Summary
Turns Claude into a two-mode music workstation with inline playback and editing. The ABC notation side renders sheet music with multi-instrument audio, 8 accompaniment presets (rock, jazz, bossa, etc.), and 30 instrument voices. The Strudel side does live coding with TidalCycles mini-notation, 72 drum banks, effects chains, and an editable REPL that updates in real time. Both modes stream visual output directly into Claude Desktop and claude.ai through ext-apps, with WAV export and semantic search over music documentation. Ships as a remote URL you paste into settings or runs locally via npx. Reach for this when you want to compose, perform, or teach music concepts without leaving the chat window.
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Tools
Public tool metadata for what this MCP can expose to an agent.
5 tools
play-sheet-musicCompose and play sheet music with visual notation, multi-instrument audio, and style presets. Write ABC notation for melodies, arrangements, harmonized pieces, or well-known tunes. Add a style (rock, jazz, bossa, waltz, folk...) for automatic drums, bass, and chord accompanime...7 params
Compose and play sheet music with visual notation, multi-instrument audio, and style presets. Write ABC notation for melodies, arrangements, harmonized pieces, or well-known tunes. Add a style (rock, jazz, bossa, waltz, folk...) for automatic drums, bass, and chord accompanime...
Parameters* required
stylestringAccompaniment style. Adds drums, bass, and chord patterns automatically. Your ABC needs chord symbols ("C", "Am") for accompaniment to work. Options: rock, jazz, bossa, waltz, march, reggae, folk, classical.one of
rock · jazz · bossa · waltz · march · reggaeswingnumberSwing percentage (0-100). 0=straight, 33=light swing, 66=heavy swing. Great for jazz and blues.
temponumberTempo in BPM (40-240). Overrides Q: in ABC notation.
titlestringPiece title (overrides T: in ABC). Displayed in the widget header.
transposenumberTranspose by semitones (-12 to 12). Positive=higher, negative=lower.
instrumentstringDefault instrument (e.g. 'Flute', 'Cello', 'Acoustic Grand Piano', 'Alto Sax'). Use get-music-guide with topic 'instruments' for the full list.
abcNotationstringABC notation string. Include chord symbols ("C", "Am7") above notes for auto-accompaniment with style presets.default: X:1
T:Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:C
C C G G | A A G2 | F F E E | D D C2 |
G G F F | E E D2 | G G F F | E E D2 |
C C G G | A A G2 | F F E E | D D C2 |
get-music-guideReturns detailed reference material for music composition. Topics: instruments (GM instrument list + combos), drums (patterns + percussion notes), abc-syntax (notation reference), arrangements (multi-voice patterns), genres (complete ABC templates for jazz/blues/folk/rock/boss...1 params
Returns detailed reference material for music composition. Topics: instruments (GM instrument list + combos), drums (patterns + percussion notes), abc-syntax (notation reference), arrangements (multi-voice patterns), genres (complete ABC templates for jazz/blues/folk/rock/boss...
Parameters* required
topicstringReference topic. Start with 'genres' for complete examples, 'styles' to understand presets, or 'instruments' for the full instrument list.one of
instruments · drums · abc-syntax · arrangements · genres · stylesplay-live-patternLive-code music patterns using TidalCycles mini-notation in JavaScript. Layer drums, synths, and bass with stack(). Choose from 72 drum machine banks, 128 GM instruments, built-in synths, and a full effects chain. Patterns play in a REPL the user can edit directly. Use get-str...4 params
Live-code music patterns using TidalCycles mini-notation in JavaScript. Layer drums, synths, and bass with stack(). Choose from 72 drum machine banks, 128 GM instruments, built-in synths, and a full effects chain. Patterns play in a REPL the user can edit directly. Use get-str...
Parameters* required
bpmnumberTempo in BPM (40-300). Converts to setcps() automatically.
codestringStrudel pattern code. Uses TidalCycles mini-notation in JavaScript. Use stack() to layer drums, bass, and melody. Set tempo with setcps(bpm/60/4) or use the bpm parameter.
titlestringPattern title displayed in the widget header (e.g. 'Midnight Rain').
autoplaybooleanStart playing immediately (default: true). May require user click due to browser autoplay policy.
get-strudel-guideReference material for Strudel live coding (performance mode). Topics: mini-notation (pattern syntax), sounds (synths, 72 drum banks, 128 GM instruments), effects (filters, reverb, delay, FM synthesis, envelopes), patterns (transformations, probability, euclidean, arrangement)...1 params
Reference material for Strudel live coding (performance mode). Topics: mini-notation (pattern syntax), sounds (synths, 72 drum banks, 128 GM instruments), effects (filters, reverb, delay, FM synthesis, envelopes), patterns (transformations, probability, euclidean, arrangement)...
Parameters* required
topicstringReference topic. Start with 'genres' for working templates, 'sounds' for instruments, 'advanced' for visualization and sample loading.one of
mini-notation · sounds · effects · patterns · genres · tipssearch-music-docsSearch detailed documentation for Strudel live coding or ABC/ABCJS notation. Returns relevant code examples and explanations from the official docs. Use this when the curated guides (get-strudel-guide, get-music-guide) don't cover what you need — for specific functions, advanc...2 params
Search detailed documentation for Strudel live coding or ABC/ABCJS notation. Returns relevant code examples and explanations from the official docs. Use this when the curated guides (get-strudel-guide, get-music-guide) don't cover what you need — for specific functions, advanc...
Parameters* required
querystringWhat you want to know. Be specific. Good: 'how to use FM synthesis with envelope' or 'chop and slice sample manipulation'. Bad: 'effects' or 'help'.
librarystringWhich library to search: 'strudel' for live coding patterns, 'abcjs' for sheet music notation.one of
strudel · abcjsdefault: strudelMCP Music Studio
Two-mode creative music studio for AI: scored composition (ABC notation with sheet music) and live performance (Strudel live coding with TidalCycles). Interactive UI renders inline in Claude Desktop, claude.ai, and other MCP clients.
Quick Start — No Install Required
Paste this URL into any MCP client that supports remote servers:
https://mcp-music-studio.linxule.workers.dev/mcp
Claude Desktop / claude.ai: Settings → Connectors → Add Connector → paste the URL above → done.
Claude Code:
claude mcp add --transport http music-studio https://mcp-music-studio.linxule.workers.dev/mcp
That's it — ask Claude to play a song or create a beat.
What You Get
Scored Composition (ABC Notation)
Write sheet music → see it rendered → hear it played with multi-instrument audio.
- 8 style presets — rock, jazz, bossa, waltz, march, reggae, folk, classical — one parameter adds drums + bass + chord accompaniment
- 30 instruments — piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, synths — selectable by name
- Visual sheet music — notes highlight as they play
- Streaming render — sheet music appears as the AI types
- WAV download — export audio as WAV files directly from the UI
get-music-guide— 7 reference topics (instruments, drums, ABC syntax, arrangements, genres, styles, MIDI directives)
Live Performance (Strudel)
Write code → hear it play → edit in a live REPL.
- TidalCycles mini-notation in JavaScript
- 72 drum machine banks + 128 GM instruments + built-in synths
- Full effects chain — filters, reverb, delay, FM synthesis
- Editable REPL — users can tweak the code and hear changes instantly
- Live visuals — add
.pianoroll()/.scope()/.spectrum()to animate behind the code (native strudel.cc overlay) - Record & download — capture live audio and export as WAV
get-strudel-guide— 7 reference topics (mini-notation, sounds, effects, patterns, genres, tips, advanced)
Shared
search-music-docs— semantic search over strudel.cc and ABCJS documentation
Local Install (Optional)
The remote URL above works without any local setup. If you prefer running locally (offline use, lower latency), install via npm:
CLI One-Liners
# Claude Code
claude mcp add music-studio -- npx -y mcp-music-studio --stdio
# Codex CLI
codex mcp add -- npx -y mcp-music-studio --stdio
# Gemini CLI
gemini mcp add -- npx -y mcp-music-studio --stdio
# OpenCode
opencode mcp add music-studio -- npx -y mcp-music-studio --stdio
JSON Config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)
Claude Desktop — edit config file
| OS | Path |
|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json |
| Linux | ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json |
{
"mcpServers": {
"music-studio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-music-studio", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
VS Code / Trae / PearAI
Add to .vscode/mcp.json — note: uses "servers" not "mcpServers":
{
"servers": {
"music-studio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-music-studio", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
Cursor
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"music-studio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-music-studio", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
Windsurf
Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"music-studio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-music-studio", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
Windows
On Windows, npx is a .cmd file and requires a shell wrapper:
{
"mcpServers": {
"music-studio": {
"command": "cmd",
"args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "mcp-music-studio", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
Render modes (for non-ext-apps clients)
Clients that support ext-apps render the interactive UI inline automatically (auto mode). For clients that don't (Cherry Studio, CLI environments), use --render-mode:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
auto (default) | Inline UI for Claude Desktop, VS Code |
browser | Saves HTML and opens in system browser |
html | Returns HTML as embedded resource |
{
"mcpServers": {
"music-studio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-music-studio", "--stdio", "--render-mode", "browser"]
}
}
}
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
play-sheet-music | ABC notation → visual sheet music + multi-instrument audio |
play-live-pattern | Strudel code → live-coded patterns with synthesis + effects |
get-music-guide | ABC reference (7 topics: instruments, drums, syntax, genres...) |
get-strudel-guide | Strudel reference (7 topics: sounds, effects, patterns, genres...) |
search-music-docs | Semantic search over strudel.cc and ABCJS docs |
Prompts
Slash-command / menu entry points, in clients that surface MCP prompts:
| Prompt | What it does |
|---|---|
compose-beat | Generate + play a Strudel pattern in a genre (args: genre, mood?) |
harmonize-melody | Add chords/accompaniment to an ABC melody and play it (args: melody, style?) |
arrange-tune | Turn a melody/idea into a multi-voice arrangement (args: tune, instrumentation?) |
Development
bun install
bun run dev # watch + serve (hot reload)
bun run build # production build
bun run test # run tests
Attribution
Forked from the Sheet Music Server example from MCP ext-apps by Anthropic, licensed under MIT.
License
MIT
Featured
Keep your Mac awake while Claude Code and 40+ AI agents run. Sleeps when they're idle.
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Install now →On Capafy, your Skill runs online 24/7 as an agent product, and you get paid every time someone uses it.
Start earning →Categories
Registryactive
Packagemcp-music-studio
TransportSTDIO
UpdatedMar 24, 2026
