sonic-pi-mcp

erdalgunes/sonic-pi-mcp

3.2

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The Sonic Pi MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol server that allows for programmatic control of Sonic Pi, a live coding music synthesizer.

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Sonic Pi MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables programmatic control of Sonic Pi, the live coding music synthesizer.

Features

  • 🎵 Code Execution - Run Sonic Pi code programmatically
  • 🎹 Sound Control - Play notes, samples, and control synthesizers
  • 🔄 Live Loops - Create and manage live coding loops
  • 🎛️ Effects - Apply audio effects and filters
  • 📊 State Management - Monitor server status and logs
  • 🔒 Secure Communication - Token-based authentication with Sonic Pi daemon

Prerequisites

  • Sonic Pi (v4.0 or later)
  • Node.js (v18 or later)
  • npm or yarn

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/sonic-pi-mcp.git
cd sonic-pi-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the server
npm run build

# Start the server
npm start

Configuration

The server will automatically detect Sonic Pi's configuration from:

  • ~/.sonic-pi/config/audio-settings.toml (audio configuration)
  • ~/.sonic-pi/config/tau-settings.toml (server settings)

Usage

With Claude Desktop

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonic-pi": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/sonic-pi-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

With MCP Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Then connect to: node /path/to/sonic-pi-mcp/dist/index.js

Available Tools

Code Execution

  • run_code - Execute Sonic Pi code
  • stop_all - Stop all running sounds

Sound Control

  • play_note - Play a single note
  • play_sample - Play a sample
  • use_synth - Select synthesizer

Live Loops

  • start_live_loop - Start a live loop
  • stop_live_loop - Stop a live loop

Configuration

  • set_bpm - Set beats per minute
  • set_volume - Set master volume

Status

  • get_status - Get server status
  • get_logs - Get recent logs

Examples

Basic Note Playing

// Play a C major chord
await runCode(`
  play :c4
  play :e4
  play :g4
`);

Live Loop

// Create a drum loop
await startLiveLoop('drums', `
  sample :bd_haus
  sleep 0.5
  sample :sn_zome
  sleep 0.5
`);

With Effects

// Play with reverb
await runCode(`
  with_fx :reverb, room: 0.8 do
    play :c4, release: 2
  end
`);

Architecture

The MCP server acts as a bridge between MCP clients and Sonic Pi's daemon:

  1. MCP Server - Handles MCP protocol and client requests
  2. OSC Client - Communicates with Sonic Pi daemon
  3. Process Manager - Manages Sonic Pi daemon lifecycle
  4. State Manager - Tracks server state and sessions

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

# Run tests
npm test

# Build for production
npm run build

# Lint code
npm run lint

Troubleshooting

Sonic Pi not found

Ensure Sonic Pi is installed and the daemon is accessible:

  • macOS: /Applications/Sonic Pi.app
  • Windows: C:\Program Files\Sonic Pi
  • Linux: Check your distribution's package location

Connection refused

The server will automatically start Sonic Pi's daemon if not running. Check:

  • Sonic Pi is properly installed
  • No firewall blocking local connections
  • Ports 4560-4562 are available

No sound

Verify:

  • Audio output device is configured
  • System volume is not muted
  • Sonic Pi works when launched normally

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read for guidelines.

License

MIT - See for details.

Acknowledgments