Reaper MCP Server

AI-powered music production in REAPER through the Model Context Protocol. The reaper mcp mcp server wraps that behind the Model Context Protocol, so an assistant can use it through 13 defined tools rather than through you.

What it actually does

• 100% local. — No cloud calls, no API keys, nothing leaves your machine — REAPER and the AI talk over a file-based bridge on disk, not a server you don't control
• Actively maintained. — CI runs the full test suite across 3 OS × 4 Python versions on every change. Issues get read, discussed, and shipped — not just filed and forgotten
• Composable with companion tools. — Pairs with SongForge-MCP (local AI music/vocal generation) and Audacity-MCP (audio cleanup, mastering, and local transcription) — generate, produce, and clean up without leaving the same AI conversation

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

• Category — Tools
• Transport — 11
• Tracks — 18
• Project — 14
• Items — 14
• Takes — 4
• MIDI — 13
• Envelopes — 3
• Selection — 9
• Sidechain — 1
• Patterns — 2
• Script — 2

Adding it to your client

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at xdarkzx-reaper-mcp on PyPI and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

Configuration

You will need one environment variable: REAPER_MCP_PROFILE. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

1. Open REAPER and create a new project 2. Add tracks with your desired VST instruments (Kontakt, Spitfire, LABS, etc.) 3. Load patches — e.g., "Violin 1 Legato", "French Horn a4", "Grand Piano" 4. Save as a template (File → Save Project As Template) so you don't repeat this every time The AI will use get_track_instruments to detect what's loaded and compose for those

When to reach for it

Plenty of developer tooling servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Reaper MCP's toolset — Category, Transport, Tracks and 10 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by xdarkzx; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Caveats

• It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
• With 13 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Reaper MCP.
• MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the reaper mcp mcp server does with a few real requests.