Control and monitor music playback from various media players directly in your polybar.

The music player system includes multiple modules:

• player: Universal media control buttons (play/pause/next/prev)
• playing: Current song title display
• spotify: Dedicated Spotify integration
• mpd: Music Player Daemon support

[module/player]
type = custom/script
interval = 1
exec = ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player

Playing State:

󰒮 󰏥 󰒭

Paused State:

󰒮 󰐌 󰒭

No Player Active:

(empty - module hides)

• Click controls: Previous, play/pause, next
• Universal support: Works with any MPRIS-compatible player
• Automatic detection: Only shows when media is playing/paused
• Color-coded status: Different colors for playing vs paused

[module/playing]
type = custom/script
interval = 1
exec = ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player --title

Current Song Title (truncated to 30 chars)

• Smart truncation: Long titles are automatically shortened
• Multi-player support: Shows active player's current track
• Colored output: Uses theme-appropriate colors
• Real-time updates: Updates every second during playback

[module/media-player]
type = custom/script
interval = 1
exec = ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player
format = <label>

[module/media-title]
type = custom/script
interval = 1
exec = ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player --title
format = <label>

; In bar configuration
modules-center = media-title media-player

The player script supports various options:

# Show only the title
~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player --title

# Show control buttons (default)
~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player

# Get help
~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player --help

The player script uses hardcoded colors that you can modify:

# In the script file
status_label=""
if [ "${player_status}" = "Playing" ]; then
  status_label="%{F#ebcb8b}󰏥%{F}"  # Playing color (yellow)
elif [ "${player_status}" = "Paused" ]; then
  status_label="%{F#a3be8c}󰐌%{F}"  # Paused color (green)
fi

# Button colors
prev_label="%{T4}%{A1:playerctl prev:}%{F#b48ead}󰒮%{F}%{A}%{T-}"   # Purple
next_label="%{T4}%{A1:playerctl next:}%{F#b48ead}󰒭%{F}%{A}%{T-}"   # Purple

Modify the truncation length in the script:

# Change from 30 to your preferred length
current_song="$(playerctl metadata -s --format '{{trunc(title, 50)}}' | awk 'NR==1 {print; exit}')"

Replace the Nerd Font icons with your preferred symbols:

# Replace these icons in the script
󰒮  # Previous (nf-md-skip_previous)
󰏥  # Play (nf-md-play)  
󰐌  # Pause (nf-md-pause)
󰒭  # Next (nf-md-skip_next)

[module/mpd]
type = internal/mpd
host = 127.0.0.1
port = 6600

format-online = <label-song> <icon-prev> <icon-seekb> <icon-stop> <toggle> <icon-seekf> <icon-next>
format-offline = <label-offline>

label-song = %artist% - %title%
label-offline = 🎵 mpd is offline

icon-prev = 󰒮
icon-stop = 󰓛
icon-play = 󰏥
icon-pause = 󰐌
icon-next = 󰒭
icon-seekb = 󰒪
icon-seekf = 󰒫

• Direct connection to Music Player Daemon
• Rich metadata access (artist, album, etc.)
• Playlist control and seeking
• Connection status monitoring

The universal player module works with:

• Spotify: Full playback control
• VLC: Media player integration
• Firefox: Web audio/video control
• Chromium/Chrome: Browser media control
• Rhythmbox: GNOME music player
• Amarok: KDE music player
• Clementine: Cross-platform music player
• And many more: Any MPRIS-compliant application

# List active players
playerctl -l

# Check current player status
playerctl status

# Get metadata from specific player
playerctl -p spotify metadata

modules-center = playing player

# Top bar
modules-center = playing

# Bottom bar
modules-left = player spotify volume

# Focus on productivity
modules-right = player github cpu memory date

No player controls showing:

• Check if any media player is running: playerctl status
• Verify playerctl is installed: which playerctl
• Test script manually: ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player

Controls not working:

• Test playerctl commands: playerctl play-pause
• Check player MPRIS support: playerctl -l
• Verify script permissions: chmod +x ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player

Title not updating:

• Check update interval (should be 1 second for real-time)
• Test title command: ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player --title
• Verify metadata availability: playerctl metadata

# Test playerctl functionality
playerctl status
playerctl metadata

# Test script output
bash -x ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player
bash -x ~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player --title

# Check active MPRIS players
busctl --user list | grep mpris

If multiple players are active, playerctl follows this priority:

1. Most recently active player
2. Spotify (if available)
3. First detected player

# Force specific player
playerctl -p spotify play-pause
playerctl -p vlc next

# Combine with volume control
[module/media-controls]
type = custom/script
exec = echo "$(~/.config/polybar/configs/default/scripts/player) | Vol: $(pamixer --get-volume)%"
interval = 1

# Perfect for ultrawide monitors
modules-left = workspaces
modules-center = playing player volume
modules-right = network battery date

# For vertical bars or side panels
modules = playing player spotify

# Clean, distraction-free
modules-right = player date

• ✅ All MPRIS players (Spotify, VLC, browsers, etc.)
• ✅ Multiple players simultaneously
• ✅ All bar configurations and window managers
• ✅ Remote control via playerctl commands

• Volume controls for complete audio management
• Spotify module for detailed track information
• System tray for player application access

Control your music without leaving your workflow! 🎶