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Connect Spotify

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rowkav09 edited this page Sep 24, 2026 · 2 revisions

Connect Spotify

nowplaying can show what you're playing on Spotify (music and podcasts) alongside or instead of a self-hosted server. Sign-in uses Spotify's own page; nowplaying never sees your Spotify password.

Before you start

Spotify asks each nowplaying user to register their own "app" (free, takes two minutes). You need:

  • A Spotify account. The account that creates the app needs Premium.
  • Up to 5 people can use one app while it's in development mode - fine for personal use.

1. Create your Spotify app

  1. Go to the Spotify developer dashboard and sign in.

  2. Choose Create app. Any name and description works, for example "nowplaying".

  3. Set the Redirect URI to exactly:

    http://127.0.0.1/spotify/callback

    Spotify refuses localhost here; it must be 127.0.0.1.

  4. Save, then copy the app's Client ID (a 32-character string of letters and numbers).

2. Sign in from setup

  1. Open setup - it opens in your browser on first launch, or choose Run setup again from the tray icon - and find the Spotify section.
  2. Paste your Client ID and choose Sign in with Spotify.
  3. Spotify opens in your browser. Approve the access request. The setup page updates itself when sign-in completes.

Success looks like: setup shows Connected as your Spotify account, and the summary at the end reads Spotify on your card: On. Play music or a podcast in any Spotify app and it shows up.

To unlink later, use Disconnect Spotify in the same section.

What nowplaying can see

  • The permission is read-only: what's playing right now, nothing else. nowplaying can't control playback, see your library or change anything.
  • Podcast episodes show as Listening with the show name.
  • When a media server and Spotify are both playing, the card shows whichever started most recently. Discord only ever shows the media server, never Spotify.
  • Spotify doesn't report TV or movies, and a private session counts as nothing playing.

Common problems

  • Sign-in loops or fails after approving: check the redirect URI in your Spotify app is exactly http://127.0.0.1/spotify/callback.
  • "That doesn't look like a Spotify Client ID": copy the 32-character Client ID again from your app's page in the Spotify developer dashboard; it's the ID, not the secret.
  • Nothing shows: make sure the Spotify account playing the music is the same one that approved the app, and the session isn't private.

Your Spotify sign-in is stored in Windows Credential Manager, not in the settings file. Revoking access in your Spotify account settings stops nowplaying immediately.

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