Write a good PatchAI prompt
Goal: Describe what you want in plain language so PatchAI suggests a graph that builds and runs in Live.
Time: ~10 minutes
Steps
- Click PatchAI on the toolbar to open the AI Assistant panel in the dock.
- Name your goal in Live terms: what you right-click, what should change, and one undo or many.
- Mention trigger scope: “On MIDI Clip — transpose by semitones from a slider dialog.”
- Call out must-haves: “Use Transaction for one undo,” “Show Dialog before changing notes,” “read MidiClip notes.”
- Say what you do not want: “No HTTP,” “no second menu command unless I ask.”
- If you have multiple tools in one project, ask for separate trigger nodes — each becomes its own Extensions menu item.
- Review the suggested graph on the canvas; accept or ask for a smaller change (“only add quantize, keep the rest”).
- Build & Run and fix remaining issues with Fix AI suggestions when build fails.
Expected result
PatchAI places nodes and wires that match your description. You spend less time hunting the palette and more time testing in Live.
If something goes wrong
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| AI adds wrong trigger | Reply with exact scope: clip vs track vs scene |
| Suggests string equals for text | Ask for numeric compare or Branch another way — there is no string logic:eq |
| Merges If/Else branches | Ask to duplicate the final step on each branch |
| Uses Clip notes on MIDI | Ask explicitly for get:MidiClip.notes |
| Keys or model errors | Set providers in AI Assistant panel, not Settings — see Set up AI providers |