Crate. From folder to released. One board.

Crate is a local-first project manager for Ableton Live. It reads every .als in your Ableton folder, opens each one in place, and pulls out tempo, key, track count, plugins, samples, and arrangement length. Files are read-only; nothing is uploaded, moved, copied, or modified. Re-scans only re-read what changed.

Point Crate at a folder. It reads what's inside every project.

Crate walks the folder, opens each .als in place, and pulls out tempo, key, track count, plugins, and arrangement length. Files are read-only; nothing is uploaded, moved, copied, or modified.

Every project lands in a phase.

Drag a card between phases as a project moves from rough idea to released. The default phases are Drafting, Arranging, Mixing, Mastering, and Released. New and modified projects since the last scan are flagged automatically.

Sort the inbox on your downtime.

Crate turns your folder of Ableton projects into a simple inbox you can clear a few at a time. Its algorithm suggests the phase, you confirm or change it, and Crate keeps your place across sessions and devices.

Scan from one device. Open from any.

Scanning needs a Chromium browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, or Opera) on the machine that holds your projects. The board, sorting, and stats work in any modern browser, on any device.

Pricing

Free covers the whole workflow: scan, the inbox, the board, triage, per-phase checklists, and insights, in 1 workspace, fully local. Studio adds cloud sync, custom pipelines, and a reusable checklist library, plus higher limits, for $7 per month billed annually ($84 per year) or $9 monthly. Cancel anytime.

Questions worth answering

Does Crate upload or modify my .als files?

No. Crate opens .als files read-only in your browser to extract tempo, key, track count, plugins, and arrangement length. Nothing is uploaded, moved, copied, or written back to disk. Only the board metadata you create (column, notes, checklist progress) syncs to your account.

Which browsers can run the scan?

Any Chromium-based browser on the machine that holds your projects: Chrome 86+, Edge 86+, Brave, Arc, Opera, or Vivaldi, on macOS, Windows, Linux, or ChromeOS. Safari and Firefox do not implement the File System Access API, so they cannot scan. Once projects are in Crate, the board, sorting, stats, and checklists work in any modern browser, on any device.

What permissions does Crate need to scan my folder?

One browser prompt ("Let site view files") for the single folder you pick. Access is read-only and scoped to that folder; Crate cannot see anything else on your disk and never asks for write access. Files are parsed locally in the browser, not uploaded. Chromium resets folder permission when you fully close the browser, which is why Crate shows a "Reconnect" button on return.

What does a re-scan show me?

Projects new since the last scan get an amber badge. Projects whose .als changed get a blue badge. Projects whose files have gone missing get flagged in the toolbar so you can review them. Re-scans are fast; Crate only re-reads files whose modification dates changed.

Can I delete my account and data?

Yes. Delete your cloud data anytime from Settings. Projects, workspaces, and templates wipe immediately while your subscription keeps running. To delete the account itself, cancel billing first; once the period ends, the account deletes on confirm.