MCP for music production: what BRAVO's connector is and how it stays safe

What you ask

In BRAVO's chat, or from your own AI once it is connected:

• What is in the project open in BRAVO, and what is too loud?
• Normalize every WAV in ~/Podcast/raw to -16 LUFS and write them to ~/Podcast/out.
• Fix the first problem the judge found and listen again.

What you get back

• Your assistant gets tools to read the project, run actions, ask questions, listen to a render with BRAVO's judge and master a file.
• You get the files on your Mac; every change in the project is one undo step.

How to do it

1. Join the list and install BRAVO. BRAVO is a free beta for Mac with Apple Silicon, opening by waves. Join the list on obra.art/bravo; when your wave opens you get one email with the download.
2. Switch on «Connect your AI» in BRAVO. In BRAVO, open Settings, go to «Connect your AI» and switch on the Connector. BRAVO opens a port on 127.0.0.1 and creates a private key (a token) that stays on your Mac. It is off until you switch it on, and you can switch it off at any time.
3. Register BRAVO in your assistant. Claude Desktop installs the BRAVO extension with «Install in Claude Desktop». Claude Code, Codex and Cursor run BRAVO's connector with Node 18 or later; the panel shows the exact setup for each one, with the path already filled in.
4. Allow it on your project. The first time your AI touches a project, BRAVO asks whether that app may work on it. Allow it once per project; «Revoke all» in the same panel takes every permission back.
5. Check the connection. Ask your assistant «what is open in BRAVO?». It should describe your project. If it cannot reach BRAVO, check that BRAVO is open and the Connector is on.

What the connector exposes

• bravo_connection: Checks that BRAVO is open, the Connector is on and which version it is.
• bravo_look: Reads the open project as it is now: tracks, their chains and clips, tempo, chords and what is selected.
• bravo_can: Answers «what can I do with this?» with the exact actions available.
• bravo_do: Runs a list of actions as one undo step and reports what changed and what could not be done, with the reason.
• bravo_ask: Answers a question about the project as text. A request phrased as a question can still add to the project, as one undo step.
• bravo_hear: Renders the mix in memory and measures it: loudness, true peak, dynamics, tone by band and the low end in mono. Its judge names what is wrong first, what is fine, a score out of 100 and the fixes as actions.
• bravo_master_file: Masters an audio file end to end: loudness to the target (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Tidal, club or a number in LUFS), true peak under −1 dBTP, written as a 24-bit WAV of the same length.
• bravo_screen: A picture of the BRAVO window, to see what you see.
• bravo_state: The whole project as data, for the details bravo_look leaves out.
• bravo_catalog: The list of BRAVO actions with their arguments.
• bravo_verb: Runs one BRAVO action through the checked path.
• bravo_wait: Waits until the project changes instead of asking again and again.
• bravo_project: Saves the open project to its own file, or starts an empty one when nothing is unsaved.

Batches go through the same tools: your assistant asks BRAVO to normalize a folder and gets the report back.

Security

• Off by default. Nothing listens until you switch on the Connector in «Connect your AI».
• Localhost only. The port is bound to 127.0.0.1: it cannot be reached from the network, and browser requests are closed without an answer.
• Token required. Without the key (token) the port does not answer. The key lives in a file only your macOS user can read (permissions 0600), BRAVO makes a new one every time it opens, and the setup you paste into your app does not contain it.
• Permission per project. The first time an app touches a project, BRAVO asks you. «Revoke all» takes every permission back.
• No model keys inside. The connector package carries no key for any AI model; your assistant uses your own account.
• Limited reach. Connected apps read only audio, video, MIDI and preset files. They cannot record from the microphone, open other projects, change settings, open plugin windows or run code inside BRAVO.
• Undo and new files. Every list of actions is one undo step in the project. A batch writes into the output folder you name; a master goes inside your home folder or onto an external drive. Neither writes over an existing file.
• Switch off at any time. The port closes when you switch the Connector off or quit BRAVO.

Where the connection details live, for people who want to check:

~/Library/Application Support/OBRA BRAVO/connector.json
{ "port": <number>, "token": "<private>", "enabledAt": <time> }

What it is not

• Not a remote service: it only works on the Mac where BRAVO is open.
• Not a music generator: it works on your audio, your samples and your projects.
• Not a data pipe to OBRA: the connector answers your assistant, on your Mac.

Limits

• Assistants that can only reach remote servers cannot use a localhost connector yet.
• The assistant only sees what BRAVO reports. It cannot open files BRAVO has not been given.
• Beta: Mac with Apple Silicon only. Windows comes later.
• Access opens by waves from the waiting list.
• BRAVO works on the audio you bring. It does not generate songs.

Frequently asked questions

More BRAVO guides

• Mix and master with Claude
• Use BRAVO from Codex and Cursor
• Batch-process a folder of audio with BRAVO
• All BRAVO guides