GrandPA

Control a grandMA3 lighting console from an AI agent — over the Model Context Protocol.

🕐 Coming soon How it works

macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel) · requires grandMA3 onPC

In development — free to try at launch, with licenses available for unlimited use.

What you can do

GrandPA exposes the console to your agent as a set of MCP tools. Ask in plain language; it speaks grandMA3.

🎛️

Command the console

Send any command-line instruction, single or as an ordered batch. Set dimmers, attributes, faders, select fixtures and groups, clear the programmer.

🧱

Build & edit content

Create and author macros line by line, store and merge cues, set cue properties and trigger types, and write cue command cells.

▶️

Run playback

Go, Back, Off and Goto on any executor, and set the master fader level — all from the conversation.

🔍

Inspect everything

Read back macros, sequences, cues, the live programmer selection and values, presets by pool, and the full patch.

📄

Generate reports

Markdown or CSV cuelist and patch reports, plus native full-fidelity MA3 XML export — parsed and ready to use.

🛟

Safe by default

Destructive commands need explicit confirmation, batches validate atomically, and a read-only mode blocks all writes.

How it works

Just tell Claude what you want in plain English. GrandPA sits quietly in your menu bar, hands your requests to the lighting desk, and reads back what's happening on stage — so Claude always knows the current state and you stay in control. 

You  ──"warm wash on the band"──▶  Claude
                                 │  turns it into desk commands  ──▶  GrandPA
                                 │                                      │  sends to / reads from
                                 │                                      ▼
                                 └──◀── reports the current look ───  your lighting console

Get set up

First launch auto-installs everything it needs. Four short steps and you're live.

  1. Install & launch. Open the DMG, drag GrandPA to Applications, and launch it. On first run it registers with Claude Desktop, copies the read-back plugin into MA3, and creates the shared IPC folder.
  2. Enable OSC input in grandMA3. In onPC: Menu → In & Out → OSC and add an input with Port 8000.
  3. Load the read-back plugin. In onPC, create or reload a Plugin object named GrandPA, then click Test MA3 Connection in the menu bar.
  4. Restart Claude Desktop. The GrandPA tools appear in the tool list. Try: "Run the MA3 command Store Macro 7."