Installation

Prerequisites

Requirement	Notes
Ableton Live 12	Standard, Suite, or Trial; must be open with a Live set loaded
`vibrai.amxd` device	The Max for Live device that runs the local bridge. The package installer copies it into your Ableton User Library for you — you just drag it onto a track

The Vibrai device runs a small HTTP server on http://localhost:3333. Load it on any track in your Live set before running commands that talk to Live. Commands that only work with project files (project info, project load) work offline.

Install Vibrai

macOS
Windows

Vibrai installs from a single signed package installer (.pkg) — no Homebrew. One installer sets up everything: the vibrai CLI, the MCP server and its Claude Desktop bundle, the Max for Live device, and the Python remote script.

Quit Ableton Live if it’s open — the installer refuses to run while Live is running.
Download the Vibrai package installer (.pkg) from vibrai.com/download.
Double-click the .pkg and follow the prompts.

The installer:

puts the vibrai CLI on your PATH at /usr/local/bin/vibrai,
installs the MCP server and deploys its Claude Desktop bundle to your Ableton User Library, then opens a Finder window with it selected (no separate download),
copies the vibrai.amxd device into your Ableton User Library,
installs the Python remote script.

Next: connect Claude Desktop and load the device into your Live set.

Upgrading from a build older than 1.6.4? It checks an old location and always says “up to date”. Reinstall once from vibrai.com/download; vibrai update works normally after that.

Windows is not supported in the 1.0 release — macOS only. Vibrai 1.0 ships a macOS .pkg and a macOS-only Claude Desktop .mcpb; there is no Windows installer or Windows MCP binary in this release. Windows support is planned for a future 1.x release — follow vibrai.com for updates.

Connect the MCP server

The MCP server (Vibrai.Mcp) runs as a subprocess launched by your MCP client. The easiest path is the one-click .mcpb bundle for Claude Desktop. Claude Desktop (.mcpb bundle — recommended): On macOS the package installer already put the bundle on disk — there is no separate download from vibrai.com. It deploys to your Ableton User Library, at ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Vibrai/Vibrai.mcpb, and the installer opens a Finder window with it selected when it finishes.

Find the Finder window the installer opened. It may be behind the installer window, so check your other windows if you don’t see it.
Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions.
Drag Vibrai.mcpb from that Finder window into the Extensions panel.

Claude Desktop installs the extension and restarts. The vibrai.amxd device is already in your Ableton User Library (the installer put it there) — just drag it onto a track (see below).

Closed the window, or coming back to this later? Reopen it any time:

vibrai install claude-extension --reveal

From an MCP client, ask Claude to run install_claude_extension with reveal: true.

If you moved your Ableton User Library from its default location, Vibrai reads Live’s own configuration and deploys there instead — so the path above may differ on your machine. vibrai install claude-extension --json reports where the bundle actually landed.

Manual registration (Cursor, or any MCP client that reads a JSON config): Point the MCP client config at the MCP server binary the installer placed on disk:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vibrai": {
      "command": "/usr/local/lib/vibrai/Vibrai.Mcp",
      "env": {
        "VIBRAI_LOG_FILE": "/tmp/vibrai-mcp.log",
        "VIBRAI_LOG_LEVEL": "Warning"
      }
    }
  }
}

The config file lives at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS and %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows. Restart the client after editing. Claude Code: Claude Code does not read claude_desktop_config.json. Register the server with its own CLI:

claude mcp add vibrai /usr/local/lib/vibrai/Vibrai.Mcp

If you installed the Vibrai Claude Code plugin, it already registers a bundled copy of the MCP server — skip this step, or you will end up with two vibrai entries pointing at different binaries. Environment variables:

Variable	Default	Purpose
`VIBRAI_URL`	`http://localhost:3333`	Override the bridge URL
`VIBRAI_LOG_LEVEL`	`Warning`	Verbosity: `Verbose` / `Debug` / `Information` / `Warning` / `Error`
`VIBRAI_LOG_FILE`	(stderr only)	Write a rolling log to a file

Choosing a model

Vibrai’s MCP tools are deferred: their schemas are not sent to the model up front. The client resolves a tool’s schema on demand, immediately before the first call. This keeps a large tool surface from consuming the context window, and it is why Vibrai can expose its full command set without crowding out your session. The tradeoff is that a client which does not perform that resolution step sees no Vibrai tools at all. The symptom is distinctive: the assistant reports that Vibrai is unavailable or not installed, while vibrai --version works on the command line and get_version succeeds when you call it directly.

If you hit that symptom, it is a tool-resolution problem, not an install problem. Re-running the installer will not change it. Raise the reasoning effort, or switch to a more capable model, and try the same request again.

Recommended setup

Work	Model	Effort
Exploring, playback, simple edits	Sonnet 5	default
`apply_genre`, `generate`, arrangement and automation	Sonnet 5 or Opus 5	`high`
Long agentic sessions, debugging the bridge	Opus 5	`high` or `xhigh`

The effort default is high, so most setups need no change. Lower settings scope work more tightly to what was literally asked. That suits a quick lookup, but tends to under-serve Vibrai’s multi-step workflows — applying a genre, generating an arrangement, and writing automation each involve a chain of tool calls whose earlier steps constrain the later ones.

Treat the table as a starting point, not a hard floor. Behaviour on deferred tools varies by client and by release, and a combination that works for one workflow may not carry to another. If tools resolve reliably for you at a lower tier, stay there.

Load the device into your Live set

The package installer already copied vibrai.amxd into your Ableton User Library. To use it:

In Ableton Live, open your User Library in the browser.
Navigate to Presets → Max Audio Effect → vibrai.
Drag vibrai.amxd onto any track in your set.

The device runs a local server on localhost:3333. It does not process audio — it is purely the bridge between Vibrai and Live.

Verify

CLI:

vibrai --version

A healthy response shows both the CLI and bridge versions:

vibrai CLI:    1.0.0
vibrai bridge: 1.1.0 (vibrai-m4l)

If Live is not open yet, you will see (unreachable at http://localhost:3333) for the bridge — the CLI version still printed, so the install succeeded. MCP (from your AI client): Call get_version. A healthy response includes both the bridge and python_bridge fields:

{
  "mcp":           { "version": "1.0.0" },
  "bridge":        { "name": "vibrai-m4l", "version": "1.1.0" },
  "python_bridge": { "name": "vibrai-python-bridge", "version": "0.1.0",
                     "live_version": "12.4.0", "schema_version": 1 }
}

If bridge reports "status": "unreachable", the M4L device is not loaded or port 3333 is occupied by another process.

The python_bridge field covers automation read/write operations. If it is null, run install_vibrai_remote_script from your MCP client (or vibrai install remote-script from the CLI), restart Live, and enable Vibrai under Preferences → Link/Tempo/MIDI → Control Surface.

Activate your license

Vibrai runs as a time-limited trial until you activate a license key. Activation binds your purchased key to this machine and is CLI-only by design — it changes your seat count, so it is never performed by an AI agent.

# Activate the key from your purchase confirmation email
vibrai license activate VIBRAI-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

# Check trial or activation status at any time
vibrai license status

Activation is CLI-only. From an MCP client you can still read status:

  What's my Vibrai license status?

Claude calls get_license_status (read-only). To clear an offline-grace
banner after reconnecting, ask it to recheck the license.

See the License reference for every command and the read-only MCP tools.

Keep Vibrai up to date

Vibrai updates itself in place — the CLI binary, the Max for Live device, and the Python remote script. The MCP server binary is managed separately by Claude Desktop’s extension manager, so vibrai update does not touch it.

# See whether a newer release is available — makes no changes
vibrai update --check

# Download, verify (SHA-256), and apply the latest release
vibrai update --yes

# Roll back to the previously installed binary
vibrai update --rollback

Ask Claude:

  Check for a Vibrai update.            (calls update — report only)
  Update Vibrai to the latest version.  (calls update with apply=true)

If Ableton Live is open during an update, the device and remote-script changes take effect after you restart Live.

Uninstalling

Vibrai ships a first-class uninstaller on both surfaces. It previews what will be removed and asks you to confirm before deleting anything.

macOS
Windows

# Preview exactly what would be removed — deletes nothing
vibrai uninstall --dry-run

# Remove Vibrai (shows the plan, then prompts for confirmation)
vibrai uninstall

# Full clean removal: program files, app data, and the Ableton integration
vibrai uninstall --purge-data --remove-ableton

Ask Claude:

  Uninstall Vibrai

Claude calls the uninstall tool. It runs preview-first: the first call
(confirm=false) returns a plan of what would be removed; confirm to actually
remove it (confirm=true). The MCP tool covers your app data, the Ableton
integration, and the Claude Desktop registration — but NOT the installed
program files. Those need root, which the MCP server can't obtain, so remove
them with `vibrai uninstall` from a terminal.

By default vibrai uninstall removes the program files (/usr/local/bin/vibrai, /usr/local/lib/vibrai), deregisters the vibrai entry from Claude Desktop’s config, and removes the deployed Claude Desktop bundle (Vibrai.mcpb) from your Ableton User Library. Removing program files needs root, so the command re-runs itself under sudo and may prompt for your password. Your license, session history, and the Ableton device are left in place unless you opt in with the flags below.

Flag	Effect
`--purge-data`	Also remove `~/Library/Application Support/Vibrai` (license, sessions, cache)
`--remove-ableton`	Also remove the Max for Live device and Python remote script
`--keep-claude-desktop-entry`	Leave the `vibrai` entry in Claude Desktop’s config in place
`--keep-claude-extension`	Leave the deployed `Vibrai.mcpb` bundle in your Ableton User Library
`-y`, `--yes`	Skip the confirmation prompt (required for non-interactive use)
`--dry-run`	Print what would be removed and exit without removing anything

Uninstall removes the Vibrai.mcpb file only. If you keep your own presets in ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Vibrai/, they are left untouched — the folder itself is removed only if uninstalling empties it.

Manual removal (fallback)

If you can’t run the CLI, remove the files by hand:

# CLI, MCP server, and the staged Claude Desktop bundle
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/lib/vibrai /usr/local/bin/vibrai

# Deployed Claude Desktop bundle (the file only — leave the folder alone
# if you keep your own presets in it)
rm -f ~/Music/Ableton/User\ Library/Vibrai/Vibrai.mcpb

# Max for Live device
rm -rf ~/Music/Ableton/User\ Library/Presets/Audio\ Effects/Max\ Audio\ Effect/vibrai

# Python remote script
rm -rf ~/Music/Ableton/User\ Library/Remote\ Scripts/Vibrai

Then open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and remove the "vibrai" entry under mcpServers, so Claude Desktop stops trying to launch a binary that’s gone.

This removes the program files only. Your license and session history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Vibrai/ and are left in place — delete that directory too if you want a completely clean removal (you’ll need to reactivate your license key if you reinstall later).

Getting Started

Guides

Reference

Help

Changelog

Blog

Prerequisites

Install Vibrai

Connect the MCP server

Choosing a model

Recommended setup

Load the device into your Live set

Verify

Activate your license

Keep Vibrai up to date

Uninstalling

​Prerequisites

​Install Vibrai

​Connect the MCP server

​Choosing a model

​Recommended setup

​Load the device into your Live set

​Verify

​Activate your license

​Keep Vibrai up to date

​Uninstalling

Prerequisites

Install Vibrai

Connect the MCP server

Choosing a model

Recommended setup

Load the device into your Live set

Verify

Activate your license

Keep Vibrai up to date

Uninstalling