Spogo - Spotify CLI for Linux Servers

Control Spotify from headless Linux servers using cookie-based auth. No OAuth callback needed - perfect for remote servers.

Why This Skill?

The original spotify-player skill by steipete on ClawHub assumes local browser access for cookie import (spogo auth import --browser chrome). On headless Linux servers without a local browser, this doesn't work.

This skill documents the cookie-based workaround - copy 2 browser cookies and you're done. No OAuth, no localhost needed.

Requirements

• Spotify Premium account
• Go 1.21+ installed
• User's Spotify browser cookies

Installation (Linux)

1. Install Go (if not installed)

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y golang-go

# Or download latest from https://go.dev/dl/
wget https://go.dev/dl/go1.23.4.linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo tar -C /usr/local -xzf go1.23.4.linux-amd64.tar.gz
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:~/go/bin' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

2. Install spogo

go install github.com/steipete/spogo/cmd/spogo@latest

This installs to ~/go/bin/spogo. Add to PATH if needed:

sudo ln -s ~/go/bin/spogo /usr/local/bin/spogo

3. Verify

spogo --version
# spogo v0.2.0

Setup (Cookie Auth)

Since OAuth requires localhost callback (impossible on remote servers), we use cookie auth instead.

1. Get cookies from browser

Have the user open DevTools → Application → Cookies → open.spotify.com and copy:

• sp_dc - Main auth token (long string, required)
• sp_t - Device ID (UUID format, required for playback)

2. Create config

Create ~/.config/spogo/config.toml:

default_profile = "default"

[profile.default]
cookie_path = "/root/.config/spogo/cookies/default.json"
market = "IL"
language = "en"

3. Create cookies file

Create ~/.config/spogo/cookies/default.json:

[
  {
    "name": "sp_dc",
    "value": "USER_SP_DC_VALUE",
    "domain": ".spotify.com",
    "path": "/",
    "expires": "2027-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "secure": true,
    "http_only": true
  },
  {
    "name": "sp_t",
    "value": "USER_SP_T_VALUE",
    "domain": ".spotify.com",
    "path": "/",
    "expires": "2027-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "secure": false,
    "http_only": false
  }
]

4. Verify

spogo auth status
# → "Cookies: 2 (file)"

Commands

# Search
spogo search track "query"
spogo search track "query" --json --limit 5

# Play
spogo play spotify:track:ID
spogo play                    # Resume
spogo pause
spogo next / spogo prev

# Devices
spogo device list --json
spogo device set "DEVICE_ID"

# Status
spogo status
spogo status --json

"missing device id" Error - Browser Fallback

spogo needs an active Spotify session. If no device played recently:

1. Open track in browser:

browser open https://open.spotify.com/track/TRACK_ID profile=openclaw

2. Click Play via browser automation

3. Transfer to target device:

spogo device set "DEVICE_ID"

The browser profile stays logged in (cookies persist). Session stays active for hours after playback.

Rate Limits

• Connect API (default): No rate limits ✓
• Web API (--engine web): Rate limited (429 errors)
• For library access when rate limited → use browser automation

Troubleshooting

"missing device id"

No active Spotify session. Use browser fallback (see above) to start playback first.

"401 Unauthorized"

Cookies expired. Get fresh cookies from browser and update the JSON file.

Commands work but no sound

Check spogo device list - playback might be on wrong device. Use spogo device set "DEVICE_ID" to switch.

Security & Privacy

• Cookie handling: sp_dc and sp_t are stored locally in ~/.config/spogo/cookies/ — treat them as secrets, never log or share them
• Network access: spogo only communicates with Spotify APIs (api.spotify.com, open.spotify.com)
• Browser fallback: Optional — only used when no active Spotify device exists. Uses the agent's browser profile to open open.spotify.com and click Play. This does NOT extract additional cookies or access other browser state
• Install source: go install from the official steipete/spogo GitHub repository — open source, auditable

Notes

• Cookie expiry: ~1 year, but may invalidate if user logs out or changes password
• Premium required: Free accounts can't use Connect API
• Market setting: Change market in config for correct regional availability (IL, US, etc.)