MCP connector

ScanSing for Claude
and AI assistants

ScanSing reads printed sheet music. Give your assistant a PDF or a photo of a score and it gets MusicXML back, the format MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale and Dorico open. It can then tell you what is in the score, pull out one voice, transpose it or make a MIDI file to rehearse with.

Connect to Claude

The first connection with a new email comes with 20 free pages. No card.

Connector address
https://mcp.scansing.app/mcp
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http scansing https://mcp.scansing.app/mcp
Then ask

Give me just the tenor part of this score, a tone lower.

What you can ask

  • Transcribe this score to MusicXML: https://scansing.app/assets/scores/hosanna.pdf
  • What key and time signature is it in, and what is the alto's range?
  • Give me just the tenor part, a tone lower.
  • Make a MIDI of the soprano line so I can practise.
  • This songbook has twelve hymns. Split it into one MusicXML per hymn.

Connect in Claude

On claude.ai and in the Claude desktop and mobile apps:

  1. Open Settings → Connectors. Find ScanSing in the directory, or choose Add custom connector and enter https://mcp.scansing.app/mcp.
  2. Select Connect. A ScanSing sign-in page opens.
  3. Sign in with your ScanSing API key (omr_…), or enter your email and open the link we send. A new email gets an account with 20 free pages.
  4. Back in Claude, the ScanSing tools are on. Ask about a score.

On a Team or Enterprise plan, an owner may need to add the connector for the organisation first.

Connect in Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http scansing https://mcp.scansing.app/mcp

Then run /mcp, pick scansing and sign in the same way. If you prefer to pass the key yourself:

claude mcp add --transport http scansing https://mcp.scansing.app/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY"

In Claude Code, files on your computer work too: the assistant asks ScanSing for a one-time upload link and sends the file with curl.

Other assistants

ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients connect to the same address, https://mcp.scansing.app/mcp, over Streamable HTTP. Clients that support OAuth show the sign-in page; others send the key in an Authorization: Bearer header.

To call ScanSing from your own code without an assistant, use the REST API. The connector calls the same API with the same key and pages.

Giving it a score

  • A link. Any public http(s) address of a PDF or image. ScanSing downloads it itself.
  • A small image. The assistant can send a photo in the request itself.
  • A file on your computer. In Claude Code and other assistants that can run commands, through a one-time upload link.

PDF, PNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF and WebP, up to 30 MB. Printed, engraved music reads best. Recognition takes about 10 seconds for a page and a few minutes for a long PDF.

Tools

  • recognize_sheet_musicSpends pages

    Recognises a PDF or image and returns its MusicXML with a summary: pages, parts, measures, warnings. Can take some pages of a PDF, or split a songbook into pieces.

  • get_upload_linkRead-only

    A one-time link and curl command to send a local file for recognition.

  • get_recognitionRead-only

    Status and summary of an earlier recognition.

  • get_musicxmlRead-only

    The MusicXML of a recognition, a slice at a time.

  • describe_scoreRead-only

    Title, composer, key, time, tempo, length, and per part its range, clefs and lyrics.

  • extract_partRead-only

    The MusicXML of one part or a few.

  • transpose_scoreRead-only

    The MusicXML in another key, by semitones or to a named key.

  • export_midiRead-only

    A link to a MIDI file, one track per part.

  • get_download_linkRead-only

    A short-lived link to the MusicXML or MIDI to open in a browser or notation app.

  • inspect_scoreRead-only

    The kind and page count of a file, without recognising it.

  • get_usageRead-only

    Pages used and left this month.

No tool deletes or overwrites anything. Only recognize_sheet_music spends pages, so Claude may ask before it runs. Everything after recognition works on the stored result and is free.

Pages and limits

  • Each recognised page counts once against your monthly pages. Failed recognitions do not count.
  • Free: 20 pages, once, for a new email. Starter: 300 pages a month for $9. Pro: 1,500 pages a month for $29. See pricing.
  • Your keys, plan and connected apps are on your account page, where you can also disconnect an assistant.
  • Results stay on the server for about an hour, then are deleted. Save the MusicXML if you want to keep it.

Your data

ScanSing receives only what a tool is given: the score file or its address, and the options. It does not see your conversation. Scores are not used to train models. The details are in the Privacy Policy.

If something goes wrong

  • "quota_exceeded". The pages for this month are used up. Ask "how many ScanSing pages do I have left?" or upgrade on the pricing page.
  • "cannot read local paths". In claude.ai the connector cannot reach files on your computer. Give it a link to the file, or use Claude Code.
  • The connection stopped working. Disconnect and connect again in Settings → Connectors. A cancelled subscription also stops it.
  • Wrong notes. Photos taken at an angle or in poor light read worse than a flat scan. Send a sharper image or the original PDF.

Support

Write to hello@scansing.app.

Ready to connect?

The first connection with a new email comes with 20 free pages.

Connect to Claude hello@scansing.app