Talkback requires a desktop app (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Talkback

Troubleshooting

The device isn't connecting

Check that the MCP server is running. The Max for Live device connects to a WebSocket server on localhost:8765. If the server isn't running, the device will show a disconnected state.

Check the port. Make sure nothing else is using port 8765. You can set a different port in your MCP client config:

{
  "env": { "WS_PORT": "9000" }
}

Restart the device. Toggle the device off and on again in Ableton. This will re-initiate the WebSocket connection.

The LLM says the tool isn't available

Make sure the MCP server is properly configured in your LLM client. See the getting started guide for configuration examples.

If using Claude Desktop, verify your claude_desktop_config.json includes the talkback-mcp server entry and that you've restarted Claude Desktop after saving the config.

If using Claude Code, verify with:

claude mcp list

You should see talkback-mcp in the output.

Changes aren't being applied

Check that the device is on the master track. The Max for Live device needs to be on the master/main track to have full access to the Live Object Model.

Check the Ableton version. Talkback requires Ableton Live 11 or later with Max for Live.

Check Max console for errors. In Ableton, open the Max console (from the Max for Live device, click the wrench icon → Max Window) to see if there are any JavaScript errors.

Session data looks stale

The device caches structural data (device names, track layout, routing) and polls dynamic data (meters, mute states) on a fast interval. If you've made structural changes (added/removed tracks or devices), the cache will update on the next structure refresh cycle.

If data seems stuck, toggle the device off and on to force a fresh session scan. You can also check bridge health by asking your LLM to run get_bridge_health.

High CPU usage

The spectral analysis runs FFT processing in real-time only during a get_spectral_snapshot capture. If you're seeing consistently high CPU usage, check the bridge health metrics — large sessions with many tracks can increase poll times.

Node.js version issues

Talkback requires Node.js 18 or later. Check your version:

node --version

If you're on an older version, update via nodejs.org or your package manager of choice.

Still stuck?

Open an issue on GitHub with:

  1. Your Ableton Live version
  2. Your Node.js version (node --version)
  3. Your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)
  4. What you expected vs. what happened
  5. Any error messages from the Max console or terminal