Installation Guide
Producer Pal is a free, open-source Ableton MCP server that brings AI to Ableton Live. It works with many AI providers — use whichever you prefer. Note that some AI services charge for usage.
Step 1: Get the Max for Live Device
Required for every setup — add it to a MIDI track in Ableton Live.
Requirements
Requires: Ableton Live 12.3+ with Max for Live. Live 12.4 or later is recommended — some features don't work on older versions of Live. Use the version of Max bundled with Live, or make sure your standalone Max is up to date.
Upgrading from a previous version? See the upgrading guide.
Choose How You Want to Use It
Producer Pal works the same with any provider — the main choice is how you want to interact with it. Every group below supports multiple AI providers, so pick the experience you like best.
Desktop Apps
Dedicated AI apps — the easiest setup for most people:
- Claude Desktop — Anthropic's desktop app (subscription required)
- Codex App — OpenAI's desktop app (macOS only, subscription required)
- LM Studio — runs models fully offline, no account needed
Built-in Chat UI
Producer Pal's own browser-based chat — bring an API key for any supported provider:
- Chat UI overview — supported providers and setup
- Gemini, OpenAI, Ollama (offline), or OpenRouter, Mistral & more
Command Line
For users comfortable with the terminal:
- Claude Code — Anthropic (subscription required)
- Codex CLI — OpenAI (subscription required)
- Gemini CLI — Google (free tier has strict rate limits)
- Mistral Vibe — Mistral (API key required)
Web Apps
Use a provider's website in your browser — each requires a web tunnel:
Any MCP Client
Already have an MCP-compatible app? Connect directly with npx producer-pal — see Other MCP LLMs.
Prefer to Pick by AI Provider?
If you already know which AI you use, jump straight to its provider guide: Claude / Anthropic · OpenAI / ChatGPT · Google / Gemini · Mistral · Local / Offline · Multiple Providers
Additional Resources
- Upgrading - How to update to a new version
- Web Tunnels - Setup remote access (for web apps)
- Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions