Getting Started with Spotify Soloist | Spotify for Developers

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Getting Started with Spotify Soloist | Spotify for Developers

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Spotify Soloist
* Overview

* Getting started

* Concepts Concepts Concepts
* Overview

* Authentication

* Features

* How-Tos How-Tos How-Tos
* Basic integration

* Reference Reference Reference
* Overview

* Downloads and updates

* Command line

* WebSocket API

* soloist ctl command line

Getting Started with Spotify Soloist

This tutorial gets Spotify Soloist running as a Spotify Connect device on Linux.

Prerequisites

* A Spotify account with Premium to create the Spotify Soloist API key.

* A Linux device on the same local network as the Spotify app you will use for
setup.

* Working PipeWire or PulseAudio output on the Linux device.

* Shell access to the Linux device.

Generate an API key

* Log in to the Spotify for Developers dashboard .

* Open Spotify Soloist API Key .

* Review the
Spotify Terms and Conditions of Use
and accept them if prompted.

* Generate an API key.

Keep the API key private. It is for the account that generated it and should not
be shared with other users. Spotify Soloist sends it during Spotify Connect
login to prove that the device is allowed to use Spotify Soloist.

The examples below pass the key to Spotify Soloist at startup, so treat shell
history, process-manager configuration, screenshots, and logs containing the
command as sensitive. Prefer loading the key from a private local environment
file or secret manager:

_ 10 soloist \

_ 10 --device-name "Kitchen speaker" \

_ 10 --api-key "$SOLOIST_API_KEY"

Download Spotify Soloist

We provide Spotify Soloist Linux builds for ARMv8/AArch64, ARMv7/ARM32, and
x86_64 devices. The ARMv8/AArch64 build is primarily tested on Raspberry Pi 3
Model A+ running the Debian Trixie-based Raspberry Pi OS (glibc 2.41).
The ARMv7/ARM32 build targets 32-bit ARM Linux devices.

Choose the archive for your device architecture. To check your architecture,
run:

_ 10 uname -m

uname -m output Architecture Archive
aarch64 ARMv8/AArch64 Linux soloist_release_arm64.tar.gz
armv7l ARMv7/ARM32 Linux soloist_release_arm32.tar.gz
x86_64 x86_64 Linux soloist_release_x86_64.tar.gz

See the Soloist Third-Party Licenses
for applicable notices and license terms.

Do not redistribute Spotify Soloist archives or binaries directly. Link other
users to
Downloads and updates
instead.

Download the archive, replacing <arch> with arm64 , arm32 , or x86_64 :

_ 10 curl --fail --location -o soloist.tar.gz https://soloist-builds.spotifycdn.com/soloist_release_<arch>.tar.gz

Install it:

_ 10 tar -xzf soloist.tar.gz

_ 10 test -x soloist

_ 10 sudo install -m 755 soloist /usr/local/bin/soloist

Check that the executable works:

_ 10 soloist --version

_ 10 soloist --help

Spotify Soloist builds expire 90 days after their build date. Install a newer build before the current one expires. Expired builds exit with code 10 .

Start Spotify Soloist

Run Spotify Soloist with a Spotify Connect device name and your API key:

_ 10 soloist \

_ 10 --device-name "Kitchen speaker" \

_ 10 --api-key "$SOLOIST_API_KEY"

Spotify Soloist creates default data and cache directories on Linux:

Directory Default
Data ~/.local/share/soloist
Cache ~/.cache/soloist

Use --data-dir if you want a different persistent location, and --cache-dir
if you want a different cache location. Use the same data directory across
restarts to keep the same device identity and stored Spotify Connect session.

Pair from the Spotify app

* Keep Spotify Soloist running.

* Open the Spotify app on a phone, tablet, or desktop on the same local network.

* Open the device picker.

* Select the Spotify Soloist device name you passed with --device-name .

* Start playback.

Next steps

After Spotify Soloist is paired, you can use more local control surfaces:

* Use soloist ctl for
local shell control.

* Use the WebSocket API to
observe playback and send commands from another local process.

* Use single-track mode for
scripts that play one Spotify URI and then exit.

For all daemon options, see the
command-line reference .

Troubleshooting

If the device does not appear in Spotify:

* Make sure Spotify Soloist and the Spotify app are on the same local network.

* Make sure your router, VPN, and firewall allow local device discovery and do
not isolate wireless clients from each other.

* Check that the API key was copied correctly.

* Restart Spotify Soloist and look for login or startup warnings in the terminal.

* If Spotify Soloist exits with code 10 , download and install a newer build.

If playback starts but you do not hear audio:

* Make sure PipeWire or PulseAudio is running and has a working default output.

* Use --pipewire-device DEVICE if you need to route audio to a specific
PipeWire node name or ID.

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