FL Studio MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants to control FL Studio through MIDI communication and Piano Roll scripts.

Features

Transport Control

• Play, pause, stop playback
• Toggle recording
• Set playback position
• Get song length and position
• Control loop mode (pattern/song)
• Adjust playback speed

Mixer Control

• Get/set track volume and pan
• Mute/solo tracks
• Arm tracks for recording
• Set track names and colors
• Stereo separation control

Channel Rack Control

• List all channels
• Get/set channel properties (volume, pan, name, color)
• Mute/solo channels
• Route channels to mixer tracks
• Trigger MIDI notes in real-time
• Step sequencer control (get/set grid bits)

Plugin Control

• List plugin parameters
• Get/set parameter values
• Navigate presets (next/previous)
• Query plugin info

Piano Roll Control

• Add notes to the piano roll with precise timing
• Add chords with a single command
• Delete specific notes by MIDI number and time
• Clear all notes from the piano roll
• Read piano roll state to see all existing notes
• Auto-triggering via keystroke (Cmd+Opt+Y on macOS, Ctrl+Alt+Y on Windows)

Important Limitations

Cannot Load Plugins

The FL Studio scripting API does not support loading new VST/AU plugins. You can only control parameters of plugins that are already loaded in your project.

Cannot Create Patterns

There is no API to programmatically create new patterns. You can only work with existing patterns.

Requirements

• FL Studio 20.7+ (MIDI Controller Scripting API)
• Python 3.10+
• macOS or Windows
  • macOS: IAC Driver (built-in, needs to be enabled)
  • Windows: loopMIDI

Quick Installation

The easiest way to install is using the provided setup script:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/fl-studio-mcp.git
cd fl-studio-mcp

# Run the setup script
./scripts/setup.sh

This will:

1. Guide you through enabling virtual MIDI ports (IAC Driver on Mac)
2. Install the FL Studio MIDI controller script
3. Install the Piano Roll script (ComposeWithLLM)
4. Install Python dependencies

Manual Installation

1. Install Python Dependencies

# Using uv (recommended)
uv sync

# Or using pip
pip install -e .

2. Enable Virtual MIDI Ports

macOS (IAC Driver)

1. Open Audio MIDI Setup (search in Spotlight)
2. Press Cmd+2 or go to Window > Show MIDI Studio
3. Double-click on IAC Driver
4. Check "Device is online"
5. Click Apply

Windows (loopMIDI)

1. Download and install loopMIDI
2. Create a virtual port (any name works)
3. Keep loopMIDI running while using FL Studio

3. Install FL Studio Scripts

Copy the controller script to FL Studio's Hardware folder:

# macOS
mkdir -p ~/Documents/Image-Line/FL\ Studio/Settings/Hardware/FLStudioMCP
cp fl_controller/device_FLStudioMCP.py ~/Documents/Image-Line/FL\ Studio/Settings/Hardware/FLStudioMCP/

# Windows
mkdir "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Image-Line\FL Studio\Settings\Hardware\FLStudioMCP"
copy fl_controller\device_FLStudioMCP.py "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Image-Line\FL Studio\Settings\Hardware\FLStudioMCP\"

Copy the Piano Roll script:

# macOS
cp scripts/ComposeWithLLM.pyscript ~/Documents/Image-Line/FL\ Studio/Settings/Piano\ roll\ scripts/

# Windows
copy scripts\ComposeWithLLM.pyscript "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Image-Line\FL Studio\Settings\Piano roll scripts\"

4. Configure FL Studio

1. Restart FL Studio (if it's running)
2. Go to Options > MIDI Settings
3. Under Input, find your virtual MIDI port (e.g., "IAC Driver Bus 1")
4. Set the Controller type to FLStudioMCP
5. Enable the port (click to highlight it)

5. Configure Claude

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fl-studio": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/fl-studio-mcp", "fl-studio-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or for Claude Code, add to your MCP settings.

Usage

Running the Server Manually

# Using uv
uv run fl-studio-mcp

# Or after installation
fl-studio-mcp

Piano Roll Workflow

1. Open FL Studio and select a channel
2. Open the Piano Roll (F7 or double-click the channel)
3. The first time, manually run the script: Tools > Scripting > ComposeWithLLM
4. After that, the MCP tools will auto-trigger the script

Available Tools

Connection

Transport

Mixer

Channels