mpd_to_spotifyd_polybar_guide.md

🎵 Replace MPD with Spotify in Archcraft Polybar

This guide shows how to replace the default MPD (Music Player Daemon) module in Archcraft's Polybar with Spotify integration using Spotifyd and Playerctl.

📋 Prerequisites

• Archcraft Linux installation
• Polybar configuration (default Archcraft theme)
• Spotify account
• KeepassXC (optional, for secure password management)

🔧 Installation

Step 1: Install Required Packages

yay -S spotifyd playerctl --noconfirm

Step 2: Backup Your Configuration

cd ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar
cp modules.ini modules.ini.backup

📝 Configuration Changes

Step 3: Update modules.ini

Replace the MPD module with Spotify module:

Find this section (around line 416):

[module/mpd]
type = internal/mpd
# ... (entire MPD configuration)

Replace with:

[module/spotify]
type = custom/script
exec = ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-controls.sh
interval = 2
format = <label>
format-background = ${color.ALTBACKGROUND}
format-padding = 1
label = %output%
click-left = playerctl play-pause
click-right = playerctl next
click-middle = playerctl previous
scroll-up = playerctl next
scroll-down = playerctl previous

Find the song module (around line 432):

[module/song]
type = internal/mpd
# ... (entire song configuration)

Replace with:

[module/spotify-song]
type = custom/script
exec = ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-song.sh
interval = 2
format = <label>
format-font = 5
label = %output%
label-maxlen = 25
label-ellipsis = true

Step 4: Update config.ini

Find line 148:

modules-center = LD date RD dot-alt LD mpd RD sep song

Replace with:

modules-center = LD date RD dot-alt LD spotify RD sep spotify-song

📜 Create Scripts

Step 5: Create Scripts Directory and Files

mkdir -p ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts

Step 6: Create spotify-controls.sh

nano ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-controls.sh

Content:

#!/bin/bash

# Check if Spotify is running
if ! pgrep -x "spotify" > /dev/null; then
    echo "󰝚 Spotify Offline"
    exit 0
fi

# Check if playerctl can find spotify
if ! playerctl --player=spotify status > /dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "󰝚 Spotify Not Playing"
    exit 0
fi

# Get current status
STATUS=$(playerctl --player=spotify status 2>/dev/null)

# Define icons
PLAY_ICON="󰐊"
PAUSE_ICON="󰏤"
PREV_ICON="󰒮"
NEXT_ICON="󰒭"

# Output the controls based on status
case $STATUS in
    "Playing")
        echo "${PREV_ICON} ${PAUSE_ICON} ${NEXT_ICON}"
        ;;
    "Paused")
        echo "${PREV_ICON} ${PLAY_ICON} ${NEXT_ICON}"
        ;;
    *)
        echo "${PREV_ICON} ${PLAY_ICON} ${NEXT_ICON}"
        ;;
esac

Step 7: Create spotify-song.sh

nano ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-song.sh

Content:

#!/bin/bash

# Check if Spotify is running
if ! pgrep -x "spotify" > /dev/null; then
    echo "󰝚 Offline"
    exit 0
fi

# Check if playerctl can find spotify
if ! playerctl --player=spotify status > /dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "󰝚 Not Playing"
    exit 0
fi

# Get current status
STATUS=$(playerctl --player=spotify status 2>/dev/null)

# If not playing, show paused or stopped status
if [ "$STATUS" != "Playing" ]; then
    echo "󰝚 $STATUS"
    exit 0
fi

# Get song information
ARTIST=$(playerctl --player=spotify metadata artist 2>/dev/null)
TITLE=$(playerctl --player=spotify metadata title 2>/dev/null)

# If we have both artist and title, display them
if [ -n "$ARTIST" ] && [ -n "$TITLE" ]; then
    echo "󰝚 $TITLE"
else
    echo "󰝚 Unknown"
fi

Step 8: Make Scripts Executable

chmod +x ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-controls.sh
chmod +x ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-song.sh

🔒 Spotifyd Configuration (Optional)

Step 9: Create Spotifyd Config

mkdir -p ~/.config/spotifyd
nano ~/.config/spotifyd/spotifyd.conf

Content:

[global]
# Your Spotify username
username = "YOUR_SPOTIFY_USERNAME"

# Use KeepassXC to retrieve password securely (recommended)
password_cmd = "keepassxc-cli show -s -a password /path/to/your/database.kdbx Spotify"

# Or use plain text password (not recommended)
# password = "YOUR_SPOTIFY_PASSWORD"

# The audio backend to use
backend = "pulseaudio"

# The name that will be displayed under the connect tab
device_name = "spotifyd"

# The audio bitrate. 96, 160 or 320 kbit/s
bitrate = 320

# The directory used to cache audio data
cache_path = "/tmp/spotifyd"

# Volume on startup between 0 and 100
initial_volume = "90"

# If set to true, enables volume normalisation between songs
volume_normalisation = true

# The normalisation pregain that is applied for each song
normalisation_pregain = -10

# The displayed device type in Spotify clients
device_type = "computer"

Step 10: KeepassXC Integration (Recommended)

1. Create Spotify entry in KeepassXC:

   • Open KeepassXC
   • Create new entry titled "Spotify"
   • Set username to your Spotify username
   • Set password to your Spotify password

2. Update spotifyd.conf:

   • Replace YOUR_SPOTIFY_USERNAME with your actual username
   • Update /path/to/your/database.kdbx with your KeepassXC database path

3. Test the integration:

   keepassxc-cli show -s -a password /path/to/your/database.kdbx Spotify

🚀 Testing and Activation

Step 11: Test Scripts

# Test the control script
~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-controls.sh

# Test the song script
~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/spotify-song.sh

Step 12: Start Spotifyd (Optional)

# Enable and start spotifyd service
systemctl --user enable spotifyd
systemctl --user start spotifyd

Step 13: Restart Polybar

pkill polybar && ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/launch.sh

✨ Features

• 🎮 Interactive Controls:

  • Left-click: Play/Pause
  • Right-click: Next track
  • Middle-click: Previous track
  • Scroll up/down: Next/Previous track

• 📱 Status Display:

  • Shows current song title
  • Displays playback status (Playing/Paused)
  • Shows offline status when Spotify not running

• 🔒 Secure Authentication:

  • KeepassXC integration for password management
  • No plain text passwords in config files

• 🎨 Visual Consistency:

  • Maintains original Archcraft theme styling
  • Uses Nerd Font icons for modern look

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

1. Scripts not working:

   # Check if scripts are executable
   ls -la ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/
   
   # Make executable if needed
   chmod +x ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/scripts/*.sh

2. Spotify not detected:

   # Check if Spotify is running
   pgrep -x spotify
   
   # Check playerctl
   playerctl --player=spotify status

3. Polybar not updating:

   # Restart polybar
   pkill polybar && ~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/launch.sh

4. Icons not showing:

   • Ensure you have Nerd Fonts installed
   • Check if your terminal supports Unicode

📁 File Structure

After completion, your file structure should look like:

~/.config/openbox/themes/default/polybar/
├── config.ini                    # Modified
├── modules.ini                   # Modified
├── modules.ini.backup             # Backup
└── scripts/
    ├── spotify-controls.sh        # New
    ├── spotify-song.sh            # New
    └── bluetooth.sh               # Existing

~/.config/spotifyd/
└── spotifyd.conf                  # New (optional)

🎯 Result

You'll get a fully functional Spotify integration in your Archcraft Polybar that:

• Shows current song title
• Provides interactive playback controls
• Handles offline states gracefully
• Maintains the original theme aesthetics
• Uses secure password management

---

Tested on: Archcraft with Openbox + Polybar Requirements: spotifyd, playerctl, KeepassXC (optional) Theme: Default Archcraft theme

Feel free to customize the scripts and configuration to match your preferences!