Quincy Claw

AI-assisted music creation through live coding. Describe the music you want — from "rainy Sunday morning" to "128 BPM Eb minor acid techno with TB-303 bass" — and Claude generates Strudel code that plays in your browser in real-time.

An AI producer built on MCP — like an MPC, but Claudio plays the pads.

Named after Quincy Jones, because every great session needs a producer who listens.

Install

Claude Code

# Add as a marketplace, then install
/plugin marketplace add NicoAcosta/quincy-claw
/plugin install quincy-claw@nicoacosta-quincy-claw

Or clone and use directly:

claude --plugin-dir /path/to/quincy-claw

Codex / OpenCode / Cursor / Gemini

See platform-specific instructions in .codex/, .opencode/, .cursor-plugin/, or GEMINI.md.

How It Works

You describe music  →  Claude generates Strudel code  →  Plays in your browser  →  You give feedback  →  Repeat

1. Open this project in Claude Code
2. Ask for music in whatever way feels natural
3. Claude picks the right mode, generates code, and sends it to strudel.cc via Playwright
4. Listen, react, iterate — "darker", "more swing", "add a melody", "needs more weight"

Four Ways to Make Music

Command	Mode	For
/play	One-shot	"Play dark minimal techno" — fast, direct
/studio	Expert guided	Build layer-by-layer: drums → bass → harmony → melody → mix → arrange
/vibe	Feel-based guided	"Rainy afternoon" — describe feelings, not frequencies
/quincy	Router	Not sure which? This recommends the right one

**/play** is the default — just ask for music and it plays. Use /studio when you want technical control over each layer. Use /vibe when you'd rather describe a mood than a mix.

Examples

> play some techno
> /vibe driving at night, windows down
> /studio                            (starts guided session)
> chill lo-fi beat, 80 BPM, Db major
> dark ambient soundscape with evolving textures
> make the bass heavier
> add a melody over this
> more swing, less busy

Setup

Requires Claude Code and a Chromium browser for playback.

git clone https://github.com/NicoAcosta/quincy-claw.git
cd quincy-claw
npm install
npx playwright install chromium

Then open the project in Claude Code and start asking for music.

Genres

15 genre templates, each a playable Strudel snippet with genre-appropriate defaults:

Genre	BPM	Key	Genre	BPM	Key
Techno	130	Cm	Trance	140	Am
House	124	Am	Dubstep	140	Fm
Ambient	70	D	UK Garage	132	Cm
Drum & Bass	174	Em	Synthwave	108	Am
Lo-fi	82	Eb	Breakbeat	130	Em
Jazz	120	Bb	Acid	132	Am
Trap	140	Fm	Dub	75	Gm
Generative	90	varies

Templates live in strudel/genres/ and serve as starting points — Claude reads them, then customizes based on your request.

Project Structure

skills/
  quincy/        Router skill — picks the right mode
  play/          One-shot generation skill + shared references
    references/  Strudel API, production craft, genres, theory, etc.
  studio/        Expert guided session skill (6 stages)
  vibe/          Feel-based guided session skill (4 stages)
strudel/
  genres/        15 genre templates (playable Strudel code)
  theory/        Music theory reference (scales, chords, drums, bass)
  songs/         Saved sessions and compositions
CLAUDE.md        Project config — playback mechanics, skill routing
AGENTS.md        Cross-platform instruction file

Reference Library

The skills share a set of reference documents (in skills/play/references/):

• strudel-api.md — Full Strudel syntax, effects, synthesis, samples, mini-notation
• production-craft.md — Frequency allocation, gain hierarchy, density, palette coherence
• groove-and-rhythm.md — Beat anatomy, swing values, ghost notes, micro-arrangement
• sound-design.md — Producer vocab translations, synthesis recipes, bass design
• genres.md — Sub-styles, BPM ranges, sonic palettes, genre identity rules
• arrangement.md — Energy curves, evolution toolkit, transitions, build/drop patterns
• music-theory.md — Scales, chords, progressions, tension/release, voicings

Tech Stack

• Strudel — Browser-based live coding environment for music
• Playwright — Browser automation for injecting code and controlling playback
• Claude Code — AI coding assistant that generates and iterates on patterns

How It Actually Works (Under the Hood)

1. Claude reads the relevant genre template from strudel/genres/
2. Considers frequency spectrum, groove, space, and sound palette
3. Generates a stack() of Strudel pattern layers
4. Opens strudel.cc in Playwright, injects the code into CodeMirror
5. Clicks play, checks console for errors
6. Waits for your feedback, modifies specific layers, replays

No server, no build step, no API keys. Just Claude, a browser, and a pattern language.

License

MIT