Setup Sonos Lastfm

Setup Sonos Last.fm Scrobbler

You are guiding a user through the complete setup of sonos-lastfm, a tool that automatically scrobbles music playing on Sonos speakers to Last.fm.

PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/sonos-lastfm/ Source: https://github.com/denya/sonos-lastfm

Overview

Walk the user through these steps in order. At each step, confirm success before moving on. If something fails, help them troubleshoot before continuing.

Step 1: Detect the Environment

Determine the user's operating system and existing tooling:

uname -s 2>/dev/null || echo Windows
python3 --version 2>/dev/null || python --version 2>/dev/null
pip --version 2>/dev/null
which uv 2>/dev/null || where uv 2>/dev/null

Based on the results:

• Linux: will use systemd --user for the daemon
• macOS: will use launchd (a plist in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/)
• Windows: will use Task Scheduler or NSSM

If Python is not installed or is below 3.14, guide the user to install it:

• macOS: brew install python@3.14 or download from python.org
• Linux: sudo apt install python3.14 / sudo dnf install python3.14 or use pyenv
• Windows: Download from https://www.python.org/downloads/ — check "Add to PATH"

Step 2: Install sonos-lastfm from PyPI

Always install the latest version from PyPI so the user gets the newest features and fixes.

If uv is available (preferred):

uv pip install --upgrade sonos-lastfm

Otherwise:

pip install --upgrade sonos-lastfm

Verify the installation:

sonos-lastfm --help

If the command is not found, check if ~/.local/bin is in PATH and guide the user to add it.

Step 3: Get Last.fm API Credentials

The user needs four values from Last.fm. Guide them through obtaining these:

1. Open https://www.last.fm/api/account/create in their browser
2. Fill in the form:
   • Application name: anything, e.g. "sonos-scrobbler"
   • Application description: optional
   • Callback URL: leave blank
   • Application homepage: leave blank
3. Submit and note down the API Key and Shared Secret (also called API Secret)
4. They also need their Last.fm username and password

Tell the user to keep these values ready for the next step.

Step 4: Configure Credentials

Run the interactive setup:

sonos-lastfm setup

This will prompt for:

1. Storage method: system keyring (most secure) or config file (~/.sonos_lastfm/.env)
2. Username: their Last.fm username
3. Password: their Last.fm password (hidden input)
4. API Key: the key from step 3
5. API Secret: the secret from step 3 (hidden input)

After setup, it automatically tests the connection and shows account info. If the connection test fails, help troubleshoot (wrong credentials, network issues, etc.).

Alternative: Environment Variables

If the user prefers environment variables (useful for containers or CI):

export LASTFM_USERNAME=your_username
export LASTFM_PASSWORD=your_password
export LASTFM_API_KEY=your_api_key
export LASTFM_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

Step 5: Test the Scrobbler

Before setting up the daemon, verify everything works:

sonos-lastfm info

This should show the user's Last.fm profile and recent scrobbles. If Sonos speakers are on the network, also try a quick run:

sonos-lastfm run

Press Ctrl+C to stop after confirming it detects speakers and tracks.

Step 6: Set Up as a Persistent Daemon

Linux (systemd)

Create the service file:

mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user

Write ~/.config/systemd/user/sonos-lastfm.service:

[Unit]
Description=Sonos Last.fm Scrobbler
After=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=%h/.local/bin/sonos-lastfm run --daemon
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Enable and start:

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now sonos-lastfm

Verify it's running:

systemctl --user status sonos-lastfm
journalctl --user -u sonos-lastfm -f

Enable lingering so the service runs even when the user is not logged in:

loginctl enable-linger $USER

macOS (launchd)

Write ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.sonos-lastfm.plist:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
  "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.sonos-lastfm</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/usr/local/bin/sonos-lastfm</string>
        <string>run</string>
        <string>--daemon</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/sonos-lastfm.out.log</string>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/sonos-lastfm.err.log</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Important: Adjust the path to sonos-lastfm — find it with which sonos-lastfm. If installed via uv, it may be at ~/.local/bin/sonos-lastfm.

Load and start:

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.sonos-lastfm.plist

Verify:

launchctl list | grep sonos-lastfm
tail -f /tmp/sonos-lastfm.out.log

To stop and unload:

launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.sonos-lastfm.plist

Windows (Task Scheduler)

Open PowerShell as Administrator:

$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction `
    -Execute "sonos-lastfm" `
    -Argument "run --daemon"

$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtLogOn

$settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet `
    -AllowStartIfOnBatteries `
    -DontStopIfGoingOnBatteries `
    -RestartCount 3 `
    -RestartInterval (New-TimeSpan -Minutes 1)

Register-ScheduledTask `
    -TaskName "SonosLastfmScrobbler" `
    -Action $action `
    -Trigger $trigger `
    -Settings $settings `
    -Description "Sonos Last.fm Scrobbler"

Alternatively, if the user prefers a GUI approach, guide them through Task Scheduler:

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Create Basic Task > Name: "Sonos Last.fm Scrobbler"
3. Trigger: When I log on
4. Action: Start a program > sonos-lastfm with arguments run --daemon
5. Finish

Step 7: Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version in the future:

pip install --upgrade sonos-lastfm
# or with uv:
uv pip install --upgrade sonos-lastfm

Then restart the daemon:

• Linux: systemctl --user restart sonos-lastfm
• macOS: launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.sonos-lastfm.plist && launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.sonos-lastfm.plist
• Windows: Restart via Task Scheduler or reboot

Troubleshooting

"No Sonos speakers found"

• Ensure your computer and Sonos speakers are on the same network/VLAN
• Some WiFi routers isolate clients — check your router settings for "AP isolation" or "client isolation" and disable it
• Try running sonos-lastfm run again after a few seconds — mDNS discovery can take time

"sonos-lastfm: command not found"

• Add ~/.local/bin to your PATH:
  • bash: echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc
  • zsh: echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc
  • fish: fish_add_path ~/.local/bin
• On Windows, ensure the Python Scripts directory is in your PATH

Credential issues

• Re-run sonos-lastfm setup to reconfigure
• Verify your API key at https://www.last.fm/api/accounts
• Ensure your Last.fm password is correct (not your email password)

Daemon not starting

• Linux: Check logs with journalctl --user -u sonos-lastfm -f
• macOS: Check /tmp/sonos-lastfm.err.log
• Windows: Check Task Scheduler history

Scrobble Rules

For reference, sonos-lastfm follows these rules:

• A track is scrobbled after 25% of its duration has been played (configurable via --threshold) or 4 minutes, whichever comes first
• The same track won't be scrobbled again within 30 minutes
• In daemon mode, only song changes, scrobbles, and errors are logged