MCP — drive Bulka from Claude Desktop 🌀 Bulka

MCP server: drive Bulka from Claude Desktop / ChatGPT / Cursor

The Bulka desktop app runs an MCP server inside itself. Your external AI agent (Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT) connects to it and fully drives Bulka: writes code, starts and stops the music, reads the current pattern. It works while the Bulka app is open.

Connecting

Nothing to run or install: it is HTTP MCP at a URL. Add it to the client config and restart the client:

{ "mcpServers": { "bulka": { "type": "streamable-http", "url": "http://127.0.0.1:4188/mcp" } } }
  • Claude Desktop / Cursor: paste this block into claude_desktop_config.json (or the Cursor config).
  • Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http bulka http://127.0.0.1:4188/mcp

A ready snippet and control buttons (start/stop/restart) are in the app: Settings → MCP panel.

Tools

Editor and sound:

  • setCodeAndPlay — replace all the code and play it (the main one); setFullCode, appendCode, editCode — replace, append, fix a fragment; readCode — read the code; highlightCode — select a fragment.
  • playMusic / stopMusic — start and stop; if the code has an error, the tool returns its text. Until the first click in the window the sound is off (the browser requires it), and the tool says so.
  • undo / redo — undo and redo an edit; getPlaybackState — whether music plays, which pattern is open, the volume, the panel tab.
  • getVolume / setVolume — master volume (0–1).
  • startRecording / stopRecording / recordSeconds — record what plays to WAV; exportWav — render cycles to WAV faster than real time; listRecordings — files in the recordings folder (desktop).

Knowledge and sounds:

  • searchDocs — search the docs and the function reference; getReference — the reference for one function; getExamples — examples by genre.
  • getAvailablePacks / getBankSamples — which sounds exist; loadSamples — load a pack (github:user/repo or a URL to strudel.json).
  • getConsole — console logs for debugging.

Patterns and sharing:

  • listPatterns, openPattern, newPattern, duplicatePattern, deletePattern, clearPatterns, exportPatterns, importPatterns — your own patterns (deleting needs confirm: true).
  • shareCode — save the track to the cloud and get a bulka.app/?… link; setSharePublic — show the track in the feed or hide it.
  • listPublicPatterns, openPublicPattern, likePattern — the public feed and featured tracks.
  • newTrack — start a new track (the window reloads).

Window and settings:

  • getSettings / setSettings — theme, font, keybindings (Vim, Emacs, Helix too), panel, editor, audio; listAudioDevices — audio outputs.
  • getPrebakeScript / setPrebakeScript — the script that runs before every evaluation.
  • getAiProviders / setAiProvider — the AI provider and model of the Bulka chat.
  • openPanel — open a panel tab or close the panel.

Chat: getNewMessages / sendChatMessage — read the user’s messages from the Bulka chat and reply there.

The agent deliberately has no access to provider API keys, the anonymous statistics checkbox (only a person sets it) or switching off the MCP server itself.

Chat over MCP (both ways)

In the Bulka chat, pick the “External agent (MCP)” provider and type right there. Messages go to the external agent, which reads them (getNewMessages), replies in the chat (sendChatMessage) and drives the music along the way. So an external Claude becomes the “brain” of your Bulka.

A detailed guide for the agent (tools + Strudel basics) is the file desktop/bulka-mcp-skill.md in the repository.