MiniMax-AI/minimax-music-gen

MiniMax Music Generation Skill

Generate songs (vocal or instrumental) using the MiniMax Music API. Supports two creation modes: Basic (one-sentence-in, song-out) and Advanced Control (edit lyrics, refine prompt, plan before generating).

Prerequisites

• mmx CLI (required): Music generation uses the mmx command-line tool.

  Check if installed:

  command -v mmx && mmx --version || echo "mmx not found"
  

  Install (requires Node.js):

  npm install -g mmx-cli
  

  Authenticate (first time only):

  mmx auth login --api-key <your-minimax-api-key>
  

  The API key can be obtained from MiniMax Platform. Credentials are saved to ~/.mmx/credentials.json and persist across sessions.

  Verify:

  mmx quota show
  

• Audio player (recommended): mpv, ffplay, or afplay (macOS built-in) for local playback. mpv is preferred for its interactive controls.

CLI Tool

This skill uses the mmx CLI for all music generation:

• Music Generation: mmx music generate — model: music-2.6-free

  • Supports --lyrics-optimizer to auto-generate lyrics from prompt
  • Supports --instrumental for instrumental tracks
  • Supports --lyrics for user-provided lyrics
  • Structured params: --genre, --mood, --vocals, --instruments, --bpm, --key, --tempo, --structure, --references

• Cover: mmx music cover — model: music-cover-free

  • Takes reference audio via --audio-file <path> or --audio <url>
  • --prompt describes the target cover style

Agent flags: Always add --quiet --non-interactive when calling mmx from agents.

Pipeline:

• Vocal: User description -> mmx music generate --lyrics-optimizer -> MP3
• Instrumental: User description -> mmx music generate --instrumental -> MP3
• Cover: Source audio + style -> mmx music cover -> MP3

Storage

All generated music is saved to ~/Music/minimax-gen/. Create the directory if it doesn't exist. Files are named with a timestamp and a short slug derived from the prompt: YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_<slug>.mp3

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Language & Interaction

Detect the user's language from their first message and respond in that language for the entire session. This applies to all interaction text, questions, confirmations, and feedback prompts.

User-facing text localization rule:

• ALL text shown to the user — including preview labels, field names, confirmations, status messages, playback info, feedback prompts, and the prompt/description preview — MUST be fully translated into the user's language.
• The API prompt sent to the model should always be written in English for best generation quality. However, when previewing the prompt to the user, show a localized description in the user's language instead of the raw English prompt. The English prompt is an internal implementation detail — the user does not need to see it.
• The templates below are written in English as reference. At runtime, translate every label and message into the user's detected language.

Lyrics language rule:

• Default lyrics language = the user's language. A Chinese-speaking user gets Chinese lyrics; an English-speaking user gets English lyrics.
• Only generate lyrics in a different language if the user explicitly requests it.
• When a different lyrics language is needed, embed it naturally into the vocal or genre description in the prompt. For example, instead of appending "with Korean lyrics", use "featuring a Korean female vocalist" or specify a genre that implies the language (e.g., "K-pop", "J-rock", "Mandopop", "Latin pop").

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Workflow

Step 0: Detect Intent

Parse the user's message to determine:

1. Song category: vocal (with lyrics), instrumental (no vocals), or cover
2. Creation mode preference: did they provide detailed requirements (Advanced) or a casual one-liner (Basic)?

If ambiguous, ask using this decision tree:

Q1: What type of music?
  - Vocal (with lyrics)
  - Instrumental (no vocals)
  - Cover

Q2: Creation mode?
  - Basic — one-line description, auto-generate
  - Advanced — edit lyrics, refine prompt, plan

If the user gives a clear one-liner like "make me a sad piano piece", skip the questions — infer instrumental + basic mode and proceed.

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Step 1: Basic Mode

Goal: User provides a short description, the skill auto-generates everything, then calls the API.

1. Expand the description into a prompt: Take the user's one-liner and expand it into a rich music prompt. Refer to the Prompt Writing Guide appendix at the end of this document for style vocabulary, genre/instrument references, and prompt structure. The API prompt should always be written in English for best generation quality, regardless of the user's language.

   Follow this pattern:

   A [mood] [BPM optional] [genre] song, featuring [vocal description],
   about [narrative/theme], [atmosphere], [key instruments and production].
   

2. Show the user a preview before generating. Translate all labels AND the prompt description into the user's language. The English prompt is only used internally when calling the API — the user should never see it. Example template (English reference — localize everything at runtime):

   About to generate:
   Type: Vocal / Instrumental
   Description: indie folk, melancholy, acoustic guitar, gentle female voice
   Lyrics: Auto-generated (--lyrics-optimizer)
   
   Confirm? (press enter to confirm, or tell me what to change)
   

3. Call mmx: Generate the music directly.

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Step 2: Advanced Control Mode

Goal: User has full control over every parameter before generation.

1. Lyrics phase:

   • If user provided lyrics: display them formatted with section markers, ask for edits. The final lyrics will be passed via --lyrics to mmx.
   • If user has a theme but no lyrics: will use --lyrics-optimizer to auto-generate.
   • Support iterative editing: "change the second chorus" -> only rewrite that section.
   • User can also write lyrics themselves and pass via --lyrics.

2. Prompt phase:

   • Generate a recommended prompt based on the lyrics' mood and content.
   • Present it as editable tags the user can add/remove/modify.
   • Refer to the Prompt Writing Guide appendix for the full vocabulary.

3. Advanced planning (optional, offer but don't force):

   • Song structure: verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus or custom
   • BPM suggestion (encode in prompt as tempo descriptor)
   • Reference style: "something like X style" -> map to prompt tags
   • Vocal character description

4. Final confirmation: Show complete parameter summary, then generate.

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Step 3: Call mmx

Generate music using the mmx CLI:

Vocal with auto-generated lyrics:

mmx music generate \
  --prompt "<prompt>" \
  --lyrics-optimizer \
  --genre "<genre>" --mood "<mood>" --vocals "<vocal style>" \
  --instruments "<instruments>" --bpm <bpm> \
  --out ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 \
  --quiet --non-interactive

Vocal with user-provided lyrics:

mmx music generate \
  --prompt "<prompt>" \
  --lyrics "<lyrics with section markers>" \
  --genre "<genre>" --mood "<mood>" --vocals "<vocal style>" \
  --out ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 \
  --quiet --non-interactive

Instrumental (no vocal):

mmx music generate \
  --prompt "<prompt>" \
  --instrumental \
  --genre "<genre>" --mood "<mood>" --instruments "<instruments>" \
  --out ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 \
  --quiet --non-interactive

Use structured flags (--genre, --mood, --vocals, --instruments, --bpm, --key, --tempo, --structure, --references, --avoid, --use-case) to give the API fine-grained control instead of cramming everything into --prompt.

Display a progress indicator while waiting. Typical generation takes 30-120 seconds.

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Step 4: Playback

After generation, detect an available audio player and play the file.

Detect player:

command -v mpv || command -v ffplay || command -v afplay

Play based on detected player (in priority order):

| Player | Command | Controls | |--------|---------|----------| | mpv (preferred) | mpv --no-video ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 | space = pause/resume, q = quit, left/right = seek | | ffplay | ffplay -nodisp -autoexit ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 | q = quit | | afplay (macOS) | afplay ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 | Ctrl+C = stop | | None found | Do not attempt playback | Show file path only |

After starting playback, tell the user (localize all text):

Now playing: <filename>.mp3
Saved to: ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3

Do NOT show playback controls (e.g. keyboard shortcuts) — they don't work in this environment since the player runs in the background.

If no player is found (localize all text):

No audio player detected.
File saved to: ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3
Tip: Install mpv for the best playback experience (brew install mpv).

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Step 5: Feedback & Iteration

After playback, ask for feedback:

How was this song?
  1. Love it, keep it!
  2. Not quite, adjust and regenerate
  3. Fine-tune lyrics/style then regenerate
  4. Don't want it, start over

Based on feedback:

• Satisfied: Done. Mention the file path again.
• Adjust & regenerate: Ask what to change (prompt? lyrics? style?), apply edits, re-run generation. Keep the old file with a _v1 suffix for comparison.
• Fine-tune: Enter Advanced Control Mode with the current parameters pre-filled.
• Delete & restart: Remove the file, go back to Step 0.

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Cover Mode

Generate a cover version of a song based on reference audio. Model: music-cover-free.

Reference audio requirements: mp3, wav, flac — duration 6s to 6min, max 50MB. If no lyrics are provided, the original lyrics are extracted via ASR automatically.

Workflow

When the user selects Cover mode:

1. Ask for the source audio — a local file path or URL
2. Ask for the target cover style (e.g., "acoustic cover, stripped-down, intimate vocal")
3. Optionally ask for custom lyrics or lyrics file

Commands

Cover from local file:

mmx music cover \
  --prompt "<cover style description>" \
  --audio-file <source.mp3> \
  --out ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 \
  --quiet --non-interactive

Cover from URL:

mmx music cover \
  --prompt "<cover style description>" \
  --audio <source_url> \
  --out ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 \
  --quiet --non-interactive

With custom lyrics (text):

mmx music cover \
  --prompt "<style>" \
  --audio-file <source.mp3> \
  --lyrics "<custom lyrics>" \
  --out ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 \
  --quiet --non-interactive

With custom lyrics (file):

mmx music cover \
  --prompt "<style>" \
  --audio-file <source.mp3> \
  --lyrics-file <lyrics.txt> \
  --out ~/Music/minimax-gen/<filename>.mp3 \
  --quiet --non-interactive

Optional flags

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | --seed <number> | Random seed 0-1000000 for reproducible results | | --channel <n> | 1 (mono) or 2 (stereo, default) | | --format <fmt> | mp3 (default), wav, pcm | | --sample-rate <hz> | Sample rate (default: 44100) | | --bitrate <bps> | Bitrate (default: 256000) |

After generation

Proceed with normal playback and feedback flow (Step 4 & 5).

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Error Handling

| Error | Action | |-------|--------| | mmx not found | npm install -g mmx-cli | | mmx auth error (exit code 3) | mmx auth login | | Quota exceeded (exit code 4) | Report quota limit, suggest waiting or upgrading | | API timeout (exit code 5) | Retry once, then report failure | | Content filter (exit code 10) | Adjust prompt to avoid filtered content | | Invalid lyrics format | Auto-fix section markers, warn user | | No audio player found | Save file and tell user the path, suggest installing mpv | | Network error | Show error detail, suggest checking connection |

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Important Notes

• Never reproduce copyrighted lyrics. When doing covers, always write original lyrics inspired by the song's theme. Explain this to the user.
• Prompt language: The API prompt works best with English tags. Chinese tags are also acceptable. Mixing is OK.
• Section markers in lyrics: The API recognizes [verse], [chorus], [bridge], [outro], [intro]. Always include them when providing --lyrics.
• File management: If ~/Music/minimax-gen/ has more than 50 files, suggest cleanup when starting a new session.
• Structured params: Prefer using --genre, --mood, --vocals, --instruments, --bpm etc. over embedding everything in --prompt. This gives the API better control.
• Lyrics language via style: When the user wants lyrics in a specific language, express it through the vocal description or genre (e.g., "Japanese female vocalist", "Mandopop ballad") rather than appending a language directive to the prompt.

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Appendix: Prompt Writing Guide

See references/prompt_guide.md for the complete prompt writing guide, including genre/vocal/instrument references and BPM tables.