripts/AbletonOSC\n- Windows: clone to a temp folder and copy to Documents\n \n2) Enable AbletonOSC in Ableton Live:\n\nOpen Ableton Live → Preferences → Link/Tempo/MIDI → Under Control Surface, select AbletonOSC → Restart Ableton Live.\n\n3) Install the MCP server (ableton-osc-mcp):\n\nOption A: Homebrew (macOS/Linux) — Recommended:\nbash\nbrew tap nozomi-koborinai/tap\nbrew install ableton-osc-mcp\n\nThe binary will be installed to /opt/homebrew/bin/ableton-osc-mcp (Apple Silicon) or /usr/local/bin/ableton-osc-mcp (Intel/Linux).\n\nOption B: Download pre-built binary:\n- Download from GitHub Releases for your platform and place the binary somewhere on your PATH.\n\nOption C: Build from source:\nbash\ngit clone https://github.com/nozomi-koborinai/ableton-osc-mcp.git\ncd ableton-osc-mcp\ngo build -o ableton-osc-mcp .\n\n\n4) Configure MCP client to use the server:\n\nCursor example (Cursor config):\njson\n{\n "mcpServers": {\n "ableton-osc-mcp": {\n "command": "/path/to/ableton-osc-mcp"\n }\n }\n}\n\nClaude Desktop example:\njson\n{\n "mcpServers": {\n "ableton-osc-mcp": {\n "command": "/path/to/ableton-osc-mcp"\n }\n }\n}\n\nReplace with your actual binary path.\n

Tips & notes:\n- Ableton Live must be running with AbletonOSC active for OSC messages to reach Live.\n- OSC ports: AbletonOSC listens on port 11000, and responses come back on 11001. Ensure firewall rules allow UDP traffic on these ports.\n- The MCP server translates standard MCP calls to OSC; not all AbletonOSC capabilities are exposed. Complex workflows (like programmatic Drum Rack loading) require extending AbletonOSC with custom endpoints.\n- If you encounter permission issues on macOS with the binary, ensure it is executable (chmod +x) and, if downloaded, remove macOS quarantine attributes.\n- The project uses the Go runtime; ensure Go 1.25+ is available if you compile from source.\n- This MCP server emphasizes standard OSC-based control, offering a straightforward path for AI assistants to automate Ableton Live through OSC.