AbletonMCP_AI v2.0 - Clean Rewrite

MCP-based system for controlling Ableton Live 12 Suite from AI agents. Rewritten from scratch - Clean, simple, functional.

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  OpenCode / MCP Clients                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Layer 1: MCP Server (server.py ~300ln) │  ← FastMCP, stdio transport
│  Layer 2: Engines (engines/*.py)        │  ← Music logic, sample selection
│  Layer 3: Remote Script (runtime.py)   │  ← Ableton Live API, TCP socket
│  Layer 4: Ableton Live 12 Suite        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Design Decisions

1. Simple TCP socket - One connection per command, no persistent state
2. No main thread queue - Uses Live's update_display() callback directly
3. Clean error handling - Every command returns {status, result/error}
4. Minimal code - ~300 lines for runtime, ~300 for server (vs 5400+13800 before)
5. Reusable engines - Music logic isolated from communication layer

Available Tools (28)

Info

• get_session_info - Project state (tempo, tracks, scenes)
• get_tracks - All tracks info
• get_scenes - All scenes
• get_master_info - Master track

Transport

• start_playback / stop_playback / toggle_playback
• stop_all_clips

Settings

• set_tempo - BPM (20-300)
• set_time_signature - Numerator/denominator
• set_metronome - On/off

Tracks

• create_midi_track / create_audio_track
• set_track_name / set_track_volume / set_track_pan
• set_track_mute / set_track_solo
• set_master_volume

Clips & Sessions

• create_clip - MIDI clip in Session View
• add_notes_to_clip - Add MIDI notes
• fire_clip / fire_scene
• set_scene_name / create_scene

Arrangement View

• create_arrangement_audio_pattern - Load .wav clips
• load_sample_to_drum_rack - Load sample into Drum Rack

Generation

• generate_track / generate_song - AI generation
• select_samples_for_genre - Auto sample selection

Setup

1. Ableton Live Configuration

1. Open Ableton Live 12 Suite
2. Go to Preferences → Link/Tempo/MIDI
3. Under Control Surfaces, add AbletonMCP_AI
4. The Remote Script will start listening on port 9877

2. OpenCode Configuration

Already configured in ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "ableton-live-mcp": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["python", "C:\\ProgramData\\Ableton\\Live 12 Suite\\Resources\\MIDI Remote Scripts\\mcp_wrapper.py"],
      "enabled": true,
      "timeout": 300000
    }
  }
}

3. Sample Library

Your reggaeton library at libreria/reggaeton/ is automatically indexed (509 samples).

File Structure

AbletonMCP_AI/
├── __init__.py          # Live Control Surface entry point
├── runtime.py           # Remote Script (~300 lines)
└── mcp/
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── server.py        # MCP FastMCP server (~300 lines)
    ├── engines/
    │   ├── __init__.py
    │   ├── sample_selector.py  # Sample indexing & selection
    │   └── song_generator.py   # Track generation
    ├── tests/           # Unit tests
    └── docs/            # Documentation

Commands

Compile Check

python -m py_compile "C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 12 Suite\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\AbletonMCP_AI\runtime.py"
python -m py_compile "C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 12 Suite\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\AbletonMCP_AI\mcp\server.py"
python -m py_compile "C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 12 Suite\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\mcp_wrapper.py"

Test MCP Server

python "C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 12 Suite\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\mcp_wrapper.py" --transport stdio

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused

• Ensure AbletonMCP_AI is loaded as a Control Surface in Live
• Check port 9877: netstat -an | findstr 9877
• Restart Ableton Live after code changes

Timeout on Commands

• Commands that mutate Live state use 30s timeout by default
• Generation commands use 300s timeout
• Check Ableton log for errors

Sample Selection Returns Empty

• Verify libreria/reggaeton/ exists with .wav files
• Check sample index: should show "Indexed X samples" in logs