Strudel

You can run and connect to the Strudel MCP Server to empower AI assistants with live coding music pattern capabilities. The server exposes Strudel’s pattern engine so you can parse, analyze, generate, and transform patterns from AI tools, enabling seamless collaboration between language models and your music coding workflow.

How to use

You use the Strudel MCP Server by running it as a local service and connecting your MCP-compatible client to it. The server provides access to pattern parsing, analysis, generation by style, and transformations so you can build AI-assisted music pattern workflows. Start the server locally, then configure your MCP client with the appropriate command and path to the running process. You can test the server using an MCP inspector or a client integration to confirm that pattern operations, scales, chords, and voicings are available and returning structured results.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing: Node.js version 18 or higher, and npm or pnpm as your package manager.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/strudel-mcp.git
cd strudel-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Additional setup and usage notes

The MCP server can be connected to from different MCP clients. For Claude Desktop, you configure the client to load the Strudel MCP server as a local stdio process. You provide the runtime command and the absolute path to the built entry point so Claude can start the server and communicate with it during your sessions.

For Claude Code, you can add the Strudel MCP server as an MCP entry so Claude can invoke Strudel tooling during conversations with AI.

You can test the server interactively with an MCP Inspector to verify that the available tools and pattern operations respond as expected.

Notes on configuration and commands

The server runs as a local stdio service using a Node.js runtime and the built distribution. The recommended runtime command (from integration examples) is to start the server with node and point it at the compiled entry, for example: node /absolute/path/to/strudel-mcp/dist/index.js.

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

Tools and capabilities you gain

When connected, you gain access to a suite of tools for working with Strudel patterns, including pattern analysis, music theory queries, code generation by style, and pattern transformations. You can parse mini notation, query pattern events, validate syntax, list scales and chords, retrieve voicings, generate patterns in various styles, and apply transformations like fast, slow, rev, and jux.

Available tools

strudel_parse_mini

Parse mini notation to an abstract syntax tree (AST) for Strudel patterns.

strudel_query_pattern

Query events within a time range from a Strudel pattern.

strudel_validate_code

Validate Strudel mini notation for correct syntax.

strudel_explain_pattern

Provide a human-readable explanation of a Strudel pattern.

strudel_list_scales

List available scales, filtered by an optional criterion.

strudel_get_scale

Get the notes in a specific scale given a root note.

strudel_list_chords

List available chord types.

strudel_get_voicing

Get a chord voicing for a given chord name.

strudel_generate_pattern

Generate a Strudel pattern by style (drums, bass, melody, chords, ambient).

strudel_transform_pattern

Apply transformations to a pattern, such as fast, slow, rev, or jux.

strudel_list_functions

List built-in Strudel pattern functions by category.

strudel_list_sounds

List built-in sounds for Strudel patterns.