# Install nowplaying-cli with Homebrew, Nix Retrieves currently playing media, and simulates media actions. Version 2.1.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#nowplaying-cli. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:nowplaying-cli ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install nowplaying-cli ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#nowplaying-cli ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/no/nowplaying-cli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:nowplaying-cli - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 2.1.0 - **Source summary:** Retrieves currently playing media, and simulates media actions - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - nowplaying-cli (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 2.1.0 ## Project history and usage nowplaying-cli is a macOS command-line utility for reading the system's active media metadata and sending media actions such as play, pause, next, previous, togglePlayPause, and seek. The GitHub repository was created on 2023-02-02 and the first GitHub release, v1.0.0, was published on 2023-02-03. The project is intentionally macOS-specific and depends on private media frameworks. Its README warns that private-framework use may break with future macOS updates, and lists tested macOS versions from Ventura 13.x through Tahoe 26.3. ### Project history The 1.x series shipped quickly in 2023, with releases v1.0.0 on 2023-02-03, v1.1.0 on 2023-02-08, v1.2.0 on 2023-04-18, and v1.2.1 on 2023-06-30. Releases v2.0.0 and v2.1.0 followed on 2026-04-05 and 2026-04-06. The README credits ungive's mediaremote-adapter for restoring support on macOS 15 and 26, with derived files under src/mediaremote-mini licensed BSD-3-Clause. That note explains why a small CLI had a 2026 maintenance bump: macOS private media APIs are a moving target. ### Adoption history For a narrow macOS utility, Homebrew adoption is notable. The formula API reported 2,614 install-on-request events in its 365-day analytics window, and the GitHub repository had 284 stars and 21 forks when queried on 2026-07-01. The tool's adoption is practical rather than ecosystem-forming. It fits shell scripts, status bars, menu bar widgets, terminal prompts, automation shortcuts, and Stream Deck-style workflows that need a simple command to read or control the active media session. ### How it is used Common commands are nowplaying-cli get title artist album, nowplaying-cli get-raw for all non-nil media properties, and action commands such as play, pause, togglePlayPause, next, previous, and seek. The README maps friendly property names to MediaRemote constants such as title, artist, album, duration, elapsedTime, artworkData, playbackRate, shuffleMode, and repeatMode. Package nerds should notice the maintenance risk: this is a convenient CLI over Apple's private MediaRemote behavior, not a stable public macOS API. Homebrew is the easiest install path, while source builds use make and make install to place the binary, helper script, and dylib together. ### Why package nerds care nowplaying-cli is a classic tiny macOS utility: high usefulness, small surface area, and fragile internals because it wraps private platform behavior. Its Homebrew usage suggests a real demand for scriptable now-playing metadata that Apple does not expose cleanly as a standard CLI. ### Timeline - 2023-02-02: GitHub repository created. - 2023-02-03: v1.0.0 released. - 2023-06-30: v1.2.1 released. - 2026-04-05: v2.0.0 released. - 2026-04-06: v2.1.0 released. ### Related projects - MediaRemote - mediaremote-adapter - Homebrew ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - nowplaying-cli: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/no/nowplaying-cli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/nowplaying-cli.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/nowplaying-cli.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph