Reaper MCP Server

Reaper MCP server exists for a simple reason — assistants are far more useful when they can act on Reaper directly instead of describing what you should do. MCP server for controlling REAPER DAW — real-time mixing, FX control, and frequency analysis for AI agents.

What you get

AI-powered mixing for REAPER DAW. An MCP server that gives AI agents (Claude Code, etc.) full control over REAPER — real-time metering, FX management, transport control, frequency analysis, and an AI mix engineer knowledge base.

What the assistant can call

Once Reaper is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

• create_midi_item — Create empty MIDI item on a track
• list_midi_items — List MIDI items with position, length, note/CC counts
• get_midi_notes — Get notes with pagination (offset/limit)
• analyze_midi — Per-pitch velocity stats, histogram, machine gun detection
• delete_midi_note — Delete a note by index
• list_media_items — List items on a track (position, length, name, volume, type)
• get_media_item_properties — Detailed properties (fades, play rate, pitch, source)
• split_media_item — Split at position, returns left/right info
• Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server
• Verify — Checks that the bridge is connected, knowledge is installed, and MCP config exists
• Transport — The Transport tool exposed by this server
• Routing — The Routing tool exposed by this server

Configuration and credentials

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

• REAPER v6.0+ (v7.0+ recommended) - Node.js 20+ - SWS Extensions (recommended — enables plugin discovery and enhanced features)

Setting it up

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client.

Choosing this one

Among the planning and project tracking options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Reaper's toolset — create_midi_item, list_midi_items, get_midi_notes and 9 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by GitHub Actions; 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.

Before you rely on it

• 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 12 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Reaper.
• MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the reaper mcp server does with a few real requests.