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

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.