Ableton Live MCP Server

Write a genre drum pattern into a Session clip on a Drum Rack track. REPLACES the clip's notes if the clip exists. style: lofi | boom_bap | house | techno | trap | dnb | ambient. swing: beats to delay 8th-note offbeats (0.0-0.1; 0.06 ≈ MPC-ish). humanize: max random velocity deviation (0 = machine-perfect). Uses the standard Live drum map (36 kick, 38 snare, 42/46 hats...).

Write a Euclidean (Bjorklund) rhythm for one drum voice into a Session clip. REPLACES the clip's notes if the clip exists. Distributes `pulses` hits as evenly as possible across `steps` slots spanning one bar (steps=8 -> 8th notes, 16 -> 16th notes), repeated for `bars`. pulses=3, steps=8 is the tresillo. `rotate` shifts the pattern left by that many steps. instrument: a drum-map name (kick/snare/chat/ohat/clap/ride/...) or a raw MIDI number. `humanize` is max +/- velocity jitter.

Build a genre-idiomatic chord progression and write it as voiced chords. REPLACES existing notes. genre: lofi/boom_bap/hip_hop/trap/house/deep_house/techno/trance/dnb/rnb/ neo_soul/jazz/bossa_nova/ambient/synthwave/pop/afrobeats/amapiano/... (fuzzy matched). The genre's scale-degree grammar is transposed into key+scale, then voiced (see generate_voiced_progression for the style options). bars = number of chords (the grammar loops). Returns the chord symbols it used.

Write a pocketed drum groove into a Session clip. REPLACES existing notes. style: lofi | boom_bap | house | trap | jazz | funk. pocket: beats to lay every hit behind the beat (0.0-0.1). swing: off-beat hat delay (0.5 straight .. ~0.66). ghost: 0-1 probability of soft ghost snares between backbeats. humanize: max +/- velocity deviation. Uses the standard Live drum map.

Write a voice-led melody over a chord progression. REPLACES existing notes. Notes come from key+scale, biased to chord tones on strong beats, chosen by nearest-pitch voice-leading (small steps), with optional chromatic approach notes. progression: dash-/comma-separated symbols. key: e.g. "C", "F#", "Bb". scale: major/minor/dorian/lydian/mixolydian/blues/bebop/minor_pentatonic/... density: low|medium|high (note rate). phrase_arc: rising|arch|ascend_descend| static (register contour). chromatic: 0-1 approach-note probability. low/high bound the register (MIDI). swing: 0.5 straight .. ~0.66.

Write a Steve-Reich phasing pattern into a Session clip. REPLACES the clip's notes if it already exists. Builds a short one-voice motif (each pitch a ``note_length``-beat note, back to back) from ``pitches`` -- a space-/comma-separated list of MIDI numbers, e.g. "60 62 64 67 69". Then stacks ``repeats`` copies of that motif, each copy starting ``shift`` beats later than the last, so the copies drift against one another. A ``shift`` smaller than the motif length (len(pitches)*note_length) gives the classic overlapping phase texture; ``shift`` == motif length is a plain loop. If ``source_clip_index`` is given, the motif is read from that clip on the same track instead of built from ``pitches``. Returns a short summary.

Write voice-led jazz chord voicings into a Session clip. REPLACES existing notes. progression: dash-/comma-separated symbols, e.g. "Am9-Dm7-G13-Cmaj7". style: rootless (3-7-9-13 stack, no root), quartal (stacked 4ths), shell (root-3-7), or block (close-position). Smooth voice-leading is applied between chords. center_pitch biases register (60 = C3 in Live). voices caps notes per chord; humanize is max +/- velocity jitter.

Write a quarter-note walking bass line under a progression. REPLACES notes. Root on beat 1, chord/scale tones through the bar, chromatic approach into the next chord's root on the last beat, with occasional soft ghost notes. progression: dash-/comma-separated symbols. key/scale set the passing-tone pool. octave: 1 = very low (C1), 2 = typical bass (C2). ghost: 0-1 offbeat ghost-note probability.

List all clips placed in the Arrangement timeline for a track. Returns each clip's name, start_time, end_time, length, and type. Parameters: - track_index: The index of the track to inspect

Get browser items at a specific path in Ableton's browser. Parameters: - path: Path in the format "category/folder/subfolder" where category is one of the available browser categories in Ableton

List the browser's top-level categories and their immediate entries. NOTE: returns a shallow listing (no deep hierarchy) - drill down with get_browser_items_at_path("instruments"), ...("sounds/Piano & Keys"), etc., or skip straight to search_browser when you know a name. category_type: "all", "instruments", "sounds", "drums", "audio_effects", "midi_effects".

Full clip state: loop points, markers, playing position, per-clip time signature; for audio clips also file path, gain display, and warp markers.

Return every MIDI note in an existing Session-view MIDI clip. Each note includes pitch, start time, duration, velocity, and mute state; newer Live versions may add expression fields. This is read-only and fails for an empty slot or audio clip. Use get_clip_info for clip properties.

List all parameters of a device on a track: names, values, ranges, display strings.

Read a device's audio-input (sidechain) routing: current input type/channel and the available options. Only sidechain-capable devices (Compressor, Gate) have this. Use the options with set_device_routing to pick a sidechain source.

List a Drum Rack's occupied pads (MIDI note, name, mute, solo).

List grooves in the Groove Pool (index + name) and the global groove amount.

Report a track's group state: whether it is a foldable group track, whether it is inside a group, its fold state, and its parent group's name.

List arrangement locators (index, name, beat time) for structure-aware navigation. Jump with jump_to_locator.

List parameters of a device on the Master track.

Read the Master track's output meters - values pinned near 1.0 during playback mean the master is clipping; pull set_master_volume down.

List an Instrument/Effect Rack's chains and the devices inside each - previously unreachable nested devices. Use set_chain_device_parameter to control them.

List parameters of a device on a Return track: names, values, min/max, display strings. Call before set_return_device_parameter.

List return tracks (index + name).

Read the song's scale and tuning: scale name, root note, scale intervals, and the active tuning system (microtonal, Live 12.3+) if any. Set the scale with set_song_scale; tune device parameters (e.g. Wavetable) with set_device_parameter.

Return global Live-set and transport state without modifying the set. Includes tempo, song time signature, playback position/state, Arrangement loop, track/return/scene counts, scene names, key/scale, record mode, launch quantization, Master volume/pan, and Live version. Use get_track_info for a single track's clips/devices, or get_session_snapshot for a compact overview of every track.

One-call overview of the whole set: tempo, time signature, play state, and for every track its name, type, mute/solo/arm, volume, clip count, and device names, plus return-track names. Prefer this over many get_track_info calls.

Return detailed state for one regular track without modifying the set. Includes name/type, mixer and arm/mute/solo state, sends, freeze/color state, playing/fired slot indices, every Session slot's basic clip state, and the device-chain names/types. Use get_session_info for global transport state, get_device_parameters for parameter values, or get_clip_info for full clip properties.

Read a track's output level meters (post-fader): left/right 0.0-1.0ish (0.85 ≈ 0 dB, like faders). Poll during playback to judge balance/clipping - this is how you 'listen' without exporting.

Read a track's input/output routing (current + all available options) and monitoring state (0=In, 1=Auto, 2=Off). Routing options are identified by display_name - use those strings with set_track_routing.

Read a MIDI clip, apply timing + velocity humanization, and write it back. REPLACES the clip's notes with the jittered version. timing: max +/- start-time deviation in beats. velocity: max +/- velocity deviation. Pitches are preserved; times stay non-negative. seed makes it reproducible.

Move the playhead by a relative number of beats (negative moves back). Works during playback for on-the-fly navigation.

Jump the playhead to the next locator/cue (direction >= 0) or the previous one (direction < 0).

Move the playhead to a locator (index from get_locators).

List the devices that describe_device has curated guidance for.

List the built-in composition recipes (name, description, and default tempo/key/scale/bars), for use with apply_recipe.

Load a device/effect from the browser onto the Master/Main track (e.g. a limiter for mastering).

Append one loadable browser device or preset to a return track's chain. Obtain `item_uri` from search_browser. Loading selects the return track in Live and creates a new device, so repeated calls add duplicates. Prefer audio effects on returns; use load_instrument_or_effect for a regular track or load_device_to_master for the Master chain.

Load a Drum Rack, then the first loadable kit at a browser path. Use search_browser to obtain the rack URI and get_browser_items_at_path to verify the kit path. This is a two-step mutation: it appends the rack first, then loads the first loadable item found at `kit_path`. If path lookup fails, the new empty rack remains on the track; repeated calls add more racks. Use load_instrument_or_effect when one known browser URI is sufficient.

Load an instrument or effect onto a track using its URI. Parameters: - track_index: The index of the track to load the instrument on - uri: The URI of the instrument or effect to load (e.g., 'query:Synths#Instrument%20Rack:Bass:FileId_5116')

Audition a browser item (a sample, instrument, or preset) through Live's preview tab WITHOUT loading it onto a track. `item_uri` comes from search_browser or get_browser_items_at_path. Use stop_browser_preview to stop.

Quantize a MIDI clip. grid: quarter/eighth/eighth_triplet/sixteenth/sixteenth_triplet/thirtysecond. amount 0.0-1.0 (use <1.0 to humanize toward the grid without full snap).

Rack macro snapshots. action: "store" (save current macros as a variation), "recall" (restore variation `index`), "randomize" (randomize all macro knobs - instant sound-design exploration).

Restore automation that was overridden by manual parameter changes. IMPORTANT: setting a device parameter that has an envelope overrides the envelope until this is called.

Bounce a section of the arrangement to an audio file WITHOUT the Export dialog, so you can hear an internal signal. Creates a temporary audio track, routes its input to `source` ("Resampling" = the master output, or a track's name for that track's output), arms it, and records from start_beat to end_beat in REAL TIME (a 4-bar section takes about 4 bars of wall-clock; capped at 5 minutes). Returns the recorded WAV path. Set cleanup=False to keep the recording track. Runs the transport and adds an arrangement clip.

Redo the last undone action in Live.

Replace a Simpler sample with an absolute local audio-file path. Requires Live 12.4+ AND runtime API support; otherwise fails before writing. Replaces musical content: confirm the target and preserve the original set. Readback is not an audio audition.

Save the current Live set to its existing file, if the Live API supports it (it does not on most versions). Returns whether the API call is available and whether the save succeeded. To save under a new name/path, use the GUI Save-As.

Search the Ableton browser by display name (case-insensitive substring). Returns loadable items with their URIs for load_instrument_or_effect / load_device_to_master / load_device_to_return. category: optionally limit to one of "instruments", "sounds", "drums", "audio_effects", "midi_effects", "packs" (default: search all of them). Prefer this over walking get_browser_items_at_path when you know a name.

Report what changed in the set since the LAST time you called this tool: tempo/time-signature/play-state, tracks added, removed, renamed or reordered, and per-track volume, mute, solo, arm, clip-count, and device changes. The first call records a baseline (no diff). Track IDs are scoped to the running bridge; older bridges cannot identify renames reliably. Call it before and after an edit to verify it took effect.