acestep

name acestep description Use ACE-Step API to generate music, edit songs, and remix music. Supports text-to-music, lyrics generation, audio continuation, and audio repainting. Use this skill when users mention generating music, creating songs, music production, remix, or audio continuation. allowed-tools Read, Write, Bash, Skill ACE-Step Music Generation Skill Use ACE-Step V1.5 API for music generation. Always use scripts/acestep.sh script — do NOT call API endpoints directly. Quick Start # 1. cd to this skill's directory cd {project_root}/{.claude or .codex}/skills/acestep/ # 2. Check API service health ./scripts/acestep.sh health # 3. Generate with lyrics (recommended) ./scripts/acestep.sh generate -c "pop, female vocal, piano" -l "[Verse] Your lyrics here..." --duration 120 --language zh # 4. Output saved to: {project_root}/acestep_output/ Workflow For user requests requiring vocals: Use the acestep-songwriting skill for lyrics writing, caption creation, duration/BPM/key selection Write complete, well-structured lyrics yourself based on the songwriting guide Generate using Caption mode with -c and -l parameters Only use Simple/Random mode ( -d or random ) for quick inspiration or instrumental exploration. If the user needs a simple music video, use the acestep-simplemv skill to render one with waveform visualization and synced lyrics. MV Production Requirements : Making a simple MV requires three additional skills to be installed: acestep-songwriting — for writing lyrics and planning song structure acestep-lyrics-transcription — for transcribing audio to timestamped lyrics (LRC) acestep-simplemv — for rendering the final music video acestep-thumbnail (optional) — for generating cover art / MV background images via Gemini API MV Background Image : When the user requests MV production, ask whether they want a background image for the video: Generate via Gemini — use the acestep-thumbnail skill (requires Gemini API key configuration) Provide an existing image — user supplies a local image path Skip — use the default animated gradient background (no image needed) Use AskUserQuestion to let the user choose before proceeding with MV rendering. Parallel Processing : Lyrics transcription and thumbnail generation are independent tasks. When the user chooses to generate a background image, run acestep-lyrics-transcription and acestep-thumbnail in parallel (e.g. via two concurrent Agent calls) to save time, then use both outputs for the final MV render. Script Commands CRITICAL - Complete Lyrics Input : When providing lyrics via the -l parameter, you MUST pass ALL lyrics content WITHOUT any omission: If user provides lyrics, pass the ENTIRE text they give you If you generate lyrics yourself, pass the COMPLETE lyrics you created NEVER truncate, shorten, or pass only partial lyrics Missing lyrics will result in incomplete or incoherent songs Music Parameters : Use the acestep-songwriting skill for guidance on duration, BPM, key scale, and time signature. # need to cd to this skill's directory first cd {project_root}/{.claude or .codex}/skills/acestep/ # Caption mode - RECOMMENDED: Write lyrics first, then generate ./scripts/acestep.sh generate -c "Electronic pop, energetic synths" -l "[Verse] Your complete lyrics [Chorus] Full chorus here..." --duration 120 --bpm 128 # Instrumental only ./scripts/acestep.sh generate "Jazz with saxophone" # Quick exploration (Simple/Random mode) ./scripts/acestep.sh generate -d "A cheerful song about spring" ./scripts/acestep.sh random # Cover / Repainting from source audio ./scripts/acestep.sh cover song.mp3 -c "Rock cover style" -l "[Verse] Lyrics..." --duration 120 --bpm 128 ./scripts/acestep.sh generate --src-audio song.mp3 --task-type repaint -c "Pop" --repaint-start 30 --repaint-end 60 # Music attribute options ./scripts/acestep.sh generate "Rock" --duration 60 --bpm 120 --key-scale "C major" --time-sig "4/4" ./scripts/acestep.sh generate "Rock" --duration 60 --batch 2 ./scripts/acestep.sh generate "EDM" --no-thinking # Faster # Other commands ./scripts/acestep.sh status <job_id> ./scripts/acestep.sh health ./scripts/acestep.sh models Cover / Audio Repainting The cover command generates music based on a source audio file. The audio is base64-encoded and sent to the API. # Cover: regenerate with new style/lyrics, preserving melody structure ./scripts/acestep.sh cover input.mp3 -c "Jazz cover" -l "[Verse] New lyrics..." --duration 120 # Repainting: modify a specific region of the audio ./scripts/acestep.sh generate --src-audio input.mp3 --task-type repaint -c "Pop ballad" --repaint-start 30 --repaint-end 90 # Cover options # --src-audio Source audio file path # --task-type cover (default with --src-audio), repaint, text2music # --cover-strength 0.0-1.0 (default: 1.0, higher = closer to source) # --repaint-start Repainting start position (seconds) # --repaint-end Repainting end position (seconds) # --key-scale Musical key (e.g. "E minor") # --time-signature Time signature (e.g. "4/4") Note : For cloud API usage, large audio files may be rejected by Cloudflare. Compress audio before uploading if needed (e.g. using ffmpeg: ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -b:a 64k -ar 24000 -ac 1 compressed.mp3 ). Output Files After generation, the script automatically saves results to the acestep_output folder in the project root (same level as .claude ): project_root/ ├── .claude/ │ └── skills/acestep/... ├── acestep_output/ # Output directory │ ├── <job_id>.json # Complete task result (JSON) │ ├── <job_id>_1.mp3 # First audio file │ ├── <job_id>_2.mp3 # Second audio file (if batch_size > 1) │ └── ... └── ... JSON Result Structure Important : When LM enhancement is enabled ( use_format=true ), the final synthesized content may differ from your input. Check the JSON file for actual values: Field Description prompt Actual caption used for synthesis (may be LM-enhanced) lyrics Actual lyrics used for synthesis (may be LM-enhanced) metas.prompt Original input caption metas.lyrics Original input lyrics metas.bpm BPM used metas.keyscale Key scale used metas.duration Duration in seconds generation_info Detailed timing and model info seed_value Seeds used (for reproducibility) lm_model LM model name dit_model DiT model name To get the actual synthesized lyrics, parse the JSON and read the top-level lyrics field, not metas.lyrics . Configuration Important : Configuration follows this priority (high to low): Command line arguments > config.json defaults User-specified parameters temporarily override defaults but do not modify config.json Only config --set command permanently modifies config.json Default Config File ( scripts/config.json ) { "api_url" : "http://127.0.0.1:8001" , "api_key" : "" , "api_mode" : "completion" , "generation" : { "thinking" : true , "use_format" : false , "use_cot_caption" : true , "use_cot_language" : false , "batch_size" : 1 , "audio_format" : "mp3" , "vocal_language" : "en" } } Option Default Description api_url http://127.0.0.1:8001 API server address api_key "" API authentication key (optional) api_mode completion API mode: completion (OpenRouter, default) or native (polling) generation.thinking true Enable 5Hz LM (higher quality, slower) generation.audio_format mp3 Output format (mp3/wav/flac) generation.vocal_language en Vocal language Prerequisites - ACE-Step API Service IMPORTANT : This skill requires the ACE-Step API server to be running. Required Dependencies The scripts/acestep.sh script requires: curl and jq . # Check dependencies curl --version jq --version If jq is not installed, the script will attempt to install it automatically. If automatic installation fails: Windows : choco install jq or download from https://jqlang.github.io/jq/download/ macOS : brew install jq Linux : sudo apt-get install jq (Debian/Ubuntu) or sudo dnf install jq (Fedora) Before First Use You MUST check the API key and URL status before proceeding. Run: cd "{project_root}/{.claude or .codex}/skills/acestep/" && bash ./scripts/acestep.sh config --check-key cd "{project_root}/{.claude or .codex}/skills/acestep/" && bash ./scripts/acestep.sh config --get api_url Case 1: Using Official Cloud API ( https://api.acemusic.ai ) without API key If api_url is https://api.acemusic.ai and api_key is empty , you MUST stop and guide the user to configure their key: Tell the user: "You're using the ACE-Step official cloud API, but no API key is configured. An API key is required to use this service." Explain how to get a key: API keys are currently available through acemusic.ai for free. Use AskUserQuestion to ask the user to provide their API key. Once provided, configure it: cd "{project_root}/{.claude or .codex}/skills/acestep/" && bash ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_key <KEY> Additionally, inform the user: "If you also want to render music videos (MV), it's recommended to configure a lyrics transcription API key as well (OpenAI Whisper or ElevenLabs Scribe), so that lyrics can be automatically transcribed with accurate timestamps. You can configure it later via the acestep-lyrics-transcription skill." Case 2: API key is configured Verify the API endpoint: ./scripts/acestep.sh health and proceed with music generation. Case 3: Using local/custom API without key Local services ( http://127.0.0.1:* ) typically don't require a key. Verify with ./scripts/acestep.sh health and proceed. If health check fails: Ask: "Do you have ACE-Step installed?" If installed but not running : Use the acestep-docs skill to help them start the service If not installed : Use acestep-docs skill to guide through installation Service Configuration Official Cloud API: ACE-Step provides an official API endpoint at https://api.acemusic.ai . To use it: ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_url "https://api.acemusic.ai" ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_key "your-key" ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_mode completion API keys are currently available through acemusic.ai for free. Local Service (Default): No configuration needed — connects to http://127.0.0.1:8001 . Custom Remote Service: Update scripts/config.json or use: ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_url "http://remote-server:8001" ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_key "your-key" API Key Handling : When checking whether an API key is configured, use config --check-key which only reports configured or empty without printing the actual key. NEVER use config --get api_key or read config.json directly — these would expose the user's API key. The config --list command is safe — it automatically masks API keys as *** in output. API Mode The skill supports two API modes. Switch via api_mode in scripts/config.json : Mode Endpoint Description completion (default) /v1/chat/completions OpenRouter-compatible, sync request, audio returned as base64 native /release_task + /query_result Async polling mode, supports all parameters Switch mode: ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_mode completion ./scripts/acestep.sh config -- set api_mode native Completion mode notes: No polling needed — single request returns result directly Audio is base64-encoded inline in the response (auto-decoded and saved) inference_steps , infer_method , shift are not configurable (server defaults) --no-wait and status commands are not applicable in completion mode Requires model field — auto-detected from /v1/models if not specified Using acestep-docs Skill for Setup Help IMPORTANT : For installation and startup, always use the acestep-docs skill to get complete and accurate guidance. DO NOT provide simplified startup commands - each user's environment may be different. Always guide them to use acestep-docs for proper setup. For API debugging, see API Reference .