Spotify MCP Server

Enables Claude to connect and interact with Spotify for music playback and management.

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Spotify MCP server?

Enables Claude to connect and interact with Spotify for music playback and management. Exposed over MCP by the spotify mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

MCP project to connect Claude with Spotify. Built on top of spotipy-dev's API.

  • Start, pause, and skip playback
  • Search for tracks/albums/artists/playlists
  • Get info about a track/album/artist/playlist
  • Manage the Spotify queue

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • Troubleshooting — Please open an issue if you can't get this MCP working. Here are some tips: 1. Make sure uv is updated. I recommend version >=0.54. 2. Make sure
  • Debugging — Since MCP servers run over stdio, debugging can be challenging. For the best debugging experience, we strongly recommend using the [MCP

Configuration

You will need 6 environment variables: SPOTIFY_REDIRECT_URI, SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID, YOUR_CLIENT_ID, SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET, YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET, UV_PUBLISH_TOKEN. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Adding it to your client

The server ships on npm as @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

When to reach for it

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Spotify's toolset — Troubleshooting, Debugging — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by boristopalov; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Caveats

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the spotify mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
TroubleshootingPlease open an issue if you can't get this MCP working. Here are some tips: 1. Make sure uv is updated. I recommend version >=0.54. 2. Make sure claude has execution permisisons for the project: chmod -R 755. 3. Ensure y
DebuggingSince MCP servers run over stdio, debugging can be challenging. For the best debugging experience, we strongly recommend using the [MCP Inspector](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector).

How to install the Spotify MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spotify-2": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"],
      "env": {
        "SPOTIFY_REDIRECT_URI": "your-value",
        "SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID": "your-value",
        "YOUR_CLIENT_ID": "your-value",
        "SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-value",
        "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-value",
        "UV_PUBLISH_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
SPOTIFY_REDIRECT_URIFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional
SPOTIFY_CLIENT_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
YOUR_CLIENT_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRETCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
YOUR_CLIENT_SECRETCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
UV_PUBLISH_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Spotify to Troubleshooting.
  • Use Spotify to Debugging.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Claude AI to Spotify, allowing you to control music playback, search for songs, manage your queue, and get information about tracks, artists, and playlists using Claude.