Google Flow Music VST: how to make and run your own plugins
Since October 6, 2026, a Space in Google Flow Music can be exported as a VST3 or Audio Units plugin and played in your DAW. Here is how it works, what it can’t do yet, and how to get it showing up in your plugin list.
Updated October 15, 2026 · Based on Google’s announcement and help center (sources below)
What you get
Flow Music doesn’t compile a separate plugin for every idea. You install two host plugins once, Flow Instrument and Flow Effect, and then load any plugin you design in Flow as a small .fmx file. In Google’s announcement, producer Khris Riddick-Tynes builds a custom plugin called “No Chaser” this way.
Before you start: the limits
- macOS only. Google’s help page covers Mac installs only. There is no Windows or Linux version yet.
- VST3 and Audio Units. No CLAP, AAX or standalone app.
- Instruments use synthesized audio only. Instrument plugins can’t use sample-based or generative-AI audio.
- Rolling availability. If you don’t see a Plugins filter in Spaces, the feature may not be on your account yet.
- Account required. Flow Music is for people 18+ in supported regions. Core features are free with daily credits, and paid plans start at $8/month (pricing). Google doesn’t say whether plugin export needs a paid plan.
Step by step
Ask for a plugin in Flow Music
On a Mac, open Flow Music and describe the plugin, using the word “plugin” or “VST” (for example “Make a warm analog-style synth plugin” or “Create a tape delay VST effect”). When the Space is ready, choose Use in DAW.
Install the Flow host plugins (one time)
Choose Download plugin, open the .dmg, then drag the .component file into the Components folder and the .vst3 file into the VST3 folder. This installs two host plugins, Flow Instrument and Flow Effect. Their names are fixed.
Find them in your DAW
Rescan plugins and look under the manufacturer “Google Flow Music”. In Ableton Live, open Settings → Plug-Ins, turn on “Use Audio Units v2” and “Use VST3 Plug-Ins System Folders”, then click Rescan.
Load your design
Back in Flow Music, download your plugin as an .fmx file and drag it onto the open Flow Instrument or Flow Effect window. The host turns into your plugin.
To reuse a plugin later, open Spaces, pick the “Plugins” filter, then More → Use in DAW.
DAW setup notes
- Ableton Live
- Settings → Plug-Ins: turn on “Use Audio Units v2” and “Use VST3 Plug-Ins System Folders”, then Rescan. The plugins appear under Google Flow Music.
- Logic Pro
- Logic uses the Audio Units (.component) version. If it doesn’t appear, rescan in the Plug-in Manager.
- FL Studio
- Use the VST3 version and run a plugin scan in the Plugin Manager.
Troubleshooting
- Missing plugin folders: in Finder, press Shift+Cmd+G and create
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Componentsand/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3if they don’t exist, then install again. - Duplicate Flow plugins: delete the
Flow*.vst3andFlow*.componentfiles from your user Library plugin folders (~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/…), then rescan. - No “Use in DAW” option: check that you’re on a Mac and that your prompt asked for a plugin or VST.
How it compares
Google isn’t the only one doing this. See our AI plugin makers comparison of Google Flow Music, Sonorie, pluginmaker.ai and Suno Studio, covering formats, operating systems, export and price.