audtool
Control and query the Audacious music player
TLDR
Play/pause audio playback
Print artist, album, and song name of currently playing song
Set volume of audio playback
Skip to the next song
Print the bitrate of the current song in kilobits
Open Audacious in full-screen if hidden
Display help
Display settings
SYNOPSIS
audtool [--host=HOST] [--port=PORT] [--password=PASS] [--quiet] [--show-output] command [arguments]
PARAMETERS
--help
Display usage summary and exit
--version
Show audtool version information
--host=HOST
Connect to Audacious on specified host (default: localhost)
--port=PORT
Use specified TCP port (default: 45679)
--password=PASS
Authenticate with password if required
--quiet
Suppress non-essential error messages
--show-output
Display stdout/stderr from executed commands
DESCRIPTION
Audtool is a versatile command-line tool designed to remotely control the Audacious audio player. It enables users to manage playback, adjust volume and balance, manipulate playlists, query track information, and more, all from the terminal. Audtool communicates with a running Audacious instance over a TCP socket, requiring the "Audacious Control Socket" plugin to be enabled in Audacious preferences.
This makes it perfect for scripting, desktop shortcuts, status bars (e.g., in i3 or polybar), or automation tasks. Commands are straightforward, with global options for connection customization. Output is concise, often just status values or confirmations, supporting easy parsing in scripts. Audtool supports querying detailed metadata like artist, title, bitrate, and equalizer settings, providing a lightweight alternative to full GUI interaction.
CAVEATS
Audacious must be running with the control socket plugin enabled; default port 45679 must be accessible. No direct file playback—controls existing instance only.
COMMON COMMANDS
playback-status
play
pause
playpause
stop
next
prev
volume up|down|NUM|toggle
current [title|artist|album]
playlist-length
playlist-add URL
PLAYLIST MANAGEMENT
playlist-clear
playlist-jump POS
playlist-insert POS URL
playlist-shuffle
playlist-save FILE
EXAMPLES
audtool play
audtool volume 80
audtool current title
audtool --host=192.168.1.100 playlist-add https://example.com/track.mp3
HISTORY
Developed as part of Audacious (forked from XMMS in 2000; modern Audacious since 2008). Audtool introduced in Audacious 3.x (2010s) to replace legacy tools like xmmsctrl, emphasizing scriptability amid rise of lightweight audio players.
