| name | session-bridge |
| description | Drive Ableton Live directly via the Ableton MCP. Create tracks, drop devices, load presets, set tempo and key, fire and clear clips, arm/record, place locators, bounce clips to MIDI, capture session state. Use when the user says "set the BPM to", "create a new MIDI track", "load Wavetable on", "fire the clip in", "drop a Drum Rack on", "/session", or any request that should manipulate the running Live set instead of describing what to do. |
| argument-hint | <what you want to do in Live> |
Session Bridge
The other skills talk about Ableton. This skill acts on Ableton.
Prereq
The Ableton MCP server must be running and Live must have the Remote Script loaded. If get_session_info errors out:
- Check
uvx ableton-mcp is installed
- Live → Preferences → Link/Tempo/MIDI: set Control Surface to "Ableton MCP" with Input/Output
(none)
- Restart Live
If still failing, fall back to ableton-docs to walk the user through setup.
Capabilities map
| Intent | Ableton MCP tool |
|---|
| Read tempo / key / time sig / set state | get_session_info |
| Read a specific track (name, devices, clips, color) | get_track_info |
| Create a new MIDI / audio track | create_midi_track / create_audio_track |
| Set tempo | set_tempo |
| Load an instrument / effect | load_instrument / load_effect |
| Load a Browser item by path | load_browser_item |
| Search the browser | get_browser_tree, get_browser_items_at_path |
| Create a clip with notes | create_clip / add_notes_to_clip |
| Fire a clip | fire_clip |
| Stop a clip | stop_clip |
| Set clip name | set_clip_name |
| Start playback / stop / record | start_playback / stop_playback |
(Tool names follow the ahujasid/ableton-mcp server. If a tool is missing, surface that to the user: don't make one up.)
Operating principles
- Do, don't describe. If the user says "set BPM to 124", call
set_tempo(124). Confirm after, not before.
- Confirm destructive actions. Deleting a track, clearing all clips in a scene, overwriting a clip: ask first.
- Read before writing. Before adding a device, call
get_track_info so you know what's already on the track.
- Group related actions. "Make me a tech house starter set" = sequence of 8 actions, executed in order, with one status line per action.
- Save state to disk when meaningful. After a substantial change, offer to save: Live's
save_set if exposed, else prompt the user to ⌘S.
Common workflows
"Set up a tech house template"
set_tempo(126)
create_midi_track(index=0, name="DRUMS")
load_instrument("Drum Rack" / preset path)
create_midi_track(index=1, name="BASS")
load_instrument("Bass / Operator / FM Bass")
create_midi_track(index=2, name="CHORDS")
load_instrument("Wavetable / Pad / Warm Pad")
create_midi_track(index=3, name="LEAD")
create_audio_track(index=4, name="VOX")
create_audio_track(index=5, name="FX")
create_return_track(name="REVERB"); load_effect("Hybrid Reverb / Plate Medium")
create_return_track(name="DELAY"); load_effect("Echo / 1/8 Dotted")
Report back with: "Template ready: 4 MIDI tracks, 2 audio, 2 returns. Tempo 126. What next?"
"Drop the MIDI I just generated into the clip slot"
After midi-lab saves a .mid:
get_session_info() → confirm tempo matches
get_track_info(selected_track_idx)
create_clip(track_idx, slot_idx, length_bars)
add_notes_to_clip(track_idx, slot_idx, notes=[...])
set_clip_name(track_idx, slot_idx, "<genre>_<part>_<key>")
"Load the preset Library Browser found"
After library-browser returns a path:
load_browser_item(track_idx, "Presets/Instruments/Wavetable/Bass/Heavy Sub Bass.adv")
"Place arrangement locators"
After arrangement returns a bar map:
for each section in arrangement:
set_locator(name=section.name, bar=section.start_bar)
Error handling
- If a tool returns
track index out of range, list current tracks with get_session_info and ask which one
- If
load_instrument fails because the preset isn't found, fall back to library-browser to locate it or load a stock default
- If Live is in a state where the action isn't valid (e.g. recording while another track is armed), surface the conflict to the user and pause
After
"Done. Live is at . Want me to (a) keep building, (b) save the set, or (c) commit changes to git if this is a tracked project?"
