Ableton MCP Beyond

Safety-first MCP control of Ableton Live 12 —
a capability-aware surface of 150 negotiated tools, an authenticated loopback bridge, and standards-based audio analysis.

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An MCP host that never guesses — and never wrecks your Set.

Deep Live control — transport, Session + Arrangement, clips, MIDI notes, mixer, automation, routing, recording, projects, subscriptions.
Device mastery — recursive rack/chain/pad/macro discovery, guarded parameter edits, Browser search and load.
Audio intelligence — ITU-R BS.1770-5 / EBU R128 loudness, validated true peak, reference-mix comparison. Works without Live.
Consent-bound capture — resample one clip, analyze internally, delete every trace. Watchdog and emergency stop included.
Realtime control — token-fenced UDP/OSC/XY channel with verified writes and an independent emergency stop.
Guided journeys — plan_user_journey turns "make a lo-fi beat" into an ordered, confirmable, capability-aware plan.

Quick start

Requires Node.js 22, 24, or 25. Ableton Live 12 for the bridge; the host, tests, and demo run without it.

cd apps/mcp-server
npm ci && npm run build
npm run demo      # a real MCP session, no Live required
npm test          # full suite

Point your MCP client at the server, and — to control Live — configure the bridge and install the Remote Script:

npm run setup -- --output /abs/path/client-config.json
npm run setup -- --output /abs/path/bridge-config.json \
  --bridge-host 127.0.0.1 --bridge-port 9000 \
  --secret-file /abs/path/bridge.secret
node dist/src/install-remote-script.js --destination '/abs/.../Remote Scripts/AbletonMcpBridge' --dry-run

Restart Live, then verify: npm run diagnostics -- --config /abs/path/bridge-config.json.
Full walkthrough: docs/en/USER_GUIDE.md.

Safety model

Every mutation follows discover → preview → confirm → apply → verify → undo. Idempotency keys, epoch fencing, and an execution ledger make lost acknowledgements safe to reconcile; arbitrary deletes are refused. Without an explicit bridge config the server is fail-closed — it cannot read or touch Live. See docs/en/LIVE_SAFETY.md.

The deployment trusts an owner-controlled local OS account and the MCP client's approval policy. Server confirmations are not proof of human consent through a channel independent of the model. Do not auto-approve audible, recording, routing, capture, or realtime tools.

Compatibility

Surface	Status
Node.js 22 / 24 / 25	Supported contract; a green exact-current-SHA matrix is required
macOS + Live 12	Verified against 12.4.5b8 beta (evidence)
Windows host	CI contract configured; current exact-SHA result required; Windows 11 + Live not certified
Linux / Live 11 or earlier	Unsupported

Capabilities are negotiated at connect time, so your agent always knows exactly what a given Live install can do. Full matrix: docs/SUPPORT_MATRIX.md · docs/EXTENSION_SURFACES.md.

Docs

Doc	What it covers
USER_GUIDE	Tool list, mutation workflow, resources, prompts
LIVE_SAFETY	The real-Live safety boundary
OPERATIONS / RECOVERY	Supervision, failure handling, uncertain-state recovery
AUDIO_INTELLIGENCE	DSP standards, capture consent, privacy limits
USER_JOURNEYS	The five guided composition workflows
REALTIME_CONTROL	The armed UDP/OSC/XY control plane
CAPABILITY_MATRIX	What the agent can do, plus per-domain capability and evidence detail
EXTENSION_SURFACES	Max/Link/Push/Connection-Kit evaluations and non-exposed UI dispositions
DELIVERY	Install, upgrade, rollback, uninstall of packed artifacts
DISTRIBUTION_POLICY	Local MIT artifact, required checks, and emergency procedure
IMPLEMENTATION_STATUS	What's verified and what's still limited

License

Open source under the MIT License. Package private: true and the local unpublished, unsigned, unnotarized delivery channel prevent accidental publication but do not change MIT rights. Ableton Live is a trademark of Ableton AG; MIT does not grant Ableton trademark rights or imply affiliation, endorsement, signing, or certification.

ableton-mcp-beyond