acestep

ACE-Step Music Generation Skill

Safety Notice

This listing is imported from skills.sh public index metadata. Review upstream SKILL.md and repository scripts before running.

Copy this and send it to your AI assistant to learn

Install skill "acestep" with this command: npx skills add ace-step/ace-step-1.5/ace-step-ace-step-1-5-acestep

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:

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.

Source Transparency

This detail page is rendered from real SKILL.md content. Trust labels are metadata-based hints, not a safety guarantee.

Open in GitHubOpen in ClawHub

Related Skills

Related by shared tags or category signals.

General

acestep-songwriting

No summary provided by upstream source.

Repository SourceNeeds Review
39-ace-step
General

acestep-simplemv

No summary provided by upstream source.

Repository SourceNeeds Review
35-ace-step
General

acestep-docs

No summary provided by upstream source.

Repository SourceNeeds Review
30-ace-step
General

acestep-lyrics-transcription

No summary provided by upstream source.

Repository SourceNeeds Review
24-ace-step