Claude Collider

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables your LLM to generate and play music through SuperCollider. Describe the sounds you want, and your LLM will write and execute SuperCollider code in real-time.

Live coding from inside this repository is recommended but completely optional. This repo contains Claude-specific instructions (CLAUDE.md, skills) that make Claude the best songwriter out there, but the MCP server should work with any MCP client.

What It Can Do

Major Features

• Auto-boots SuperCollider within your LLM session and exposes 9 MCP tools to interact with it
• Music theory LLM skill and utility SuperColloder classes for arrangement, melody development, and a breakbeat mangler
• Sampler with support for auto-loading samples from user directories
• "Tape" format for recording and playing back songs across LLM sessions
• 27+ built-in synths across drums, bass, leads, pads, and utility categories
• 18+ built-in effects including dynamics, sidechain, filters, reverb, delay, modulation, distortion, and stereo processing

See the ClaudeCollider API reference for the full list of synths, effects, and class documentation.

Example Prompts

• "Boot SuperCollider and make a four-on-the-floor beat with a deep kick and shaker"
• "Make a 303-style acid bass with a resonant filter sweep, run it through distortion and delay"
• "Set up sidechain compression so the kick ducks the bass and the pad"
• "Load the amen break sample, slice it into 16, and rearrange it into a choppy DnB pattern"
• "Write a lead melody using motif development — start with a short phrase, then transpose and invert it"
• "Compose a full arrangement with an intro, two builds, two drops, a breakdown, and an outro"
• "Record this session as a tape called late-night-acid, then play it back with the arrangement"
• "The bass line is boring — use the songwriting skill to rewrite it with approach notes and octave jumps"
• "Connect my MIDI keyboard to the pad synth with mod wheel controlling the filter cutoff, and sync MIDI clock to the arrangement"
• "Build a granular texture from the vocal sample, layer a polymetric 5-beat kick under it, and arrange the whole thing into a slow build"

Requirements

• SuperCollider installed on your system
• Node.js 18+
• Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or any other MCP client

Installation

git clone https://github.com/jeremyruppel/claude-collider.git
cd claude-collider
npm install
npm run build
npm test

ClaudeCollider Quark

Symlink or copy the ClaudeCollider/ folder to your Extensions directory:

ln -s /path/to/claude-collider/ClaudeCollider ~/Library/Application\ Support/SuperCollider/Extensions/ClaudeCollider

Claude Code Configuration

Add the MCP server to your project scope (recommended when live coding from this repo):

claude mcp add -t stdio -s project claude-collider -- node /path/to/claude-collider/dist/index.js

Or add it globally so it's available in all projects:

claude mcp add -t stdio -s user claude-collider -- node /path/to/claude-collider/dist/index.js

To configure optional environment variables for sample and recording paths:

claude mcp add -t stdio -s project \
  -e CC_SAMPLES_PATH=/path/to/your/samples \
  -e CC_RECORDINGS_PATH=/path/to/your/recordings \
  claude-collider -- node /path/to/claude-collider/dist/index.js

Claude Desktop Configuration

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-collider": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/claude-collider/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "CC_SAMPLES_PATH": "/path/to/your/samples",
        "CC_RECORDINGS_PATH": "/path/to/your/recordings"
      }
    }
  }
}

The env block is optional in all configurations — paths default to ~/.claudecollider/samples and ~/.claudecollider/recordings.

Restart your MCP client after updating the config.

MCP Tools

9 MCP tools give Claude control over SuperCollider:

| Tool | Description | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | cc_execute | Execute SuperCollider code (auto-boots on first use) | | cc_status | Show status, routing debug, available synths, or available effects | | cc_reboot | Reboot the audio server or list audio devices | | cc_control | Control playback: stop all sounds, clear everything, or get/set tempo | | cc_fx | Effects operations: load, set params, bypass, remove, wire, sidechain, chain | | cc_midi | MIDI operations: list devices, connect, play synth, or stop | | cc_sample | Sample operations: inspect, load, play, free, or reload directory | | cc_recording | Recording operations: start, stop, or check status | | cc_output | Hardware output routing: route to outputs, unroute, or show status |

Skills

Songwriting

The /songwriting skill is a built-in music theory reference that Claude loads when composing or improving individual parts. It covers:

• Bass — Bass line theory, patterns, and genre conventions
• Breakbeats — CCBreakbeat slicing, rearrangement, and genre applications
• Chords — Voicing, voice leading, progressions, and extensions
• Melody — Contour, motif development, phrasing, tension and resolution
• Rhythm — Drum patterns, swing, ghost notes, and genre grooves
• Scales — Scales, modes, when to use each, and SuperCollider usage

The skill enforces principles like register separation (keeping bass, chords, and melody in distinct octave ranges), complementary rhythms (if one part is on-beat, another syncopates), and repetition with variation. Ask Claude to use it when you want more musically intentional results:

• "Use the songwriting skill to write a better bass line for this tape"
• "The melody feels flat — can you improve it?"

Tapes

Tapes are Claude Collider's session format — a paired .md and .scd file that capture a complete musical idea. The tapes/ directory contains saved sessions you can play back or use as starting points.

A tape consists of:

• <name>.md — Metadata and documentation: tempo, key, element descriptions, arrangement overview, and musical notes. Has YAML frontmatter linking to its .scd file.
• <name>.scd — Executable SuperCollider code defining all Pdefs, Ndefs, effects, and routing. Elements are defined but not played — playback is controlled separately.
• <name>-arrangement.scd (optional) — A CCArrangement that orchestrates when elements enter and exit across sections.

Playing a Tape

Ask Claude to play a tape by name:

• "Play the chopped-break tape"
• "Load up floor-burner"
• "Play night-drive in jam mode"

There are two playback modes:

• Arrangement mode (default if an arrangement file exists) — Loads the tape's elements and effects, then runs the arrangement which brings elements in and out over time with section transitions.
• Jam mode — Loads everything and starts all elements at once. Good for improvising on top of an existing tape.

Recording a Tape

After a live session, ask Claude to save it:

• "Record this session as a tape called midnight-groove"
• "Save what we've been playing as a tape"

Claude captures the current tempo, patterns, effects, and routing into a new .md/.scd pair in tapes/.

Arranging a Tape

You can also ask Claude to compose an arrangement for an existing tape:

• "Arrange the floor-burner tape"
• "Write an arrangement for night-drive with a long build"

This generates a <name>-arrangement.scd file with a CCArrangement that structures the tape's elements into intro, build, drop, break, and outro sections.

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging:

DEBUG=claude-collider node dist/index.js

Logs are written to /tmp/claude-collider.log.

Environment Variables

| Variable | Default | Description | | -------------------- | ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | | SCLANG_PATH | Auto-detected | Path to sclang executable | | SC_BOOT_TIMEOUT | 10000 | Boot timeout in ms | | SC_EXEC_TIMEOUT | 2000 | Execution timeout in ms | | CC_SAMPLES_PATH | ~/.claudecollider/samples | Directory for audio samples | | CC_RECORDINGS_PATH | ~/.claudecollider/recordings | Directory for recorded audio | | DEBUG | - | Set to claude-collider for debug logs |

License

MIT