🎛️ Ableton Skills
Claude Skills for Ableton Live producers
Workflows for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Gemini CLI
Quick install · Skills · Commands · Why · FAQ · Contributing
TL;DR
# Claude Code
git clone https://github.com/glincker/ableton-skills ~/.claude/skills/ableton
# Cursor
git clone https://github.com/glincker/ableton-skills && cp -r ableton-skills/skills/* .cursor/rules/
# Done. Open your AI assistant. Ask: "Make me a 4-bar lo-fi house loop in C minor"
You also need an Ableton MCP server. We recommend uisato/ableton-mcp-extended.
Why this exists
Open-source Ableton MCP servers (uisato/ableton-mcp-extended, ahujasid/ableton-mcp) give your AI agent the plumbing to talk to Live. They don't tell it how to actually be useful to a music producer.
Generic Claude knows music theory but won't:
- High-pass your pads at 100 Hz to clean up mud
- Voice-lead a string ensemble while respecting Vln1's range (G3 to G6)
- Catch kick-bass masking at 80 Hz, the most common cause of "muddy mix"
- Humanize a lo-fi hi-hat with the right velocity curve and swing
- Know that a trap beat at 140 BPM is half-time, not slow
This is the prompt-engineering layer on top of the MCP servers. Skills that make a generic AI assistant act like a co-producer.
Co-pilot, not generator
We do not compete with Suno, Udio, or AIVA. The user owns the melody, emotion, and structure. We handle the mechanical translation tax: track scaffolding, voice leading, velocity curves, mix diagnostics, MIDI cleanup, articulation choices, DAW navigation.
How we compare
| ableton-skills | Generic Claude | ahujasid/ableton-mcp | uisato/ableton-mcp-extended |
|---|
| MCP server included | no | no | yes | yes |
| Producer-aware skills | yes | no | no | no |
| Music-theory voice leading | yes | partial | no | no |
| Mix diagnostic workflow | yes | no | no | no |
| MIDI humanization | yes | no | no | no |
| Genre-aware drum patterns | yes | partial | no | no |
| Slash commands | yes | no | no | no |
| CLAUDE.md drop-in | yes | no | no | no |
| Multi-platform | 4 | n/a | Claude only | Claude + Cursor |
| Active maintenance | yes | n/a | stale | yes |
Quick install
Claude Code
git clone https://github.com/glincker/ableton-skills ~/.claude/skills/ableton
Drop CLAUDE.md into your Ableton project root for project-scoped context:
cp ~/.claude/skills/ableton/CLAUDE.md /path/to/your/ableton-project/
Cursor
git clone https://github.com/glincker/ableton-skills
cp -r ableton-skills/skills/* /path/to/your/project/.cursor/rules/
Codex CLI
git clone https://github.com/glincker/ableton-skills
echo "Reference: $(pwd)/ableton-skills/CLAUDE.md" >> /path/to/your/project/AGENTS.md
Gemini CLI
Same as Codex but reference from GEMINI.md.
MCP server (required separately)
You also need an Ableton MCP server. Install one of:
Follow that repo's install instructions, then restart your AI assistant.
The 12 skills
| # | Skill | What it does |
|---|
| 1 | producer-mode | Sets up tracks, picks instruments, scaffolds arrangements from a brief |
| 2 | mixer-doctor | Diagnoses muddy/harsh/lifeless mixes, suggests EQ/comp/bus moves |
| 3 | midi-cleanup | Humanizes velocity, fixes voice leading, quantizes intelligently |
| 4 | arrangement-coach | Promotes Session loops to Arrangement, builds intro/verse/drop/outro |
| 5 | sound-designer | Designs synth patches on Operator/Wavetable/Analog/Drift |
| 6 | reference-match | Translates "make it sound like X" into actionable production moves |
| 7 | mastering-prep | Pre-master audit: headroom, mono, LUFS, frequency balance |
| 8 | chord-pro | Generates progressions with proper voicing across instruments |
| 9 | groove-builder | Idiomatic drum patterns by genre with humanization |
| 10 | sidechain-setup | Sidechain compression routing kick to bass, vocal to bed |
More skills coming weekly, see Roadmap.
Slash commands
Demo
"Make a 4-bar lo-fi house loop in C minor: bass, kick, hat, soft pad. Humanize the hat."
[demo gif placeholder, will record one of producer-mode from prompt to populated session]
The skills tell the AI how to interpret that brief like a producer would: pick the right instruments, set the right tempo, voice the chords properly, write idiomatic patterns, then humanize the velocity curve on the hi-hat with accent preservation.
FAQ
Yes. This repo ships skills (prompt instructions for the AI). The actual DAW connection is handled by an MCP server. We recommend uisato/ableton-mcp-extended. Install that, then drop these skills on top.
Right now Ableton Live only. Logic and Reaper adapters are in the roadmap (same skills, different DAW backends). The skill content is mostly DAW-portable; what changes is the MCP tool names.
No. This is a co-pilot, not a generator. The user writes melodies, sets the emotion, decides the structure. We handle voice leading, humanization, mix diagnostics, and DAW navigation. If you want full song generation, use Suno or Udio and import the audio.
Every skill defaults to stock Ableton instruments and effects (Operator, Wavetable, Analog, Drift, EQ Eight, Compressor, Glue, Limiter). If a skill mentions a third-party plugin it's optional, with a stock fallback.
No. Every skill follows a "read before write, confirm before destructive" pattern. The CLAUDE.md template enforces this. You can also use /ableton-snapshot before risky changes to checkpoint your session.
Claude itself uses internet (Anthropic's API). The skills are local markdown files. Once Claude has loaded a skill, the actual DAW operations happen through the MCP server, which runs locally and talks to Ableton via socket.
Yes. MIT license, no restrictions on output. The AI is a tool you used; the music you make is yours.
Awesome lists are curation. We're a focused skill bundle for one domain (music production in Ableton). We test skills against a real MCP server, follow a consistent format, and merge contributor PRs. Awesome lists link to skills; we ship skills.
Open a skill request issue or PR directly. PRs that follow the SKILL.md format and include a tested workflow get merged within 7 days.
Roadmap
Shipping next
Multi-DAW
Tooling
Compatibility
| MCP server | Tested | Notes |
|---|
uisato/ableton-mcp-extended | yes | Recommended. Most tools mapped. |
ahujasid/ableton-mcp | partial | Works for producer-mode, midi-cleanup. Limited for advanced skills. |
jpoindexter/ableton-mcp | partial | 200+ tools but less actively maintained. |
| Custom / local fork | unknown | If your fork follows the standard tool naming, skills should work. Open an issue if not. |
| AI assistant | Tested | Skill format |
|---|
| Claude Code | yes | ~/.claude/skills/ |
| Cursor | yes | .cursor/rules/ |
| Codex CLI | yes | Reference via AGENTS.md |
| Gemini CLI | yes | Reference via GEMINI.md |
| Continue.dev | unknown | Untested but should work |
| Aider | unknown | Untested |
Credits
This project is inspired by, and credits, every PR author whose work got closed without merge on the original Ableton MCP repo. We honor the contributors:
- @hidingwill (PR #66, #69-71, the 230+ tools work)
- @marcoloco23 (PR #63, handlers/ split)
- @voxxit (PR #53, Command Pattern refactor)
- @jhurliman (PR #51, comprehensive tool surface)
- @grayplex (PR #77, Foundation Repair)
- @LofiFren (PR #84, clip editing, mixer, scenes)
- @meleyal (PR #83,
get_notes_from_clip)
- @oottoo (PR #82, Arrangement view)
- @bombsandbottles (PR #87, arrangement clip)
- @FelixLueth (PR #86, #88, typo fix + refactor)
- ...and many more.
The skill workflows draw from public music-theory and production knowledge: Adler's The Study of Orchestration, Persichetti, Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets, Bobby Owsinski's The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, and the collective wisdom of r/ableton, r/wearethemusicmakers, and r/edmproduction.
License
MIT. Made by Glincker. PRs get merged.
Star us on GitHub if this helps your production workflow.
Issues · Discussions
