FAQ & troubleshooting
The common questions, the known limitations, and fixes for the gotchas you're most likely to hit.
Requirements & support
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which Ableton versions? | Live 11 and 12. |
| Which OS? | Windows today. macOS is planned but not yet available. |
| Do I need Python? | No. The installer bundles everything. |
| Is it free? | Yes — free and open source under the MIT license. |
| Does my config leave my machine? | No. The API is localhost-only and bindings are stored locally. |
Known limitations
- Windows only for now — macOS support is on the roadmap.
- Unsigned installer — Windows SmartScreen warns on first run until code signing lands.
- Foreground only — shortcuts fire only while Ableton is the active window, by design.
- Some
Wincombos are reserved by Windows and never reach the app. - Action catalog is growing — more of the underlying API is exposed to shortcuts over time.
Troubleshooting
SmartScreen blocks the installer
Expected — the installer isn't code-signed yet. Click More info → Run anyway. Code signing is planned.
Shortcuts aren't firing
- Make sure Ableton is the foreground window. Shortcuts are intentionally ignored everywhere else.
- Confirm the binding exists in the web UI at
http://127.0.0.1:9000/shortcuts— it should be in the bindings table. - Check the control surface is loaded: Preferences → MIDI → Control Surface → Protocol 0.
- Check the detector log at
%APPDATA%\Protocol0\logs\detector.logfor the combo being recognized and the action call.
The web UI won't load
The UI is served by the remote script inside Ableton, so:
- Ableton must be running, with the Protocol 0 control surface enabled.
- If the page still doesn't load, confirm the remote script was copied into Live's MIDI Remote Scripts folder — reinstalling fixes a missing or partial copy.
"Script HTTP failed" in the detector log
The detector couldn't reach the in-Ableton API on port 9000. Make sure Ableton is open and the control surface is enabled; then check the detector log for details.
The installer can't find Ableton
If your Live install is in a non-standard location, the wizard offers a step to point at the MIDI Remote Scripts folder manually — typically:
C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 12 Suite\Resources\MIDI Remote ScriptsIt doesn't start automatically after login
Autostart is a Windows scheduled task named Protocol0. Check it exists:
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName Protocol0If it's missing, reinstalling re-creates it.
My bindings disappeared after reinstalling
They shouldn't — bindings live in %APPDATA%\Protocol0\shortcuts.json, which installs and uninstalls leave alone. If the file got hand-edited into invalid JSON, the detector treats it as empty (no shortcuts) rather than crashing. Open the web UI and re-add the binding, or fix the JSON.
Still stuck?
Open an issue on GitHub or get in touch. Including the relevant lines from %APPDATA%\Protocol0\logs\detector.log helps a lot.