| name | ableton-control |
| description | Drive Ableton Live 12 from an agent via kbot's `ableton_*` tools and the kbot-control TCP bridge. Use when the user mentions ableton, daw, midi, beat, song, drum pattern, drum rack, plugin, serum, vst, m4l, max for live, kbot-control, or asks to build/edit/load/play anything in a music session. |
ableton-control
What this is
kbot drives Ableton Live 12 through a single Max for Live device
(packages/kbot-control-standalone/kbot-control.amxd) that speaks JSON-over-TCP. 22
ableton_* MCP tools route through one typed client. The legacy AbletonOSC stack is
deprecated — use the new tools.
Pre-flight (every session)
Before the first ableton_* call, the user must have:
- Ableton Live 12 open with a session loaded (or empty Live set).
- The
kbot-control.amxd device dropped onto any track. The device shows a "listening on
:9999" indicator when ready.
- The TCP bridge running:
node packages/kbot-control-standalone/kbot-control-server.js
(or npm run ableton:bridge from repo root).
If a tool errors with ECONNREFUSED or bridge not running, surface that to the user.
Don't silently retry — the M4L device or bridge is down.
Most-used tools
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|
mcp__kbot__ableton_session_info | Read tempo, scenes, track count. Always run first to confirm connection. |
mcp__kbot__ableton_create_track | Add a MIDI or audio track |
mcp__kbot__ableton_load_plugin | Load a VST/AU on a track (Serum, Diva, Roland Cloud) |
mcp__kbot__ableton_load_preset | Load a preset by name on the most recent device |
mcp__kbot__ableton_build_drum_rack | Assemble a drum rack from samples |
mcp__kbot__ableton_create_progression | Write a chord progression as MIDI clip |
mcp__kbot__ableton_midi | Write arbitrary MIDI notes into a clip |
mcp__kbot__ableton_clip | Fire / stop / loop a specific clip |
mcp__kbot__ableton_transport | Play / stop / record at the song level |
mcp__kbot__ableton_mixer | Volume, pan, sends |
Concrete commands
Build a 4-bar trap drum loop at 140 BPM:
ableton_session_info # confirm connection
ableton_create_track type=midi name=drums
ableton_build_drum_rack track=drums style=trap
ableton_midi track=drums clip=0 pattern=trap-1 bars=4
ableton_clip track=drums clip=0 action=fire
Load Serum on a new lead track and play a Cmaj7 progression:
ableton_create_track type=midi name=lead
ableton_load_plugin track=lead plugin="Serum 2"
ableton_load_preset track=lead preset="LD - Soft Stack"
ableton_create_progression track=lead key=C quality=maj7 bars=8
ableton_clip track=lead clip=0 action=fire
Plugin loading caveat (Live 12.4)
Live 12.4's LOM browser API refuses some preset loads with api_removed. The
producer-engine in kbot falls back to computer-use (screenshot → type plugin name → Return)
when this happens. If a preset load fails, surface the failure — don't silently fall
through unless the user has opted in to computer-use.
Standalone client
The TCP client is also published as @kernel.chat/kbot-control (MIT) for non-kbot use.
Spec at packages/kbot-control-standalone/PROTOCOL.md. 37 LOM methods covered.
