controlling-spotify

Control Spotify playback, search for music, and manage playlists using the Spotify MCP Server with full user account access.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when users request:

• Playing, pausing, or skipping music on Spotify
• Searching for songs, albums, artists, or playlists
• Creating or modifying playlists
• Viewing currently playing track or playback status
• Managing their Spotify library (saved tracks, albums)
• Queuing songs or albums

Prerequisites

CRITICAL: This skill requires user-provided credentials. The user must complete a one-time setup:

One-Time User Setup

1. Create Spotify Developer Application

   • Go to https://developer.spotify.com/dashboard/
   • Create an app and note the Client ID and Client Secret
   • Add redirect URI: http://127.0.0.1:8888/callback

2. Obtain Refresh Token

   • User must run the helper script locally (see references/setup-guide.md)
   • Script exchanges OAuth code for a long-lived refresh token
   • Refresh token is saved as credential in skill configuration

3. Configure Credentials

   • Add three credentials to this skill:
     • SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID: From Spotify Developer Dashboard
     • SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET: From Spotify Developer Dashboard
     • SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN: From helper script output

   Alternative: Credentials can also be provided via a Project Knowledge file. Ensure the file contains a .env style block with the keys above.

Without these credentials, the skill cannot function. If credentials are missing, guide the user through the setup process detailed in references/setup-guide.md.

MCP Server Installation

The Spotify MCP Server must be installed in the compute environment. Use the provided installation script which handles cloning, patching, and building the server.

# Run the installation script
bash scripts/install-mcp-server.sh

MCP Server Configuration

Configure the MCP client to connect to the Spotify MCP server. Note the logic to support credentials from Project Knowledge.

from mcp import Client
import asyncio
import re

# 1. Try to get credentials from skill configuration
env_vars = {
    "SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID": credentials.get("SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID"),
    "SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET": credentials.get("SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET"),
    "SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN": credentials.get("SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN")
}

# 2. If missing, look in Project Knowledge / Context for .env style block
if not all(env_vars.values()):
    # Heuristic: Scan context/files for VAR=VALUE patterns
    # (Pseudo-code: Implement based on available context access)
    pass

# Server configuration
mcp_config = {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["/home/claude/spotify-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
    "env": env_vars
}

# Initialize client
async def initialize_spotify_mcp():
    client = Client()
    await client.connect_stdio(
        mcp_config["command"],
        mcp_config["args"],
        mcp_config["env"]
    )
    return client

Available Tools

Read Operations

1. searchSpotify - Search for tracks, albums, artists, or playlists

   result = await client.call_tool("searchSpotify", {
       "query": "bohemian rhapsody",
       "type": "track",
       "limit": 10
   })
   

2. getNowPlaying - Get currently playing track information

   result = await client.call_tool("getNowPlaying", {})
   

3. getMyPlaylists - List user's playlists

   result = await client.call_tool("getMyPlaylists", {
       "limit": 20,
       "offset": 0
   })
   

4. getPlaylistTracks - Get tracks from a playlist

   result = await client.call_tool("getPlaylistTracks", {
       "playlistId": "37i9dQZEVXcJZyENOWUFo7"
   })
   

5. getRecentlyPlayed - Get recently played tracks

   result = await client.call_tool("getRecentlyPlayed", {
       "limit": 10
   })
   

6. getUsersSavedTracks - Get user's liked songs

   result = await client.call_tool("getUsersSavedTracks", {
       "limit": 50,
       "offset": 0
   })
   

Playback Control

1. playMusic - Start playing track/album/artist/playlist

   # Play by URI
   result = await client.call_tool("playMusic", {
       "uri": "spotify:track:6rqhFgbbKwnb9MLmUQDhG6"
   })
   
   # Or by type and ID
   result = await client.call_tool("playMusic", {
       "type": "track",
       "id": "6rqhFgbbKwnb9MLmUQDhG6"
   })
   

2. pausePlayback - Pause current playback

   result = await client.call_tool("pausePlayback", {})
   

3. skipToNext - Skip to next track

   result = await client.call_tool("skipToNext", {})
   

4. skipToPrevious - Skip to previous track

   result = await client.call_tool("skipToPrevious", {})
   

5. addToQueue - Add track/album to playback queue

   result = await client.call_tool("addToQueue", {
       "uri": "spotify:track:6rqhFgbbKwnb9MLmUQDhG6"
   })
   

Playlist Management

1. createPlaylist - Create new playlist

   result = await client.call_tool("createPlaylist", {
       "name": "My Workout Mix",
       "description": "High energy tracks",
       "public": False
   })
   

2. addTracksToPlaylist - Add tracks to existing playlist

   result = await client.call_tool("addTracksToPlaylist", {
       "playlistId": "3cEYpjA9oz9GiPac4AsH4n",
       "trackUris": [
           "spotify:track:4iV5W9uYEdYUVa79Axb7Rh",
           "spotify:track:6rqhFgbbKwnb9MLmUQDhG6"
       ]
   })
   

Album Operations

1. getAlbums - Get album details

   result = await client.call_tool("getAlbums", {
       "albumIds": ["4aawyAB9vmqN3uQ7FjRGTy"]
   })
   

2. getAlbumTracks - Get tracks from album

   result = await client.call_tool("getAlbumTracks", {
       "albumId": "4aawyAB9vmqN3uQ7FjRGTy"
   })
   

3. saveOrRemoveAlbumForUser - Save/remove albums

   result = await client.call_tool("saveOrRemoveAlbumForUser", {
       "albumIds": ["4aawyAB9vmqN3uQ7FjRGTy"],
       "action": "save"
   })
   

Workflow Examples

Example 1: Play User's Favorite Song

# 1. Search for the song
search_result = await client.call_tool("searchSpotify", {
    "query": "user's favorite song name",
    "type": "track",
    "limit": 1
})

# 2. Extract track URI from results
track_uri = search_result["tracks"][0]["uri"]

# 3. Play the track
await client.call_tool("playMusic", {
    "uri": track_uri
})

Example 2: Create Playlist from Genre

# 1. Search for tracks in genre
search_result = await client.call_tool("searchSpotify", {
    "query": "genre:rock year:2020-2024",
    "type": "track",
    "limit": 20
})

# 2. Create new playlist
playlist_result = await client.call_tool("createPlaylist", {
    "name": "Modern Rock Mix",
    "description": "Recent rock tracks",
    "public": False
})

# 3. Extract track URIs
track_uris = [track["uri"] for track in search_result["tracks"]]

# 4. Add tracks to playlist
await client.call_tool("addTracksToPlaylist", {
    "playlistId": playlist_result["id"],
    "trackUris": track_uris
})

Example 3: Show What's Playing

# Get current playback state
now_playing = await client.call_tool("getNowPlaying", {})

# Format and display
print(f"Now Playing: {now_playing['track']['name']}")
print(f"Artist: {now_playing['track']['artists'][0]['name']}")
print(f"Album: {now_playing['track']['album']['name']}")
print(f"Progress: {now_playing['progress_ms']} / {now_playing['duration_ms']} ms")

Important Notes

Spotify Premium Required

Playback control operations (play, pause, skip, queue) require Spotify Premium. Read operations (search, get playlists, view tracks) work with free accounts.

Active Device Required

For playback commands to work, the user must have an active Spotify session (web player, desktop app, mobile app) with a device available. If no active device, playback commands will fail.

Rate Limits

Spotify API has rate limits (typically 180 requests per minute). For bulk operations, implement appropriate delays or batching.

Token Security

• Refresh tokens grant full access to user's Spotify account
• Never log or expose refresh tokens
• Treat them with the same security as passwords
• Users can revoke tokens from https://www.spotify.com/account/apps/

URI Format

Spotify uses URIs in the format:

• Track: spotify:track:ID
• Album: spotify:album:ID
• Artist: spotify:artist:ID
• Playlist: spotify:playlist:ID

Most tools accept either URIs or separate type + id parameters.

Troubleshooting

"Spotify configuration not found"

Cause: Missing environment variables

Solution: Verify credentials are properly configured:

import os
print(os.getenv("SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID"))  # Should not be None
print(os.getenv("SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET"))  # Should not be None
print(os.getenv("SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN"))  # Should not be None

"No active device"

Cause: No Spotify client is currently running/active

Solution: Guide user to:

1. Open Spotify on any device (web, desktop, mobile)
2. Start playing something (can pause immediately)
3. Try the playback command again

"Premium required"

Cause: User has Spotify Free account

Solution: Playback control requires Spotify Premium. Only search and read operations available for free accounts.

MCP Server Won't Start

Cause: Missing dependencies or incorrect installation

Solution:

# Re-run installation script
bash scripts/install-mcp-server.sh

Best Practices

1. Always search before playing - Don't assume URIs, search for content first
2. Check playback state - Use getNowPlaying to verify device availability
3. Handle errors gracefully - Provide helpful messages when operations fail
4. Batch operations - When adding multiple tracks, use single call with array
5. Respect rate limits - Add delays for bulk operations

References

• Setup Guide: references/setup-guide.md
• API Documentation: https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/web-api/
• MCP Specification: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/

Security

This skill requires sensitive credentials. Ensure:

• Credentials are stored securely in skill configuration
• Never expose credentials in responses to users
• Never log credentials
• Users understand they can revoke access anytime

See references/setup-guide.md for detailed security best practices.