The ableton plugin: drive Ableton Live from Claude Code

The ableton plugin drives Ableton Live 11 and 12 from Claude Code over a bundled MCP server - tracks, clips, MIDI notes, devices, the mixer, automation, arrangement, scenes, transport, and preset generation. It ships guided commands and a set of production skills that load automatically.

Install

claude plugin install ableton@robworks-claude-code-plugins

First-run setup

/ableton:setup

Setup walks through connecting to Live via the bundled Max for Live device. To bootstrap a fresh song, use /ableton:init-project; /ableton:new-track and /ableton:add-to-track follow best-practice workflows for building and modifying tracks. /ableton:restart relaunches Live cleanly when you need a fresh bounce.

What you can do

Compose and edit MIDI, load and tweak devices and presets, balance the mixer, write automation, arrange sections, and separate stems (/ableton:stems). Seven skills load automatically for the task at hand - mixing, mastering, sound design, arrangement, MIDI composition, sample use, and set analysis (/ableton:analyze audits a set against best-practice rulesets).

Good to know

  • Requires Ableton Live 11 or 12 with the bundled Max for Live device installed and the set open.
  • Arrangement automation and a few device parameters have known limits - the best-practices command and skills call these out.
  • Restart Live after installing the device so the MCP can connect.

Getting help

Docs: ringo380.github.io/ableton-mcp-max. Can’t connect to Live? Send us a message and a human will reply by email.

Still need help? Contact us

The ableton plugin: drive Ableton Live from Claude Code - Robworks Software