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systemBlue edited this page Jun 11, 2026 · 1 revision

FAQ

"Common questions about DeadCat: what it is, which DAWs it supports, what it touches, what it needs, and what it costs."

What is DeadCat?

DeadCat is a set of MCP servers that let an AI assistant control your DAW in plain language. You ask your assistant to start playback, set a fader, or jump to a marker, and it happens in your session. The first server drives REAPER over OSC.

Which DAWs does it support?

REAPER today, because its OSC control surface is open and documented. Ableton Live, Pro Tools, and Logic Pro are on the roadmap, one DAW at a time.

Does it touch my audio or send anything to the cloud?

No. DeadCat exchanges control messages with your DAW over two local UDP ports, one out and one back, and nothing else. It never processes your audio, and it sends no data off your machine.

What do I need to run it?

You need macOS, the Swift toolchain, REAPER, and an MCP client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code. You build one binary, then point the client and REAPER at it; the install page covers each step.

Can it read my session, or only change it?

Both. 25 tools are live: 22 write tools for transport, mixing, markers, session building, and media inserts, and 3 read tools that report the transport, a track's state, or a snapshot of the whole session from REAPER's own feedback stream.

Where do I get DeadCat?

The source is at github.com/systemblueio/DeadCat; clone it or download a release. The build is one command, swift build -c release, followed by the client and REAPER setup on the install page. The server is listed in the MCP Registry as io.github.systemblueio/deadcat-reaper.

Can I use it without an MCP client?

Yes. The package also builds deadcat, a terminal command that runs the same tools without an MCP client. Each tool becomes a subcommand: deadcat set-track-volume 3 0.7, deadcat get-session-state. Read commands answer as JSON. Run deadcat help for the full list. The install page covers setup.

What does it cost?

Nothing. DeadCat is free, built by systemBlue, an indie Swift studio. A support link is in the footer.

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