mcp-applemusic

MCP server for Apple Music - lets Claude manage playlists, control playback, and browse your library.

Features

Feature	macOS	API
List playlists	✓	✓
Browse library songs	✓	✓
Create playlists	✓	✓
Search library	✓	✓
Love/dislike tracks	✓	✓
CSV/JSON export	✓	✓
Add tracks to playlists	✓	API-created
Search catalog		✓
Add songs to library		✓
Recommendations, charts, radio		✓
Play tracks	✓
Playback control (pause/skip/seek)	✓
Volume, shuffle, repeat	✓
Star ratings (1-5)	✓
Remove tracks from playlists	✓
Delete playlists	✓

macOS uses AppleScript for full local control. API mode enables catalog features and works cross-platform.

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Quick Start (macOS)

Requirements: Python 3.10+, Apple Music app with subscription.

No Apple Developer account needed! Most features work instantly via AppleScript.

git clone https://github.com/epheterson/mcp-applemusic.git
cd mcp-applemusic
python3 -m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Add to Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Apple Music": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/mcp-applemusic/venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "applemusic_mcp"]
    }
  }
}

That's it! Restart Claude and try: "List my Apple Music playlists" or "Play my favorites playlist"

Windows/Linux users: Skip to API Setup - AppleScript features require macOS, but API mode works cross-platform.

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API Setup (Optional on macOS, Required on Windows/Linux)

Want catalog search, recommendations, or adding songs from Apple Music? Set up API access:

1. Get MusicKit Key

1. Apple Developer Portal → Keys → Click +
2. Name it anything, check MusicKit, click Continue → Register
3. Download the .p8 file (one-time download!)
4. Note your Key ID (10 chars) and Team ID (from Membership)

2. Configure

mkdir -p ~/.config/applemusic-mcp
cp ~/Downloads/AuthKey_XXXXXXXXXX.p8 ~/.config/applemusic-mcp/

Create ~/.config/applemusic-mcp/config.json:

{
  "team_id": "YOUR_TEAM_ID",
  "key_id": "YOUR_KEY_ID",
  "private_key_path": "~/.config/applemusic-mcp/AuthKey_XXXXXXXXXX.p8"
}

3. Generate Tokens

applemusic-mcp generate-token   # Creates developer token (180 days)
applemusic-mcp authorize        # Opens browser for Apple Music auth
applemusic-mcp status           # Verify everything works

4. Add to Claude (Windows/Linux)

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Apple Music": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/mcp-applemusic/venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "applemusic_mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Optional Preferences

Add to config.json:

{
  "preferences": {
    "auto_search": true,
    "clean_only": false,
    "fetch_explicit": false,
    "reveal_on_library_miss": false
  }
}

• auto_search: Auto-find catalog tracks not in library, for add_to_playlist (default: false)
• clean_only: Filter explicit content, for search_catalog, search_library, browse_library (default: false)
• fetch_explicit: Fetch explicit status (cached), for get_playlist_tracks, search_library, browse_library (default: false)
• reveal_on_library_miss: Open catalog tracks in Music app, for play (default: false)

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Usage Examples

Playlist management:

• "List my Apple Music playlists"
• "Create a playlist called 'Road Trip' and add some upbeat songs"
• "Add Hey Jude by The Beatles to my Road Trip playlist"
• "Remove the last 3 tracks from my workout playlist"
• "Export my library to CSV"

Discovery & playback (macOS):

• "What have I been listening to recently?"
• "Play my workout playlist on shuffle"
• "Skip to the next track"
• "What's playing right now?"

With API enabled:

• "Search Apple Music for 90s alternative rock"
• "Find songs similar to Bohemian Rhapsody and add them to my library"
• "What are the top charts right now?"
• "Get me personalized recommendations"

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Tools

v0.5.0 Update: All tools consolidated into 5 action-based dispatchers for reduced MCP overhead. See CHANGELOG for migration guide.

playlist(action=...)

Playlist operations - list, manage tracks, create, copy, remove (macOS), delete (macOS), rename (macOS)

Action	Parameters	Description	Platform
list	format, export, full	List all playlists	All
tracks	playlist, filter, limit, offset, format, export, full, fetch_explicit	Get playlist tracks with filter/pagination	All (by-name: macOS)
search	query, playlist	Search tracks in playlist	All
create	name, description	Create new playlist	All
add	playlist, track, album, artist, allow_duplicates, verify, auto_search	Smart add: auto-search catalog, skip duplicates	All (by-name: macOS)
copy	source, new_name	Copy playlist to editable version	All (by-name: macOS)
remove	playlist, track, artist	Remove track(s) from playlist	macOS
delete	name or playlist	Delete playlist	macOS
rename	playlist, new_name	Rename playlist in-place	macOS

Examples:

playlist(action="list")
playlist(action="create", name="Road Trip", description="Summer vibes")
playlist(action="add", playlist="Road Trip", track="Hey Jude", artist="Beatles")
playlist(action="tracks", playlist="p.abc123", limit=50)

Unified track parameter auto-detects: names, IDs (catalog/library/persistent), CSV, or JSON arrays. Add entire albums with album parameter.

library(action=...)

Library management - search, add, browse, rate, recently played/added, remove (macOS)

Action	Parameters	Description	Platform
search	query, types, limit, format, export, full, fetch_explicit, clean_only	Search your library (fast local on macOS)	All
add	track, album, artist	Add tracks/albums from catalog	All
browse	item_type, limit, offset, format, export, full, fetch_explicit, clean_only	List songs/albums/artists/videos	All
recently_played	limit, format, export, full	Recent listening history	All
recently_added	limit, format, export, full	Recently added content	All
rate	rate_action, track, artist, stars	Love/dislike/get/set ratings	All (stars: macOS)
remove	track, artist	Remove track(s) from library	macOS

Examples:

library(action="search", query="Beatles", types="songs", limit=25)
library(action="add", album="Abbey Road", artist="Beatles")
library(action="recently_played", limit=30)
library(action="rate", rate_action="love", track="Hey Jude")

catalog(action=...)

Catalog search and details - search, albums, songs, artists, genres, stations

Action	Parameters	Description	Platform
search	query, types, limit, format, export, full, clean_only	Search Apple Music catalog	All
album_tracks	album, artist, limit, offset, format, export, full	Get album tracks (by name or ID)	All
album_details	album, artist, format, export, full	Full album metadata + track listing	All
song_details	song_id	Full song metadata	All
artist_details	artist	Artist info and discography	All
song_station	song_id	Get radio station for song	All
genres	-	List all available genres	All

Examples:

catalog(action="search", query="90s alternative", types="songs", limit=50)
catalog(action="album_tracks", album="Abbey Road", artist="Beatles")
catalog(action="album_details", album="GNX", artist="Kendrick Lamar")
catalog(action="artist_details", artist="The Beatles")

discover(action=...)

Discovery and recommendations - personalized stations, charts, top songs, similar artists

Action	Parameters	Description	Platform
recommendations	format, export, full	Personalized recommendations	All
heavy_rotation	format, export, full	Your frequently played	All
charts	chart_type, format, export, full	Apple Music charts	All
top_songs	artist	Artist's popular songs	All
similar_artists	artist	Find similar artists	All
search_suggestions	term	Autocomplete suggestions	All
personal_station	-	Your personal radio station	All

Optional: All catalog-based discover actions (charts, top_songs, similar_artists, song_station) accept an optional storefront parameter to query other regions without changing your default storefront.

Examples:

discover(action="recommendations")
discover(action="charts", chart_type="songs", storefront="it")  # Italy charts
discover(action="top_songs", artist="The Beatles")

Playback (macOS only)

Tool	Description	Method	Platform
play	Play track, playlist, or album (with shuffle option)	API + AS	macOS
playback_control	Play, pause, stop, next, previous, seek	AppleScript	macOS
get_now_playing	Current track info and player state	AppleScript	macOS
playback_settings	Get/set volume, shuffle, repeat	AppleScript	macOS

play accepts ONE of: track, playlist, or album. Use shuffle=True for shuffled playback. Response shows source: [Library], [Catalog], or [Catalog→Library]. Catalog items can be added first (add_to_library=True) or opened in Music (reveal=True).

Utilities

Tool	Description	Platform
config(action=...)	Preferences, storefronts, cache, audit log	All
check_auth_status()	Verify tokens and API connection	All
airplay(device_name=...)	List or switch AirPlay devices	macOS
reveal_in_music(track, artist)	Show track in Music app	macOS

Config actions: info, set-pref, list-storefronts, audit-log, clear-tracks, clear-exports, clear-audit-log

Output Format

Most list tools support these output options:

Parameter	Values	Description
format	"text" (default), "json", "csv", "none"	Response format
export	"none" (default), "csv", "json"	Write file to disk
full	False (default), True	Include all metadata

Text format auto-selects the best tier that fits:

• Full: Name - Artist (duration) Album [Year] Genre id
• Compact: Name - Artist (duration) id
• Minimal: Name - Artist id

Examples:

library(action="search", query="beatles", format="json")                      # JSON response
library(action="browse", item_type="songs", export="csv")                     # Text + CSV file
library(action="browse", item_type="songs", format="none", export="csv")      # CSV only (saves tokens)
playlist(action="tracks", playlist="p.123", export="json", full=True)         # JSON file with all metadata

MCP Resources

Exported files are accessible via MCP resources (Claude Desktop can read these):

Resource	Description
exports://list	List all exported files
exports://{filename}	Read a specific export file

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Limitations

Windows/Linux

Limitation	Workaround
Only API-created playlists editable	copy_playlist makes editable copy
Can't delete playlists or remove tracks	Create new playlist instead
No playback control	Use Music app directly

Both Platforms

• Tokens expire: Developer token lasts 180 days. You'll see warnings starting 30 days before expiration. Run applemusic-mcp generate-token to renew.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
401 Unauthorized	applemusic-mcp authorize
"Cannot edit playlist"	Use copy_playlist for editable copy
Token expiring	applemusic-mcp generate-token
Check everything	applemusic-mcp status

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CLI Reference

applemusic-mcp status          # Check tokens and connection
applemusic-mcp generate-token  # New developer token (180 days)
applemusic-mcp authorize       # Browser auth for user token
applemusic-mcp serve           # Run MCP server (auto-launched by Claude)

Config: ~/.config/applemusic-mcp/ (config.json, .p8 key, tokens)

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License

MIT · Unofficial community project, not affiliated with Apple.

Credits

FastMCP · Apple MusicKit · Model Context Protocol