reaktor-tools

MCP server and resources for building with Native Instruments Reaktor 6.
Gives Claude Desktop access to your Reaktor file libraries, manuals, OSC control, and session notes.

MCP Server

reaktor_mcp.py is the MCP server. It exposes four file roots and thirteen tools:

File roots

Location	Description	Write?
factory library	Reaktor Factory Library (factory Core/Primary modules)	❌
user library	Your Reaktor User Library (your Core/Primary modules)	❌
ensembles	Your Reaktor User Ensembles (your patches)	✅
templates	Local ensemble templates in templates/ (this repo)	❌

Tools

Tool	Description
list_files	List files and folders in any Reaktor root
get_file_info	File name, size, and modification date
copy_ensemble	Create a new ensemble by copying an existing .ens file
create_folder	Create a subfolder in the ensembles root
search_docs	Full-text search across the processed Reaktor manuals
read_doc_chapter	Read the full text of a specific manual chapter
list_doc_chapters	List available chapters in a manual
send_osc	Send an OSC message to a running Reaktor instance
get_reaktor_prefs	Read Reaktor's preferences (OSC config, MIDI devices, last ensemble)
write_session_note	Append a timestamped note to skills/session-notes.md
search_user_library	Search the NI Reaktor User Library (returns browser URL if site blocks access)
list_templates	List available template .ens files in templates/
open_in_reaktor	Open an ensemble in Reaktor 6 (launches Reaktor if not running)
restart_reaktor	Quit Reaktor 6 and reopen it (optionally with a specific ensemble)
call_reaktor_robot	Call a Robot Framework keyword on the running Reaktor via XML-RPC (port 8270)

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Requirements

• Python 3.12+
• uv package manager
• Claude Desktop

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Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone git@github.com:yourusername/reaktor-tools.git
cd reaktor-tools

2. Install uv

brew install uv        # macOS (Homebrew)
# or
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

3. Install dependencies

uv sync

4. Connect to Claude Desktop

See config/README.md for instructions.

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Configuration

Override default paths with environment variables — no code changes needed:

Variable	Default
REAKTOR_FACTORY_LIBRARY	/Applications/Native Instruments/Reaktor 6/Library
REAKTOR_USER_LIBRARY	~/Documents/Native Instruments/Reaktor 6/Library
REAKTOR_USER_ENSEMBLES	~/Documents/Native Instruments/User Content/Reaktor/Ensembles
REAKTOR_TEMPLATES	templates/ in this repo
REAKTOR_APP	/Applications/Native Instruments/Reaktor 6/Reaktor 6.app
REAKTOR_OSC_HOST	127.0.0.1
REAKTOR_OSC_PORT	10000

Reaktor OSC Setup

OSC must be enabled inside Reaktor before send_osc has any effect. Do this once per installation:

1. Open Reaktor 6
2. Go to File → OSC Settings (macOS menu bar)
3. Check "Enable OSC" (the checkbox at the top of the dialog)
4. Set Receive port to 10000 (or any port — just set REAKTOR_OSC_PORT to match)
5. Leave Send port and IP at their defaults unless sending OSC back out
6. Click OK and keep Reaktor running — OSC is active until you quit

To verify OSC is configured correctly without opening the dialog again, use the get_reaktor_prefs tool — it reads the live plist and reports:

OSC
  Enabled:   YES ✓
  Receive port: 10000

Note: OSC addresses are fully ensemble-specific. There is no system-wide address scheme. Each "Message In" module in your ensemble has a label — that label becomes the OSC address (e.g. a module labelled volume listens on /volume). You define all addresses yourself when building the patch.

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Documentation

The docs/ folder contains chapter-by-chapter text files extracted from the official Reaktor PDFs:

Key	Manual
getting-started	Reaktor 6 Getting Started (10 chapters)
diving-deeper	Reaktor 6 Diving Deeper (12 chapters)
primary	Reaktor 6 Building in Primary (18 chapters)
core	Reaktor 6 Building in Core (6 chapters)
modules	Reaktor 5 Modules & Macros Reference (15 chapters)
core5	Reaktor 5.5 Core Reference (18 chapters)
va-filter	VA Filter Design 2.1.0 (13 chapters)

Search with search_docs, list chapters with list_doc_chapters, read a chapter with read_doc_chapter.

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Development

# Run tests
uv run python -m pytest tests/

# Watch logs
tail -f reaktor_mcp.log