The best Spotify MCP depends on the job. For playback, playlists, and Spotify Connect inside Claude, the official Spotify connector wins: six tools on the Claude marketplace (added April 2026), and Spotify's 23 April 2026 newsroom post covers Free and Premium listeners. For Cursor and other local clients, marcelmarais/spotify-mcp-server is the maintained community playback server (487 GitHub stars on 25 Oct 2026, 28 tools in the README, MIT). iceener/spotify-streamable-mcp-server wins if the agent needs a self-hosted Streamable HTTP endpoint with five batch tools. Trends MCP is not a playback server. It wins live Spotify Top Podcasts ranks through MCP and REST with no Spotify developer app.
Which Spotify MCP should an agent actually use?
Pick the server that matches the action the agent needs. Playback, catalog search, and playlist edits all go through Spotify's Web API. Chart ranks do not.
| Server | Job it wins | How it connects | Tools (as documented) | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official Spotify connector | Claude playback, recs, Spotify Connect | Hosted https://mcp-gateway-external-pilot.spotify.net/mcp (OAuth) | 6 on the Claude marketplace | Spotify account; vibe playlists need Premium |
| marcelmarais/spotify-mcp-server | Local Cursor / Claude Desktop playback | stdio node …/build/index.js (HTTP optional) | 28 in the README | MIT software plus Spotify Premium and a Developer app |
| iceener/spotify-streamable-mcp-server | Self-hosted Streamable HTTP | Deployed Worker or Bun /mcp | 5 batch tools | MIT software plus the operator's own Spotify app |
| Trends MCP | Live Spotify Top Podcasts ranks | https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp with Bearer key | get_top_trends type Spotify Top Podcasts | Free 100 requests/month; Starter $19 / 1,000 |
Trends MCP sits in the last row on purpose. It does not search tracks, start playback, or read a listener's library. The Spotify Top Podcasts API page is explicit: ranks and titles only, no official stream counts.
The official connector is the other honest first-row pick, and only for Claude-shaped playback. Spotify's newsroom post (23 April 2026) says the integration is available globally for Free, Pro, and Max Claude users on web, mobile, and desktop. Community servers remain the path for Cursor.
Does official Spotify MCP work in Cursor, or only Claude?
The live host answers that better than directory copy. On 25 Oct 2026 a GET to https://mcp-gateway-external-pilot.spotify.net/mcp returned HTTP 401. The well-known OAuth documents on that same host returned HTTP 200: issuer is https://accounts.spotify.com, PKCE method S256, grants authorization_code and refresh_token, and no registration_endpoint (the client cannot dynamically register).
Eight scopes are advertised on both the authorization-server and protected-resource documents:
user-read-playback-stateuser-library-readuser-follow-readapp-remote-controluser-modify-playback-stateuser-library-modifyplaylist-modify-privateuser-follow-modify
Spotify's own Web API docs do not publish this consumer MCP URL. The Ads API "Building with AI" page describes a separate Ads MCP that is in closed beta, which is a campaign-reporting product, not a listener playback server. Third-party MCP directories copy the mcp-gateway-external-pilot.spotify.net host; the well-known JSON is the verification that the host is Spotify's accounts stack.
Claude marketplace (accessed 25 Oct 2026) lists six tools: create_playlist, get_currently_playing, search, add_to_library, fetch_tracks, Remove_from_library. It also shows a "Sign-in Not required" badge. Spotify's newsroom post says listeners connect a Spotify account. The 401 on the MCP path matches the newsroom, not the badge.
Premium vs Free on the official connector is documented in two places. Newsroom: both Free and Premium listeners can use the integration; Premium users can describe a vibe and get a playlist. Claude marketplace: "Spotify Premium listeners can describe a vibe and get a personalized playlist made to match." Individual Premium on the Spotify Premium pricing page was $12.99 / month after the current $0 intro (page accessed 25 Oct 2026). Community Web API servers are stricter than that consumer connector.
A Cursor snippet for the official host, if the client supports remote OAuth MCP:
{
"mcpServers": {
"spotify": {
"url": "https://mcp-gateway-external-pilot.spotify.net/mcp"
}
}
}
If that client cannot complete Spotify's OAuth (no DCR, eight scopes, PKCE S256), use a local community server instead of guessing a key header.
What does the marcelmarais local server take to run?
marcelmarais/spotify-mcp-server is the community playback server to install for Cursor. GitHub on 25 Oct 2026: 487 stars, 161 forks, 20 open issues, last push 24 Oct 2026, MIT, not archived. There is no GitHub Release object and no npm package under spotify-mcp-server. Install is clone, npm ci, npm run build.
The README prerequisites are specific: latest Node.js Current (the README names v26.8.1; older release lines are unsupported), a Spotify Premium account, and a registered Spotify Developer application. searchSpotify caps limit at 1-10 (default 10). Volume tools setVolume and adjustVolume are marked as requiring Spotify Premium.
stdio Cursor / Claude Desktop config from the README:
{
"mcpServers": {
"spotify": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["spotify-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
}
}
}
That path is relative to wherever the clone lives. Cursor's MCP tab wants the same node command with an absolute path to build/index.js. Tokens live in spotify-config.json after npm run auth. Redirect URIs on new Spotify apps must use 127.0.0.1 or HTTPS; the README says Spotify rejects localhost for new apps.
HTTP is optional. Setting MCP_TRANSPORT=http (keep that flag in config, not in prose) serves http://127.0.0.1:3000/mcp with no authentication on loopback. MCP_AUTH=spotify turns that endpoint into an OAuth-protected resource whose authorization server is https://accounts.spotify.com. The README's MCPHub example requests 15 scopes. Tools that need a scope the client omitted fail with 403.
Spotify's quota rules sit under every community server, this one included. Quota modes (accessed 25 Oct 2026): development-mode apps require a Premium owner, allowlist up to 5 authenticated Spotify users, and return HTTP 429 with reason: QUOTA_EXCEEDED when the shared bucket is empty. Extended quota is an organization process. The same page says that as of 15 May 2025 Spotify only accepts those applications from organizations, not individuals, and lists a 250k MAU bar among the implementation requirements. A personal Cursor install stays in development mode.
Do not confuse this repo with npm spotify-mcp. That package's 0.1.4 tarball (published 9 April 2026) points at calebWei/SpotifyMCP, not marcelmarais. Last-week npm downloads for spotify-mcp were 29 (16 to 22 Oct 2026).
When does a self-hosted streamable HTTP server beat the official host?
iceener/spotify-streamable-mcp-server is the self-host pick. GitHub on 25 Oct 2026: 82 stars, 20 forks, 4 open issues, last push 10 Oct 2026, MIT. No GitHub Release. Runtime is Bun 1.4+ or Cloudflare Workers, protocol version 2026-07-28.
Five tools, each taking a batch (queries[] or operations[]):
| Tool | Function |
|---|---|
player_status | Player state, device_id list, queue, current track |
search_catalog | Tracks, albums, artists, playlists (server app credentials, not the user's) |
spotify_control | play, pause, next, previous, seek, volume, shuffle, repeat, transfer, queue |
spotify_playlist | List, read, create, edit, add/remove/reorder items |
spotify_library | Saved songs: get, add, remove, contains |
The README warning is the buying criterion. The HTTP transport and OAuth wrapper are for personal/local use and are not production-hardened. The server is its own OAuth authorization server in front of Spotify. MCP clients never receive Spotify tokens. A play or transfer is reported successful only after Spotify's player state confirms it. device_id is a long identifier from player_status, not a device name.
That design wins when Cursor, Claude Code, or a custom agent needs a URL the operator controls, encrypted token storage, and multi-user mapping. It loses when the user just wants Claude marketplace one-click. Official Spotify already hosts playback for Claude. iceener exists for operators who will deploy MCP_PUBLIC_URL themselves.
imprvhub/mcp-claude-spotify is a Claude Desktop-shaped also-ran, not a first-row pick here. GitHub on 25 Oct 2026: 53 stars, MPL-2.0, latest release 0.7.0 published 27 Sep 2026, last push 21 Oct 2026. Requirements: Node.js 20+, a Spotify account, Claude Desktop, and Spotify API credentials. The README still frames Cursor as out of scope relative to Claude Desktop. Use marcelmarais when the client is Cursor.
What Trends MCP returns for Spotify Top Podcasts
Trends MCP does not wrap the Spotify Web API. llms.txt (Last updated 2026-10-25) lists Spotify Top Podcasts as a live get_top_trends type. Spotify is not a get_growth keyword source. The keyword table on that same file has google search, youtube, and the other named sources; spotify is not among them.
The call is one field:
{
"type": "Spotify Top Podcasts",
"limit": 25
}
llms.txt defaults limit to 25, max 200. Free plan boards return the top 10 only; offset is pinned to 0 on Free. MCP get_top_trends costs 1 credit per 10 requested rows (max 10 credits per call). REST counts one request per call. Failed calls are free.
Cursor config from llms.txt (transport and Bearer prefix both present):
"trends-mcp": {
"url": "https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp",
"transport": "http",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
}
Two hosts, not interchangeable. https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp takes the Bearer key (Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop, Claude Code). Claude.ai Connectors use OAuth at the www host /mcp path. The MCP server for Cursor landing page is the client-specific install path.
pricing.md (Last updated 2026-10-25): Free $0 / 100 requests; Starter $19 / 1,000; Pro $49 / 5,000; Business $199 / 25,000. Yearly billing in that markdown file is "2 months free." HTML pricing cards on the same day showed Starter $16 / $192 billed annually, Pro $39 / $468, Business $159 / $1,910. HTML FAQ says the card is collected at checkout and not charged until day 8; card fine print on the same HTML said "after day 7." Quote the file in front of the reader rather than averaging those.
The board returns ranks and titles. It does not return listener totals, completion rates, or country splits. For demand around a show name, pair the rank with get_growth on google search or youtube. That pairing is documented on the Spotify Top Podcasts API page. A same-day chart dump on an evergreen roundup goes stale next month, so this post does not paste today's top 10.
Podcast researchers who want show-level discovery rather than MCP playback can start from the best podcast trend research tools roundup, then come back here for the MCP install decision.
Which popular Spotify MCP should buyers skip?
Skip varunneal/spotify-mcp as a new install. The README opens with "[Notice March 2026]: Inactive project. Most PRs will not be merged." GitHub on 25 Oct 2026: 614 stars, last push 11 March 2026, 26 open issues, MIT. Star count is not maintenance. PyPI spotify-mcp 0.1.0 is this line of packages; npm spotify-mcp 0.1.4 is calebWei, a different repo.
Skip Spotify Ads MCP for this query. The Ads "Building with AI" page (accessed 25 Oct 2026) says that MCP server is in closed beta and is for campaign reporting, not playback or podcast charts.
Skip any community server that still tells a Free-tier listener to expect Web API playback. Spotify's Web API getting-started page (accessed 25 Oct 2026) states a Premium account is required to use the Web API. Development-mode apps add the five-user allowlist on top. The official Claude connector is the documented exception for Free listeners, and only inside Claude.
FAQ
Is there an official Spotify MCP for Cursor?
There is an official hosted MCP at https://mcp-gateway-external-pilot.spotify.net/mcp. On 25 Oct 2026 it returned HTTP 401 without OAuth and advertised https://accounts.spotify.com as issuer with eight scopes and PKCE S256. Claude marketplace is the documented consumer UI. Cursor can point at the same URL if the client completes that OAuth. If it cannot, marcelmarais is the local playback server.
Does Trends MCP play Spotify tracks?
No. Trends MCP has no Spotify catalog, device, or playlist tools. The Spotify job is get_top_trends with type Spotify Top Podcasts, which returns ranked show titles. Playback belongs on the official connector or a Web API community server.
Do community Spotify MCP servers need Spotify Premium?
Yes for Web API playback. Spotify's Web API docs require Premium. marcelmarais lists Premium as a prerequisite. Volume tools in that README are marked Premium. Development-mode apps also require a Premium owner and cap allowlisted users at 5. The official Claude connector is the documented path that includes Free listeners, with vibe playlists still on Premium.
Is varunneal/spotify-mcp still worth installing?
No as a new install. The project README has called it inactive since March 2026, and GitHub last pushed 11 March 2026. Install marcelmarais for local stdio or iceener for self-hosted HTTP.
How much does Trends MCP cost for the podcast board?
Free is 100 requests per month and no credit card (pricing.md, Last updated 2026-10-25). Starter is $19 / 1,000 requests. The podcast board is Spotify Top Podcasts; Free returns the top 10 rows. Paid HTML yearly cards on 25 Oct 2026 showed $192 / $468 / $1,910 billed annually. Check the live pricing page before paying, because the HTML trial sentence and the card fine print still disagree on day 7 vs day 8.
Sources (all accessed 25 Oct 2026 unless a page carries its own date): Claude Spotify connector; Spotify newsroom, 23 April 2026; Spotify Web API; Spotify quota modes; Spotify developer access update, 6 Feb 2026; marcelmarais/spotify-mcp-server; iceener/spotify-streamable-mcp-server; varunneal/spotify-mcp; imprvhub/mcp-claude-spotify; Spotify Premium pricing page; Trends MCP llms.txt, pricing.md, and docs.md (Last updated 2026-10-25).