REAPER

You run a REAPER MCP Server to control REAPER programmatically, enabling MIDI and audio workflows, project management, and automated mixing and mastering through lightweight, scriptable interfaces. This guide walks you through installing, starting, configuring, and using the server so you can orchestrate REAPER from your MCP client with OSC or ReaScript modes.

How to use

Launch the MCP server using the provided start scripts for your platform, then connect your MCP client to the server to issue commands like creating projects, adding tracks, inserting MIDI notes, and rendering mixes. Choose OSC mode for reliable communication without depending on the ReaScript API, or enable ReaScript mode when you want to exercise deeper REAPER scripting control.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installation:

• REAPER DAW installed

• Python 3.8+

• OSC support enabled in REAPER (for OSC mode)

• ReaScript API enabled in REAPER (for ReaScript mode)

Step-by-step installation commands:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/itsuzef/reaper-mcp.git
cd reaper-mcp

# Create and activate a virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install the package
pip install -e .

Configuration and runtime start options

You can start the MCP server in different modes and configure OSC settings as needed. The following commands illustrate the available start options for each platform.

# Start in OSC mode (default)
./scripts/start_reaper_mcp_server.sh --mode=osc
scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.bat --mode osc
powershell -File scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.ps1 -mode osc

# Start in ReaScript mode
./scripts/start_reaper_mcp_server.sh --mode=reapy
scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.bat --mode=reapy
powershell -File scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.ps1 -mode reapy

Configure OSC networking to match your REAPER setup by supplying host and port values when starting the server.

# Configure OSC settings (Unix/macOS)
./scripts/start_reaper_mcp_server.sh --host=192.168.1.110 --send-port=8000 --receive-port=9000

# Configure OSC settings (Windows CMD)
scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.bat --host=192.168.1.110 --send-port=8000 --receive-port=9000

# Configure OSC settings (Windows PowerShell)
powershell -File scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.ps1 -host "192.168.1.110" -sendPort 8000 -receivePort 9000

To enable verbose diagnostics, run the server with debug logging.

# Enable debug logging
./scripts/start_reaper_mcp_server.sh --debug
scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.bat --debug
powershell -File scripts\start_reaper_mcp_server.ps1 -debug

Other useful setup notes

REAPER setup for OSC and ReaScript follows standard preferences adjustments to expose the required ports and paths. Ensure you have Python integration enabled for ReaScript if you plan to use that mode.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with the ReaScript API, prefer OSC mode for stability.

Check OSC configuration in REAPER to ensure the device name matches, ports align with the server, and there are no firewall blocks.

On Windows, ensure you run scripts with appropriate permissions and that the Python DLL path is correct for ReaScript.

Available tools

create_project

Creates a new REAPER project.

create_track

Creates a new track in the current project.

list_tracks

Lists all tracks in the current project.

add_midi_note

Adds a MIDI note to a track.

get_project_info

Gets information about the current project.