Three steps
1. Download
Install OSCAR on the computer that runs your show, the one with your video, sound or lighting software. It opens in your web browser.
2. Design
Drag buttons, sliders, knobs and colour pickers onto the page, or start from a template. Style them however you like, and tell each one what it controls.
3. Control
Publish your interface and scan the QR code with a phone or tablet. When someone touches a button, OSCAR passes it on to your software, music gear or lights.
Works with
Anything that understands OSC, MIDI or DMX, the common languages of creative software, music gear and stage lights. For example:
- Resolume Avenue and Arena
- TouchDesigner
- QLab
- Ableton Live
- Max/MSP and Max for Live
- Logic Pro
- REAPER
- Pure Data
- Processing
- openFrameworks
- vvvv
- VDMX
- Modul8
- Isadora
- SuperCollider
- MIDI controllers and synths
- Stage lights (DMX)
- ...and more
Use OSCAR with an AI assistant
An AI assistant such as Claude can work with the OSCAR on your computer. Describe the interface you need and it writes a draft for you to open and check. Tell it something is not responding and it reads your settings and what OSCAR lately sent. OSCAR speaks MCP, the standard way assistants connect to apps, so it is not tied to one assistant: Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot in VS Code, Windsurf, Codex and Gemini CLI can all use it.
1. Start OSCAR
Open OSCAR and look at the MCP pill in the top bar. Green means assistants on this computer may connect. Click it for the switch, these steps with a Copy button for each, and a list of what assistants lately asked for.
2. Connect your assistant, once
- Claude Desktop: download OSCAR.mcpb, double-click it, and choose Install. There is nothing else to set up.
- Claude Code: run
claude mcp add oscar -- npx -y createwithoscar - Cursor, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, Codex, Gemini CLI and other apps that speak MCP: add a server named
oscarwith the commandnpxand the arguments-y createwithoscar.
The last two need Node.js on your computer. On Windows, if the app cannot start it, use the command cmd with the arguments /c npx -y createwithoscar.
3. Ask
- “Build me an OSCAR interface with four faders and a blackout button for my lighting desk.”
- “Make an OSCAR controller for Resolume: eight clips and a crossfader, on port 7000.”
- “My OSCAR slider is not moving the light. Can you see why?”
A draft appears in OSCAR under File → Open project or template, marked Draft. Open it, change what you like, and publish it yourself when it is right.
What an assistant can and cannot do
- It can read: your projects, what is published, each control's settings, your MIDI ports, and the network log.
- It can write: a draft, and nothing else. A draft does nothing until you open it.
- It cannot: send anything to your software, gear or lights, publish, or change a project.
- It stays on your computer: only an assistant running on the same computer as OSCAR can connect. If OSCAR is closed, the assistant will ask you to start it.
Questions people ask
Do phones and tablets need an app?
No. Your interface opens in the web browser the device already has, on iPhone, iPad or Android.
Do I need an internet connection?
No. OSCAR works on your own network, even with no internet at all. You only need the internet to sign in, and for public interfaces with OSCAR Pro.
Is OSCAR really free?
Yes. OSCAR is free and open source, with every feature for designing and running interfaces on your network. OSCAR Pro is optional and adds public interfaces, schedules and a status page.
What computer do I need?
A Windows, Mac or Linux computer. A Raspberry Pi 3, 4 or 5 also works, and makes a small, quiet server for an installation.
Does OSCAR have to stay open?
Yes. The phones and tablets send everything through OSCAR, so keep it running on the computer for as long as your show is on.
Can several people use it at the same time?
Yes. Open the same interface on as many devices as you like. They stay in sync: move a slider on one and it moves on the others.
Can visitors use it from their own phones?
On your Wi-Fi, yes: they scan the QR code. To let visitors in from anywhere, on mobile data and without your Wi-Fi password, set the interface to “Anyone with the link” with OSCAR Pro.
Can I stop people from changing my interface?
Yes. Lock OSCAR, and everyone can use the interface but nobody can edit it, except on the computer running OSCAR.
Something does not respond. How do I find out why?
Open the network log from the top bar. It lists everything OSCAR receives and sends, so you can see whether a message went out and whether anything answered. Getting started walks through a first project step by step.
Is my work sent anywhere?
Your projects stay on your computer. OSCAR counts, anonymously, which features are used, and you can switch that off. The privacy policy has the details.
I found a problem, or I have an idea. Where do I tell you?
Report a problem or request a feature on GitHub, or write to hello@createwithoscar.site if you do not have a GitHub account.