ableton-midi

name	ableton-midi
description	Compose and edit MIDI in Ableton Live through the abletonsdk MCP tools — create MIDI clips (Session or Arrangement), write notes/chords/melodies/basslines/drum patterns, work in a key/scale, and apply transformations (arpeggiate, strum, quantize, humanize, groove). Use whenever the task is making or editing MIDI musical content in Live via run_code.

Ableton MIDI composition & editing

You drive Live through the abletonsdk MCP tools (ableton_run_code, ableton_get_context, ableton_get_clip_notes, ableton_get_device, …). This skill is the musical knowledge layer; the MCP server is the action layer.

Workflow

1. Perceive — ableton_get_context for tracks/clips/scenes and the Set's tempo + scale (rootNote, scaleName, scaleMode, scaleIntervals). Every object carries a stable addr.
2. Decide what to make — for melody/harmony/rhythm intent, consult the music-strategies skill (contour, motives, voice leading, 3+3+2, ghost notes, etc.). This skill is the how-to-execute; that one is the what-to-write.
3. Act — ableton_run_code with JS/TS against the SDK: create a clip, set clip.notes. Bindings: context, ableton, log, withinTransaction, sleep, signal. No imports; return a small JSON summary.
4. Verify — ableton_get_clip_notes on the clip's addr to confirm pitches, timing and that notes are in-key.

Reference (read on demand)

File	When
reference/clips-and-notes.md	Creating clips (Session vs Arrangement), the note model, reading back
reference/scales-and-harmony.md	Pitch numbers, scales/modes, building chords & progressions, voice leading — as run_code helpers
reference/midi-transformations.md	Reproduce Live's MIDI Tools (arpeggiate, strum, ornament, recombine, …) on note arrays
reference/quantize-and-groove.md	Quantize to grid, swing/groove, humanize timing & velocity
examples.md	Copy-paste run_code recipes (progression, scale-locked melody, drum beat, arpeggio)

For raw SDK types read the MCP resource ableton://api/sdk; for bindings/limits read ableton://guide/run_code.

Hard limits (design around these)

• Clip length and loop are fixed at creation. Choose the right length up front. Arrangement clips loop by default — set clip.looping = false for one-shots.
• Note startTime is clip-relative (beats from the clip's start), not arrangement time.
• Handles are ephemeral; indices shift after add/delete. Re-get_context after structural edits.
• No transport/playback and no programmatic undo — rely on Live's native undo. Make edits legible.
• Before overwriting an existing clip's notes (or writing into an occupied slot): confirm + report "Cmd-Z to undo" — see ableton-safety.
• Live's interactive MIDI Tools / Groove Pool / tuning systems are not in the SDK — reproduce their effect in run_code (see the transformation/groove references).
• Work in 12TET MIDI pitches (0–127); respect the Set's scale when composing tonal material.