Reaper MCP Server

What is Reaper MCP Server about?

The server bridges Reaper DAW projects with MCP‑compatible clients (e.g., Claude Desktop). It exposes two tools—find_reaper_projects to locate projects in a configured directory and parse_reaper_project to convert a project's data into a structured JSON representation—so users can ask natural‑language questions about a specific project.

How to use Reaper MCP Server?

1. Install the package using a Python virtual environment (e.g., uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate && uv pip install .).
2. Configure Claude Desktop with the sample JSON found in setup/claude_desktop_config.json, updating paths for the UV installation, the Reaper project folder, and the server directory.
3. Start the server (the repository provides a CLI entry point after installation).
4. In Claude Desktop, click the hammer icon and verify the two Reaper tools appear. Use them in prompts, always specifying the target project name.

Key Features of Reaper MCP Server

• Automatic discovery of Reaper .rpp files in a user‑defined directory.
• Full parsing of project data into a comprehensive JSON model (src/domains/reaper_dataclasses.py).
• Seamless integration with MCP clients, allowing natural‑language queries about tracks, items, automation, and more.
• Visual feedback in Claude Desktop showing raw parsed data for debugging or exploration.

Use Cases of Reaper MCP Server

• Project Auditing: Quickly ask for a summary of all tracks, plugins, or automation lanes in a project.
• Collaboration: Team members can query project structure without opening Reaper.
• Education & Training: Instructors can demonstrate project anatomy through conversational interfaces.
• Automation Scripts: Generate scripts or reports based on parsed JSON data.

FAQ from the Reaper MCP Server

• Do I need Reaper installed on the server machine? No, the server only reads .rpp files; the Reaper application itself is not required.
• Can I query multiple projects at once? Tools operate on one project at a time; list projects with find_reaper_projects then parse individually.
• What Python version is required? The project targets Python 3.10+ and uses uv for environment management.
• Is there a Docker image? Not provided; however, you can containerize the Python environment if needed.
• How is the parsed JSON structured? See src/domains/reaper_dataclasses.py for dataclass definitions representing tracks, items, envelopes, etc.

Reaper MCP Server

This is a simple MCP server that connects a Reaper project to an MCP client like Claude Desktop and enables you to ask questions about the project.

Tools

• find_reaper_projects: Finds all Reaper projects in the directory you specified in the config.
• parse_reaper_project: Parses a Reaper project and returns a JSON object.

These tools work in tandem. When you ask Claude a question about a specific Reaper project, it will use the find_reaper_projects tool to find the project, then use the parse_reaper_project tool to parse the project and answer your question. To see all data that is parsed from the project, check out the src/domains/reaper_dataclasses.py file.

Setup

1. Install Dependencies

   uv venv
   source .venv/bin/activate
   
   uv pip install .
   

2. Configure Claude Desktop

   • Follow the instructions to configure Claude Desktop for use with a custom MCP server
   • Find the sample config in setup/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Update the following paths in the config:
     • Your uv installation path
     • Your Reaper project directory
     • This server's directory

3. Launch and Configure

   • Open Claude Desktop
   • Look for the hammer icon in the bottom right of your chat box
   • Click the hammer icon to verify you see two Reaper tools available:
     • find_reaper_projects
     • parse_reaper_project

   

4. Ask Away!

   • Ask questions about your Reaper project
   • Always include the name of the specific Reaper project you're asking about
   • You can expand the tool boxes to see the raw project data being passed to Claude