A little setup.
Then a lot of music.

Cratebird connects your agent to Apple Music on Mac and turns song lists on web pages into playlists on iPhone and iPad. Start here if you’re setting it up or a playlist needs another look.

What you need on Mac

A Mac running macOS 14 or later.
An active Apple Music subscription, signed in to the Music app, with Sync Library enabled.
For agent-created playlists, an agent that supports local stdio MCP servers. A chat service that supports only remote connectors is not enough.

Start on your Mac

Move Cratebird to Applications and open it.
Choose Connect Apple Music and grant permission.
On Your Agent, enable Allow agent access on this Mac. Keep Cratebird running.
Choose one of the connection methods below.

Codex or ChatGPT desktop: MCP settings

Open your agent’s Settings → MCP servers → Add server.
Name it Cratebird and choose STDIO.
In Cratebird, select Codex / MCP → Copy Helper Path. Paste it into the server’s Command field. Leave arguments and environment variables empty.
Save and select Restart. In ChatGPT, turn on Work and choose Work locally for a new chat. A local Codex chat also works.

For an app installed in Applications, the command is:

/Applications/Cratebird.app/Contents/Helpers/cratebird-mcp

Ask: “Use Cratebird to check my Apple Music connection. Tell me whether it is ready without creating a playlist.” Your agent should report whether Apple Music is ready. Use the agent’s approval controls for playlist creation.

Use a Codex configuration file instead

Merge this section into ~/.codex/config.toml. Update an existing Cratebird section rather than adding it twice, then restart the connection. The app’s copy button uses the path of your installed copy.

[mcp_servers.cratebird]
command = "/Applications/Cratebird.app/Contents/Helpers/cratebird-mcp"
tool_timeout_sec = 600

ChatGPT desktop: a local plugin

Use Cratebird in ChatGPT Work locally or a local Codex chat. Regular Chat mode cannot run its local helper.

In Cratebird, select ChatGPT Plugin → Prepare Local Plugin.
Quit and reopen ChatGPT. Open Plugins, select the personal source named in Cratebird (normally Personal Plugins), and install Cratebird.
Turn on Work and choose Work locally for a new chat. Type @, select Cratebird from the plugin picker, and try the connection-check prompt above.

Preparation adds local plugin files and a personal source entry. It preserves other plugins and backs up an existing source before changes. You still install the plugin in ChatGPT. If you already added Cratebird as an MCP server, disable that duplicate connection.

Local plugin availability depends on your app and workspace settings. See OpenAI’s local plugin guide. After moving Cratebird, update the plugin in the app and refresh or reinstall it in ChatGPT.

ChatGPT on the web: the custom MCP form uses an HTTP server or a Secure MCP Tunnel. Cratebird’s current helper runs on your Mac and has no HTTP endpoint. A helper path cannot be used as a Server URL; the local plugin does not add a web connection.

Other compatible agents

Choose Other Agents → Copy MCP JSON in Cratebird. Merge this entry into your agent’s existing configuration and restart its connection. The client must support local STDIO servers and the mcpServers format.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cratebird": {
      "command": "/Applications/Cratebird.app/Contents/Helpers/cratebird-mcp"
    }
  }
}

No Apple Music tokens or Spotify secrets are needed in your agent’s settings. See the official MCP setup guide for the current desktop controls.

Your first prompt

“Use Cratebird to make me a 45-minute playlist for a late-night walk. Start mellow and let it build. Show me your picks, then create it in Apple Music when I say go.”

Cratebird exposes library playlist reads, catalog search, recording matching, playlist creation, guarded appends, connection status, and recovery. The agent chooses how to use those tools; playlist quality depends on its selections and catalog availability.

When something needs a nudge

Apple Music won’t connect

Open Music and check the signed-in account, subscription, and Sync Library. Check Cratebird’s permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music, then return to Cratebird and choose Check Connection. If the app still reports an authorization error, contact support with the exact message.

ChatGPT can only search Apple Music or make playlist drafts

Start a new chat with Work → Work locally, then type @ and select Cratebird. The separate Apple Music connection does not gain Cratebird’s library tools when you install this plugin. Restarting ChatGPT or typing “Cratebird” into regular Chat mode does not make the local helper available there. See how to choose Work locally.

My local agent can’t find Cratebird

If no tools appear, check the helper path, restart the connection, and start a new local chat. If tools report app_unavailable, open Cratebird and enable agent access. If you moved the app, copy a fresh path or update the plugin. For a missing plugin, restart ChatGPT and check the personal source selector; app or workspace policy may restrict local sources.

A playlist request timed out

Don’t ask for the same creation as a new request. For an append, ask your agent to use recover_append with the original request key. For a new playlist, ask it to use recover_playlist, or use Recover / Verify under Recent Playlists. Cratebird saves the request before sending it so it can check whether Apple already created the playlist. Apple may take time to return every track.

Can an agent change my existing playlists?

Yes. An authorized agent can read your library playlists and append reviewed songs to an editable playlist by its library ID. It checks the original contents before adding, can require new and distinct artists, and verifies the result. Interrupted appends are recovered without sending the songs again. Cratebird does not expose delete, rename, remove, or reorder operations. Use your agent’s approval controls for writes.

How does copying from Spotify work?

Use the Copy from Spotify tab and paste a public playlist link. You can also choose Create Playlist in Apple Music from your browser’s system Share menu, then Continue in Cratebird. Review the matches and choose Create Playlist. If Apple Music needs connecting, the shared link waits in the app. Cratebird reads the public page, finds confident Apple Music matches, and shows anything left out in an import report. Some pages expose only part of a playlist. Optional Spotify API import is available in Settings and requires your own developer app setup.

Turn a web page into a playlist on iPhone or iPad

Cratebird looks for song titles and artist names in articles and music lists, then suggests matches in Apple Music. You’ll need iOS 17 or later, an active Apple Music subscription, and Sync Library. This flow works without an external agent.

In Safari, share the page and choose Cratebird. You can also use Add a Link in Cratebird to paste a page address.
Review the page title and address, optionally name your playlist, and choose Save for Later.
Open Cratebird, choose the draft in Saved Pages, and select Find Songs.
Connect Apple Music and choose Review Songs. Review the suggestions and choose the recordings you want to include.
Choose Create in Apple Music and confirm.

If the page can’t be read, paste its song list into the optional text field when reviewing the source. Some songs may need an individual recording choice or may not be recognized. Review the results before creating your playlist.

Contact support

Send your device and operating-system version, Cratebird version, and the exact error or step that failed. Include your agent’s name if you use one. Remove passwords, tokens, and private playlist information from screenshots.

support@joshmiller.io

For information about local history and service connections, read the privacy policy.

A little setup.Then a lot of music.