sonos-control

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Control Sonos speakers through MCP tools - search and play music, manage queue and playlists, adjust volume. Use when users request music playback, mention artists/songs/albums, want to control Sonos speakers, manage playlists, or ask about what's playing.

1installs

Sourceslzatz/sonos_mcp

Added on2026-03-07

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add slzatz/sonos_mcp sonos-control

SKILL.md Content

View Translation Comparison →

Sonos Control

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive control over Sonos speaker systems through MCP tools. Use it to search for and play music, manage playback queues and playlists, control volume, and switch between speakers. The skill handles both simple requests ("play some Neil Young") and complex multi-step workflows ("create a mix of 5 tracks from these artists").

Core Principle: Multi-Step Workflows

Most music requests require multiple tool calls in sequence. Execute workflows automatically without asking permission at each step - just complete the workflow and confirm the result.

Critical Rule: Search results are ephemeral. After using

search_for_track

search_for_album

, immediately select and add desired tracks/albums to the queue before executing another search, as each new search clears previous results.

Available MCP Tools

Speaker Management

```
sonos:get_master_speaker
```
- Get current active speaker name
```
sonos:set_master_speaker
```
- Switch to a different speaker (e.g., "Bedroom", "Kitchen")

Search and Selection

```
sonos:search_for_track
```
- Search by track title, artist, album (e.g., "Heart of Gold Neil Young")
```
sonos:search_for_album
```
- Search by album title and artist (e.g., "Harvest Neil Young")
```
sonos:add_track_to_queue
```
- Add track from search results by position (1-based)
```
sonos:add_album_to_queue
```
- Add album from search results by position (1-based)

Queue Management

```
sonos:list_queue
```
- View all queued tracks
```
sonos:clear_queue
```
- Remove all tracks from queue
```
sonos:remove_from_queue
```
- Remove a track from the queue by position (1-based)
```
sonos:play_from_queue
```
- Play track at specific queue position (1-based)

Playback Control

```
sonos:current_track
```
- Get information about currently playing track
```
sonos:play_pause
```
- Toggle play/pause
```
sonos:next_track
```
- Skip to next track

Volume Control

```
sonos:turn_volume
```
- Adjust volume by 10 ("louder" or "quieter")
```
sonos:set_volume
```
- Set absolute volume (0-100)
```
sonos:mute
```
- Mute or unmute (True/False)

Playlist Management

Terminology:

"playlist" or "local playlist" = Playlists stored locally on the filesystem (
```
~/.sonos/playlists/
```
)
"native Sonos playlist" = Playlists stored on the Sonos system (accessible from Sonos mobile app)

Local Playlist Tools:

```
sonos:list_playlists
```
- Display all local playlists
```
sonos:list_playlist_tracks
```
- Show tracks in a specific local playlist
```
sonos:add_to_playlist_from_queue
```
- Add queue track to local playlist by position
```
sonos:add_to_playlist_from_search
```
- Add search result to local playlist by position
```
sonos:add_playlist_to_queue
```
- Load entire local playlist into queue (optionally shuffled with shuffle=True)
```
sonos:remove_track_from_playlist
```
- Remove track from local playlist by position

Native Sonos Playlist Tools:

```
sonos:list_native_sonos_playlists
```
- Display all native Sonos playlists
```
sonos:create_native_sonos_playlist_from_local(local_playlist, native_playlist_name=None)
```
- Convert a local playlist to a native Sonos playlist
- Checks for naming conflicts and reports if native playlist already exists
- Temporarily uses queue but restores original queue contents
- Makes playlist accessible from Sonos mobile app and other Sonos controllers

Basic Workflow: Play a Track or Album

To play a specific track or album:

Search - Use

sonos:search_for_track

sonos:search_for_album

Select - Use

sonos:add_track_to_queue

sonos:add_album_to_queue

with position number

Find Position - Use
```
sonos:list_queue
```
to see where track(s) were added
Play - Use
```
sonos:play_from_queue
```
with the position from step 3
Verify - Use
```
sonos:current_track
```
to confirm correct track is playing

Example: User says "play Like a Hurricane by Neil Young"

1. sonos:search_for_track "Like a Hurricane Neil Young"
2. sonos:add_track_to_queue 1  (select best match)
3. sonos:list_queue  (find it was added at position 15)
4. sonos:play_from_queue 15
5. sonos:current_track  (confirm)

Advanced Workflows

Creating Custom Mixes

To build a custom mix from multiple artists:

For each artist: Execute search → select → add cycle
Between searches: Ensure previous track is added to queue before next search
Play first track when all selections complete
Verify the queue contains all desired tracks

Example: User says "play a mix of Springsteen, Jackson Browne, and Patty Griffin"

1. sonos:search_for_track "Born to Run Springsteen"
2. sonos:add_track_to_queue 1
3. sonos:search_for_track "Running on Empty Jackson Browne"
4. sonos:add_track_to_queue 1
5. sonos:search_for_track "Let Him Fly Patty Griffin"
6. sonos:add_track_to_queue 1
7. sonos:list_queue (verify all added)
8. sonos:play_from_queue 1 (start first track)

Finding Live Performances

To find live tracks or albums:

Include "live" or "unplugged" in search queries
Look for venue names in search results: "Massey Hall", "Nashville", "The Troubadour", "Red Rocks", "The Fillmore", "The Ryman"
Check album titles for indicators: "Live at", "Unplugged", "In Concert"

Example: User says "play 5 live tracks from Patty Griffin"

1. sonos:search_for_track "Patty Griffin live"
2. Review results for venue names or "live" indicators
3. sonos:add_track_to_queue 1
4. sonos:add_track_to_queue 3
5. sonos:add_track_to_queue 5
6. sonos:add_track_to_queue 7
7. sonos:add_track_to_queue 9
8. sonos:play_from_queue 1

Multi-Room Control

To play music in a specific room:

Switch speaker first - Use
```
sonos:set_master_speaker
```
with room name
Verify switch - Check response confirms speaker change
Continue with normal workflow - Search, add, play as usual

Example: User says "play some Neil Young in the bedroom"

1. sonos:set_master_speaker "Bedroom"
2. sonos:search_for_track "Neil Young"
3. sonos:add_track_to_queue 1
4. sonos:play_from_queue 1

Playlist Workflows

Adding Tracks to Playlists

From queue:

Use
```
sonos:list_queue
```
to find track position
Use
```
sonos:add_to_playlist_from_queue
```
with playlist name and position

From search:

Use
```
sonos:search_for_track
```
to find track
Use
```
sonos:add_to_playlist_from_search
```
with playlist name and position

Example: User says "add the current track to my Chill Vibes playlist"

1. sonos:current_track (get what's playing)
2. sonos:list_queue (find its position)
3. sonos:add_to_playlist_from_queue "Chill Vibes" <position>

Copying Entire Queue to New Playlist

To save the current queue as a new playlist (useful for preserving a curated queue):

Use
```
sonos:list_queue
```
to see all tracks and count them
For each track position (1 through N), use
```
sonos:add_to_playlist_from_queue
```
with the new playlist name
The first call creates the new playlist; subsequent calls append tracks
Optionally verify with
```
sonos:list_playlist_tracks
```

Important: When removing multiple tracks from a queue or playlist, always remove from highest position to lowest to avoid position shifts affecting remaining targets.

Example: User says "save everything in the queue as playlist20250119"

1. sonos:list_queue (count 59 tracks)
2. sonos:add_to_playlist_from_queue "playlist20250119" 1
3. sonos:add_to_playlist_from_queue "playlist20250119" 2
... (continue for all 59 positions)
60. sonos:list_playlist_tracks "playlist20250119" (verify)

Note: For large queues (50+ tracks), execute all additions in sequence without requesting permission at each step, following the "Multi-Step Workflows" principle.

Selecting Multiple Tracks from One Artist

When a user requests N tracks from an artist without specific guidance:

Default Strategy (No Prior Context)

Mix popular and quality tracks - Include 1-2 well-known hits, rest can be deep cuts
Album variety - Spread selections across 2-3 different albums when possible
Career representation - For established artists, vary across different periods
Mood consistency - Ensure tracks flow well together in sequence

Contextual Adjustments

If user mentions "favorites" - Prioritize most-streamed/canonical tracks
If user says "best of" - Focus on greatest hits and popular tracks
If user mentions specific album - Select all tracks from that album
If user says "variety" or "mix" - Maximize album and style diversity

When to Ask for Clarification

Only ask if the request is genuinely ambiguous:

✗ Don't ask: "play 3 Vienna Teng songs" (use default strategy)
✓ Do ask: "play Neil Young songs" when user has requested both acoustic and electric in past
✓ Do ask: "play some Beatles" (too many eras/styles to assume)

Selection Transparency

In your response, briefly mention your selection reasoning:

"I've added 3 tracks mixing popular hits and album favorites..."
"Here are 3 tracks spanning her early and recent work..."

Playing Playlists

To play a saved playlist:

Use
```
sonos:add_playlist_to_queue
```
to load all tracks (optionally with shuffle=True)
Use
```
sonos:play_from_queue 1
```
to start playing

Example: User says "play my favorites playlist"

1. sonos:add_playlist_to_queue "favorites"
2. sonos:play_from_queue 1

Example: User says "play my workout playlist in random order"

1. sonos:add_playlist_to_queue "workout" shuffle=True
2. sonos:play_from_queue 1

Converting Local Playlists to Native Sonos Playlists

To make a local playlist accessible in the Sonos mobile app and other Sonos controllers:

Check for conflicts - Use
```
sonos:list_native_sonos_playlists
```
to see if the name already exists

Convert - Use

sonos:create_native_sonos_playlist_from_local

with the local playlist name

Optionally specify different name - Pass
```
native_playlist_name
```
parameter if desired
Verify - Use
```
sonos:list_native_sonos_playlists
```
to confirm creation

Example: User says "create a native Sonos playlist from my favorites playlist"

1. sonos:list_native_sonos_playlists (check if "favorites" already exists)
2. sonos:create_native_sonos_playlist_from_local "favorites"
3. sonos:list_native_sonos_playlists (verify it was created)

Example: User says "make a Sonos playlist called favorites_backup from my favorites playlist"

1. sonos:create_native_sonos_playlist_from_local "favorites" native_playlist_name="favorites_backup"
2. sonos:list_native_sonos_playlists (verify)

Important Notes:

The conversion temporarily uses the queue but restores it automatically
If a native playlist with that name already exists, you'll get an error with a clear message
Ask the user if they want to use a different name or if they want you to proceed differently
Local and native playlists are independent - changes to one don't affect the other

Common Request Patterns

Simple Requests

"What's playing?" →
```
sonos:current_track
```
"Show me the queue" →
```
sonos:list_queue
```
"Turn it up" →
```
sonos:turn_volume "louder"
```
"Set volume to 50" →
```
sonos:set_volume 50
```
"Mute" →
```
sonos:mute True
```
"Next song" →
```
sonos:next_track
```
"Pause" →
```
sonos:play_pause
```
"What playlists do I have?" →
```
sonos:list_playlists
```
"Show my native Sonos playlists" →
```
sonos:list_native_sonos_playlists
```

Complex Requests

"Play [specific track]" → Execute Basic Workflow
"Play [number] tracks by [artist]" → Execute Advanced Workflow with multiple searches
"Create a mix of [artists]" → Execute Custom Mix Workflow
"Play some [artist] in [room]" → Execute Multi-Room Workflow
"Add [track] to [playlist]" → Execute Playlist Workflow
"Play [playlist] shuffled/randomized/in random order" → Use
```
add_playlist_to_queue
```
with shuffle=True
"Create a native Sonos playlist from [local playlist]" → Execute Converting Local Playlists Workflow
"Make [local playlist] available in the Sonos app" → Execute Converting Local Playlists Workflow

Response Guidelines

After Completing Workflows

Provide natural, music-focused responses:

Confirm what's playing
Share relevant context (album, year, interesting facts)
Explain selection reasoning for custom mixes
Mention notable aspects (live performance, rare version, etc.)

When Making Selections

Use music knowledge to select best matches:

Prefer original studio versions unless user requests otherwise
For "live" requests, prioritize well-known live albums
For deep cuts, select lesser-known but high-quality tracks
Consider chronology and artist periods when building mixes

Handling Ambiguity

If search results are unclear:

Make best judgment based on context
Select most popular/canonical version
Only ask for clarification if results are completely ambiguous
Provide reasoning for selection in response

Error Handling

Search Returns No Results

Try simplified search (fewer keywords)
Suggest alternative artist/track names
Offer to search for similar artists or tracks
Consult
```
references/search_tips.md
```
for search strategies

Queue Issues

If queue is full, suggest clearing old tracks
If position is invalid, list queue to find correct position

Playback Issues

Verify track is in queue using
```
sonos:list_queue
```
Confirm correct speaker using
```
sonos:get_master_speaker
```
Check current status with
```
sonos:current_track
```

Additional Resources

For detailed search strategies, artist name variations, and mix-building tips, reference the bundled file:

```
references/search_tips.md
```
- Comprehensive guide for effective music searches