Spotify MCP Server

Control Spotify with natural language from Claude Desktop or Cursor — one Python file, no clone required.

Created by Madhav Panchal · X @maddytechspace · Report an issue · Download the file

Table of contents

• Features
• Quick start
• Daily use
• Available tools
• Troubleshooting
• Requirements
• Security
• Author
• Contributing
• Disclaimer
• License

Features

• Single file — download spotify_mcp_server.py and go
• Natural language — ask Claude or Cursor to play, pause, search, queue, and more
• 11 MCP tools — playback, queue, search, playlists, and listening stats
• One-time Spotify login — OAuth token saved locally
• Works on Mac & Windows — clear setup steps for each platform

Quick start

Step 1 — Download one file

Download spotify_mcp_server.py (right-click → Save as).

Save it anywhere, for example:

| Platform | Example location | |----------|------------------| | Mac | ~/spotify-mcp/spotify_mcp_server.py | | Windows | C:\Tools\spotify_mcp_server.py |

No git clone needed — only this file.

Step 2 — Install dependencies

Mac

pip3 install mcp spotipy

Windows

pip install mcp spotipy

Step 3 — Spotify API credentials

1. Open the Spotify Developer Dashboard
2. Click Create App and fill in the details
3. Under Redirect URIs, add: http://127.0.0.1:8888/callback
4. Open Settings and copy your Client ID and Client Secret
5. Open spotify_mcp_server.py in any text editor and paste them at the top:

SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID     = "your_client_id"
SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET = "your_client_secret"

Step 4 — Authorize Spotify (one time)

Run this from the folder where you saved the file:

Mac

python3 spotify_mcp_server.py --login

Windows

python spotify_mcp_server.py --login

Your browser opens → log in to Spotify → allow access. A token is saved to ~/.spotify_mcp_token (Mac) or %USERPROFILE%\.spotify_mcp_token (Windows). You only do this once.

Step 5 — Connect Claude or Cursor

Replace the path in args with the full absolute path to your downloaded file, then restart the app.

Use either Claude Desktop or Cursor with this server — not both at the same time.

Claude Desktop

| Platform | Config file location | |----------|----------------------| | Mac | ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json | | Windows | %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json |

Mac

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spotify": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/full/path/to/spotify_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Windows

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spotify": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["C:\\full\\path\\to\\spotify_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

| Platform | Config file location | |----------|----------------------| | Mac | ~/.cursor/mcp.json | | Windows | %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json |

Mac

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spotify": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/full/path/to/spotify_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Windows

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spotify": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["C:\\full\\path\\to\\spotify_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Tip (Mac): Drag the file into Terminal to copy its full path.

Daily use

1. Open Spotify on your phone or computer (start playback once if the device is inactive).

2. Open Claude Desktop or Cursor.

3. Ask in plain language, for example:

   • "What's playing right now?"
   • "Play Blinding Lights"
   • "Pause"
   • "Add Drake to the queue"
   • "Set volume to 40"

No terminal commands needed after setup.

Available tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | now_playing | Show the current track | | play | Resume playback | | pause | Pause playback | | skip_next | Skip to the next track | | skip_previous | Go to the previous track | | set_volume | Set volume (0–100) | | search_and_play | Search and play a track immediately | | add_to_queue | Search and add a track to the queue | | get_queue | View upcoming tracks | | my_top_tracks | Your most played tracks | | recently_played | Recently played tracks | | my_playlists | List your playlists | | play_playlist | Play a playlist by name |

Troubleshooting

| Problem | Fix | |---------|-----| | invalid_client | Double-check Client ID and Secret in spotify_mcp_server.py — no extra spaces | | NO_ACTIVE_DEVICE | Open Spotify on a device and play any song once, then retry | | MCP server not listed | Use the full absolute path in args; restart Claude/Cursor | | python / python3 not found | Install Python 3.10+ and ensure it is on your PATH |

Re-authorize Spotify

Mac

rm -f ~/.spotify_mcp_token
python3 spotify_mcp_server.py --login

Windows

Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.spotify_mcp_token" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
python spotify_mcp_server.py --login

Still stuck? Open an issue.

Requirements

| Requirement | Notes | |-------------|--------| | Python 3.10+ | Download Python | | mcp, spotipy | Installed via pip (see Step 2) | | Spotify account | Free or Premium | | Spotify Developer app | Free at developer.spotify.com | | Claude Desktop or Cursor | MCP-enabled client |

Premium note: Playback control (play, pause, skip, volume) requires Spotify Premium. Search, queue, and listening stats work on free accounts.

Security

• API credentials live only in your local copy of spotify_mcp_server.py — never commit real keys to GitHub.
• OAuth tokens are stored locally in ~/.spotify_mcp_token (Mac) or %USERPROFILE%\.spotify_mcp_token (Windows).
• This project runs on your machine; no data is sent to any third-party server besides Spotify's API.

Author

Madhav Panchal — builder, open-source enthusiast

• GitHub: @madhavbuilds
• X: @maddytechspace
• Project: spotify-mcp

If this project helped you, consider starring the repo — it helps others discover it.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

For bugs or ideas, open an issue first.

Disclaimer

This is a third-party integration and is not made by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Spotify, Anthropic (Claude), or Cursor.

Made by Madhav Panchal.

Use at your own discretion. You are responsible for complying with Spotify's Terms of Use and Developer Policy.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Copyright © 2026 Madhav Panchal