Live MCP exposes six tools through the Model Context Protocol. Each tool maps to an operation on the Live Object Model (LOM) inside Ableton Live.

All tools use LOM paths to address objects. Paths are space-separated strings starting from a root object (live_set or live_app). For example, live_set tracks 0 devices 1 parameters 3 addresses parameter 3 of device 1 on the first track.

---

get_property

Read a property from a Live Object Model object.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	LOM path to the object (e.g. "live_set", "live_set tracks 0")
property	string	yes	Property name to read (e.g. "tempo", "name")

Returns: { "value": <any> } — the current value of the property.

Example:

{
  "path": "live_set",
  "property": "tempo"
}

Response:

{
  "value": 128.0
}

---

set_property

Set a property on a Live Object Model object. The value must be a valid JSON string that will be parsed before being sent to Ableton.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	LOM path to the object (e.g. "live_set", "live_set tracks 0")
property	string	yes	Property name to write (e.g. "tempo", "name")
value	string	yes	Value as a JSON string (e.g. "120.0", "\"My Track\"", "true")

Returns: { "success": true } on success.

Example:

{
  "path": "live_set",
  "property": "tempo",
  "value": "135.0"
}

Response:

{
  "success": true
}

Note: Not all properties are writable. Check the LOM reference for read/write status. Attempting to set a read-only property will return an error.

---

call_function

Call a function on a Live Object Model object. Functions perform actions like creating tracks, firing clips, or deleting devices.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	LOM path to the object (e.g. "live_set", "live_set tracks 0 clip_slots 2 clip")
function	string	yes	Function name to call (e.g. "fire", "stop", "create_midi_track")
args	string	no	Arguments as a JSON array string (e.g. "[1, \"hello\"]")

Returns: { "success": true } on success.

Example — fire a clip:

{
  "path": "live_set tracks 0 clip_slots 0 clip",
  "function": "fire"
}

Example — create a MIDI track at index 2:

{
  "path": "live_set",
  "function": "create_midi_track",
  "args": "[2]"
}

Response:

{
  "success": true
}

---

get_children

List the child objects available at a given LOM path. This is your primary tool for discovering and navigating the object hierarchy.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	LOM path to the parent object (e.g. "live_set", "live_set tracks 0")

Returns: { "children": string[] } — an array of child names or paths.

Example:

{
  "path": "live_set"
}

Response:

{
  "children": [
    "tracks",
    "return_tracks",
    "master_track",
    "scenes",
    "cue_points",
    "groove_pool"
  ]
}

Tip: When a tool call fails because of an invalid path, use get_children to walk the hierarchy step by step and find the correct path.

---

observe

Subscribe to changes on a Live Object Model property. When the property value changes in Ableton (whether through user interaction, automation, or another tool call), the bridge sends a notification back through the MCP server.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	LOM path to the object (e.g. "live_set", "live_set tracks 0")
property	string	yes	Property name to observe (e.g. "tempo", "name")

Returns: { "subscriptionId": string } — a unique ID for this subscription, needed to unsubscribe later.

Notifications: When the observed property changes, the bridge sends a notification with this shape:

{
  "notification": "property_changed",
  "subscriptionId": "sub-1",
  "path": "live_set",
  "property": "tempo",
  "value": 140.0
}

Example:

{
  "path": "live_set",
  "property": "tempo"
}

Response:

{
  "subscriptionId": "sub-1"
}

---

unobserve

Unsubscribe from a previously observed property. Use the subscription ID returned by observe.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Required	Description
subscriptionId	string	yes	The subscription ID returned from a previous observe call

Returns: { "success": true } on success.

Example:

{
  "subscriptionId": "sub-1"
}

Response:

{
  "success": true
}

---

LOM Path Quick Reference

Path	Object
live_set	The Song (root of the session)
live_app	The Application
live_set tracks N	Track at index N
live_set return_tracks N	Return track at index N
live_set master_track	The master track
live_set scenes N	Scene at index N
live_set tracks N clip_slots M clip	Clip in slot M of track N
live_set tracks N devices M	Device at index M on track N
live_set tracks N devices M parameters P	Parameter P of device M on track N
live_set tracks N mixer_device	Mixer (volume, pan, sends) for track N

Further reading

For the complete list of properties, functions, and classes available in the Live Object Model, see the Cycling ‘74 LOM reference.