Spotify CLI

A simple command-line interface for controlling Spotify playback from a Raspberry Pi (or any Linux system).

Requirements

• Python 3
• Spotify Premium account
• spotipy Python library
• Spotify app open on another device (phone, computer, or web player)

Installation

1. Install dependencies

pip3 install spotipy --break-system-packages

2. Create a Spotify Developer App

1. Go to https://developer.spotify.com/dashboard
2. Log in and click "Create App"
3. Set Redirect URI to http://127.0.0.1:8888/callback
4. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret

3. Create config file

mkdir -p ~/.config/spotify-cli
cat << EOF > ~/.config/spotify-cli/config
SPOTIPY_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
SPOTIPY_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
SPOTIPY_REDIRECT_URI=http://127.0.0.1:8888/callback
EOF

The script automatically loads credentials from ~/.config/spotify-cli/config.

4. Install the script

sudo cp spotify /usr/local/bin/spotify
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/spotify

5. Authenticate

Run any command (e.g., spotify status). On first run, you'll get a URL to open in your browser. After authorizing, copy the redirect URL (even if the page doesn't load) and paste it when prompted.

Commands

Command	Description
spotify search <query>	Search for songs (shows top 5 results)
spotify play <song>	Search and play a song
spotify pause	Pause playback
spotify resume	Resume playback
spotify next	Skip to next track
spotify prev	Previous track
spotify status	Show currently playing track
spotify devices	List available Spotify devices

Examples

# Search for a song
spotify search "stairway to heaven"

# Play a song (tip: include artist for better results)
spotify play "stairway to heaven led zeppelin"

# Check what's playing
spotify status

# Control playback
spotify pause
spotify resume
spotify next

Best Practices (for AI agents)

When using this tool on behalf of a user:

1. Always search first before playing. Use spotify search "query" to see results.
2. Verify the match - confirm with the user that the search results match what they were looking for.
3. Then play - once confirmed, use spotify play "exact song name artist" with the correct title/artist from the search results.

This avoids playing the wrong song due to Spotify's fuzzy search matching.

Example workflow:

# User asks: "play voice actor u projected 2"

# Step 1: Search first
spotify search "voice actor u projected 2"
# Results show: "U Projected 2 - Voice Actor, Yarrow.co"

# Step 2: Confirm with user that this is the right song

# Step 3: Play with exact match
spotify play "U Projected 2 Voice Actor"

Notes

• This CLI controls playback on an existing Spotify session. You need Spotify open on another device (phone, computer, or https://open.spotify.com).
• The CLI sends commands to that device - audio plays there, not on the Pi.
• Requires Spotify Premium for playback control.

Troubleshooting

"No active device found"

Open Spotify on your phone/computer and play something, then try again.

"No devices found"

Make sure Spotify is open on at least one device and logged into the same account.

Auth token expired

Delete ~/.cache-* files and re-authenticate.