0.6.3: Parse Spotify's renamed /items response shape (new apps get item, not track)

Spotify's February 2026 changes did not just move /playlists/{id}/tracks to
/items: for apps on the new behavior the per-entry payload key was renamed
from "track" to "item" (tracks.tracks.track -> items.items.item). Extended
Quota Mode (grandfathered) apps keep the old key, which is why this never
reproduced locally. Every parser in alembic read only "track", so on a new
app each entry looked like a null/local track and was silently skipped: the
CSV came out header-only, sldl no-opped with exit 0, and the playlist page
showed an empty tracklist. Confirmed live on a new app against a playlist
the connected account owns.

All /items consumers (spotify_client.py, spotify-playlist-csv.py,
spotify-retag.py) now parse both key names, and the fields query filter is
gone: it selects by key name, so filtering on track(...) is itself what
returned empty pages on the renamed shape.

Also per the migration guide, new apps only receive playlist contents for
playlists the connected account owns or collaborates on; other playlists
return metadata with no items field at all (public is no longer enough).
That case now raises a pointed error (UI and CSV fetch) instead of reading
as an empty playlist, run-playlist.sh logs the fetched track count and warns
loudly when it is zero, and the README guidance is updated to match.

New tests pin get_playlist_tracks against both response shapes, the
metadata-only error, and pagination.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -73,10 +73,10 @@ Optional, add these later if you want them:
 Pull the prebuilt image onto your Docker host:
 
 ```bash
-docker pull git.kretzer.club/andrew/alembic:0.6
+docker pull git.kretzer.club/andrew/alembic:0.6.3
 ```
 
-That is the whole install. You do not need to download the source or build anything. The `0.6` is the version; you can pin to it so nothing changes under you, or use `latest` to always get the newest.
+That is the whole install. You do not need to download the source or build anything. The `0.6.3` is the version; you can pin to it so nothing changes under you, or use `latest` to always get the newest.
 
 (If you would rather build it yourself from source, you can, but you do not need to.)
 
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ Create a file called `docker-compose.yml` on your server (put it wherever you ke
 ```yaml
 services:
   alembic:
-    image: git.kretzer.club/andrew/alembic:0.6
+    image: git.kretzer.club/andrew/alembic:0.6.3
     container_name: alembic
     ports:
       - "8420:8420"
@@ -211,9 +211,11 @@ Steps:
 
 That's it, done once. alembic stores the resulting OAuth refresh token (encrypted, same as your other credentials) and uses it to silently mint a fresh access token whenever it needs one — you never have to repeat this unless you disconnect or revoke access on Spotify's side.
 
+One more limit that comes with a new Spotify app: Spotify only returns a playlist's contents to the account that owns it (or collaborates on it), even after you connect. So sync playlists that belong to the account you connect, and if someone shares a playlist with you, save your own copy of it first (or have them add you as a collaborator).
+
 If you happen to be running a Spotify app created *before* the 2025/2026 change, plain Client ID/Secret still works and this step is optional — but connecting is harmless either way, so there's no reason not to.
 
-> **If you connected Spotify before version 0.6.1:** click **Connect Spotify** again. Versions before 0.6.1 requested a narrower OAuth scope than sldl actually needs, which could get you a token that refreshes fine but then gets 403 Forbidden loading a playlist (see Troubleshooting). Reconnecting grants the correct scope; your old connection doesn't upgrade itself.
+> **If you connected Spotify before version 0.6.1:** click **Connect Spotify** again. Versions before 0.6.1 requested a narrower OAuth scope than playlist reads actually need, which could get you a token that refreshes fine but then gets 403 Forbidden loading a playlist (see Troubleshooting). Reconnecting grants the correct scope; your old connection doesn't upgrade itself.
 
 ## Adding your first playlist
 
@@ -290,11 +292,13 @@ Your Spotify app can't read the playlist with app-only (client-credentials) acce
 
 The fix: go to **Settings → Credentials** and click **Connect Spotify** to complete the OAuth login (see "Connecting your Spotify account (OAuth)" above). This mints a user token that works regardless of when your app was created. If you haven't already, add the redirect URI `https://<your-host>/connect/spotify/callback` in your Spotify app's dashboard first, or the connect step itself will fail with a redirect_uri mismatch.
 
-**A playlist's job log shows `sldl crashed (exit 134)` mentioning a 403 Forbidden, even though you've connected Spotify.**
-Two possible causes, in order of likelihood:
+**A playlist's job log shows `Spotify returned 403 loading this playlist`, `Spotify returned this playlist without its contents`, or `0 visible tracks` even though you've connected Spotify.** (On versions before 0.6.2 these showed up as `sldl crashed (exit 134)` mentioning a 403 Forbidden; on 0.6.2 a playlist you don't own could finish "successfully" while downloading nothing.)
+Possible causes, in order of likelihood:
 
-1. **You connected before version 0.6.1.** Earlier versions requested a narrower OAuth scope than sldl actually needs, so the token refreshes fine but then gets 403 loading a playlist regardless of ownership. Fix: go to **Settings → Credentials** and click **Connect Spotify** again to grant the correct scope.
-2. **The connected account genuinely can't see this playlist.** Once connected, playlist reads are scoped to what that account can actually see — its own playlists, ones it collaborates on, or ones marked Public — not any arbitrary playlist by ID the way app-only access could. Fix: make sure the playlist is owned by the connected account, or set it to Public on Spotify (Playlist → ⋯ → Make public).
+1. **The playlist isn't owned by the connected account.** For Spotify apps created after the 2025/2026 API change, Spotify only returns a playlist's contents to its owner or a collaborator on it. Being public is NOT enough. Fix: recreate the playlist under the account you connected via **Connect Spotify**, or have the owner make it collaborative and add you.
+2. **You connected before version 0.6.1.** Earlier versions requested a narrower OAuth scope than playlist reads actually need, so the token refreshes fine but then gets 403 loading a playlist regardless of ownership. Fix: go to **Settings → Credentials** and click **Connect Spotify** again to grant the correct scope.
+
+(If your Spotify app is old enough to be grandfathered, both public playlists and your own keep working like before.)
 
 Either way, re-run the playlist after fixing it.
 

app/main.py

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from fastapi.templating import Jinja2Templates
 from starlette.exceptions import HTTPException as StarletteHTTPException
 from starlette.middleware.sessions import SessionMiddleware
 
-from app.db import enable_beets_db_wal, init_db, mark_interrupted_runs
+from app.db import SessionLocal, enable_beets_db_wal, init_db, mark_interrupted_runs
 from app.routers import artist_casing, auth, connect, credentials, dashboard, dedup, genres, health, import_, jobs, library, playlists
 from app.security.session import resolve_session_secret
 from app.services import scheduler_service
@@ -48,12 +48,31 @@ def _warn_if_key_colocated_with_config() -> None:
         )
 
 
+def _render_confs_on_startup() -> None:
+    """Re-render every playlist .conf from the current template once per boot,
+    so confs rendered by an older version converge on upgrade without waiting
+    for a playlist or credential change. Concretely: 0.6.2 dropped the Spotify
+    credential lines from confs (sldl no longer talks to Spotify), and this is
+    what scrubs those secrets from already-deployed confs. Best-effort -- a
+    render failure shouldn't stop the app from starting."""
+    from app.services import credential_service
+
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        credential_service.render_playlist_confs(db)
+    except Exception:
+        log.exception("Startup playlist .conf render failed; continuing")
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+
 @asynccontextmanager
 async def lifespan(_app: FastAPI):
     _warn_if_key_colocated_with_config()
     init_db()
     mark_interrupted_runs()
     enable_beets_db_wal()
+    _render_confs_on_startup()
 
     scheduler = scheduler_service.create_scheduler()
     scheduler_service.register_all_jobs(scheduler)

app/routers/playlists.py

@@ -14,12 +14,16 @@ templates = Jinja2Templates(directory="app/templates")
 def _friendly_status_error(exc: Exception) -> str:
     """Turn a raw Spotify API error into something a non-technical user can act
     on. 403 here almost always means the Spotify app can't read the playlist:
-    either the credentials are wrong or the playlist isn't public."""
+    wrong credentials, or the connected account can't see it. (The other
+    can't-read case, contents hidden for playlists the account doesn't own,
+    arrives as a RuntimeError from spotify_client with its own message.)"""
     if isinstance(exc, httpx.HTTPStatusError) and exc.response.status_code == 403:
         return (
             "Spotify denied access (403). Check your Spotify credentials under "
-            "Settings then Credentials, and make sure the playlist is set to public "
-            "on Spotify -- alembic can't read private playlists."
+            "Settings then Credentials, and make sure the account connected via "
+            "Connect Spotify can see this playlist. For newly created Spotify "
+            "apps the connected account must own the playlist or be a "
+            "collaborator on it."
         )
     return str(exc)
 

app/services/credential_service.py

@@ -116,8 +116,10 @@ def get_scope(db: Session, scope: str) -> dict[str, str]:
 _SAFE_CONF_NAME = re.compile(r"^[A-Za-z0-9 _-]{1,64}$")
 
 # The credential lines the renderer fills in from the encrypted store. Everything
-# else in a rendered .conf comes verbatim from _template.conf.
-_CONF_CRED_KEYS = ("user", "pass", "spotify-id", "spotify-secret", "spotify-refresh")
+# else in a rendered .conf comes verbatim from _template.conf. Spotify creds are
+# NOT here: sldl never talks to Spotify itself (see _template.conf and
+# run-playlist.sh) -- the scripts that do read them from _spotify.env instead.
+_CONF_CRED_KEYS = ("user", "pass")
 
 
 def _set_conf_field(text: str, key: str, value: str) -> str:
@@ -134,27 +136,24 @@ def _set_conf_field(text: str, key: str, value: str) -> str:
 
 def render_playlist_confs(db: Session) -> None:
     """Render every playlist's sldl .conf directly from _template.conf, with
-    the path placeholders and the Soulseek/Spotify credentials substituted in
-    one pass, written 0600.
+    the path placeholders and the Soulseek credentials substituted in one
+    pass, written 0600. No Spotify credentials here -- sldl never talks to
+    Spotify itself (see _template.conf); those live only in _spotify.env.
 
     This is the single source of .conf rendering. It replaces the older
     DB -> playlists.json -> regen.sh -> regex-patch-back chain: the app owns
     every input (playlists in its DB, credentials in its encrypted store), so
     there is no reason to round-trip through an intermediate file and a
     subprocess. Called on any playlist change (playlist_service) and on any
-    Spotify/Soulseek credential change (render_scope)."""
+    Soulseek credential change (render_scope)."""
     from app.services import playlist_service
 
     template = (settings.pipeline_dir / "configs" / "_template.conf").read_text()
     dropbox_root = str(settings.music_data_dir / "sldl-dropbox")
-    spotify = get_scope(db, "spotify")
     soulseek = get_scope(db, "soulseek")
     creds = {
         "user": soulseek.get("username", ""),
         "pass": soulseek.get("password", ""),
-        "spotify-id": spotify.get("client_id", ""),
-        "spotify-secret": spotify.get("client_secret", ""),
-        "spotify-refresh": spotify.get("refresh_token", ""),
     }
     # Path placeholders are substituted as LITERAL text in a single left-to-right
     # pass (never re-scanned), so a value can't be reinterpreted as another
@@ -193,13 +192,14 @@ def render_scope(db: Session, scope: str) -> None:
     if scope == "spotify":
         cid = values.get("client_id", "")
         csec = values.get("client_secret", "")
-        # _spotify.env is read by the pipeline python scripts (spotify-genre,
-        # spotify-retag, fix-track-metadata). SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN is only set
-        # once an account is connected via /connect/spotify -- its presence is
-        # what switches every reader from client-credentials to a user token
-        # (see _spotify_auth.get_token). The rendered playlist .conf gets the
-        # same refresh token too (spotify-refresh, in render_playlist_confs),
-        # which is what lets sldl itself use a user token.
+        # _spotify.env is the ONLY place Spotify creds are rendered -- sldl
+        # itself never talks to Spotify (see _template.conf), so playlist
+        # .confs don't need them. Read by run-playlist.sh (to generate the
+        # search CSV) and the pipeline python scripts (spotify-retag,
+        # spotify-genre, fix-track-metadata). SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN is only
+        # set once an account is connected via /connect/spotify -- its
+        # presence is what switches every reader from client-credentials to
+        # a user token (see _spotify_auth.get_token).
         _write_env_file(
             settings.pipeline_config_dir / "_spotify.env",
             {
@@ -208,8 +208,6 @@ def render_scope(db: Session, scope: str) -> None:
                 "SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN": values.get("refresh_token", ""),
             },
         )
-        # Re-render every playlist .conf so the new Spotify creds land in them.
-        render_playlist_confs(db)
 
     elif scope == "soulseek":
         render_playlist_confs(db)

app/services/playlist_service.py

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@ def update(db: Session, playlist_id: int, **fields) -> Playlist:
 
 
 def delete(db: Session, playlist_id: int) -> None:
-    """Remove the playlist from the DB and delete its rendered .conf file.
+    """Remove the playlist from the DB and delete its rendered .conf and
+    generated search .csv files.
     Does NOT touch anything already downloaded/imported for it — that's a
     library decision, not a playlist-definition one."""
     playlist = db.get(Playlist, playlist_id)
@@ -126,6 +127,9 @@ def delete(db: Session, playlist_id: int) -> None:
     db.commit()
     conf_path = settings.pipeline_config_dir / f"{name}.conf"
     conf_path.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    # The search CSV run-playlist.sh generates next to the conf each run.
+    csv_path = settings.pipeline_config_dir / f"{name}.csv"
+    csv_path.unlink(missing_ok=True)
 
     from app.services import scheduler_service
 

app/services/spotify_client.py

@@ -77,18 +77,34 @@ def get_playlist_tracks(db: Session, playlist_url: str) -> list[dict]:
 
     tracks = []
     # /items, not /tracks: Spotify removed GET /playlists/{id}/tracks in its
-    # February 2026 API changes in favor of /items (same response shape). New
-    # apps are 403'd on the old endpoint; grandfathered apps still tolerate it
-    # for now, but /items is the correct, future-proof one.
+    # February 2026 API changes. The response shape ALSO changed, but only for
+    # apps on the new behavior: each entry's payload moved from "track" to
+    # "item" (tracks.tracks.track -> items.items.item). Extended Quota Mode
+    # (grandfathered) apps keep the old "track" key, so parse both. No
+    # `fields` filter: it selects by key name, so on the renamed shape a
+    # track(...) filter silently returns empty pages -- exactly the failure
+    # we're avoiding.
     url = f"{API_BASE}/playlists/{playlist_id}/items"
-    params = {"limit": 100, "fields": "items(track(name,artists(name),external_ids)),next"}
+    params = {"limit": 100}
 
     while url:
         resp = httpx.get(url, params=params, headers=headers, timeout=15)
         resp.raise_for_status()
         data = resp.json()
-        for item in data.get("items", []):
-            track = item.get("track")
+        if "items" not in data:
+            # New-behavior apps get metadata only (no items field at all) for
+            # playlists the connected account doesn't own or collaborate on --
+            # public is no longer sufficient. Same message style the playlist
+            # page shows for a 403.
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "Spotify returned this playlist without its contents. For newly "
+                "created Spotify apps, the account connected via Connect Spotify "
+                "must own the playlist (or be a collaborator on it) -- ask the "
+                "owner to share it as collaborative, or recreate it under the "
+                "connected account."
+            )
+        for item in data["items"]:
+            track = item.get("track") or item.get("item")
             if not track:
                 continue  # local files / removed tracks show up as null
             artists = track.get("artists") or []

pipeline/bin/run-playlist.sh

@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ PLAYLIST_NAME="${1:?Usage: $0 [--no-m3u] <playlist_name>}"
 
 # ==== Paths ====
 CONFIG_FILE=${ALEMBIC_CONFIG_DIR:-/config}/pipeline/${PLAYLIST_NAME}.conf
+SPOTIFY_ENV=${ALEMBIC_CONFIG_DIR:-/config}/pipeline/_spotify.env
+CSV_FILE=${ALEMBIC_CONFIG_DIR:-/config}/pipeline/${PLAYLIST_NAME}.csv
 DROPBOX=${MUSIC_DATA_DIR:-/data/music}/sldl-dropbox/${PLAYLIST_NAME}
 PLAYLISTS_DIR=${MUSIC_DATA_DIR:-/data/music}/playlists
 QUARANTINE_DIR=${MUSIC_DATA_DIR:-/data/music}/Songs/untagged
@@ -54,6 +56,46 @@ if [[ ! -f "$CONFIG_FILE" ]]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+# ==== Read the playlist from Spotify into a CSV sldl can search from ====
+# sldl's own vendored Spotify client still calls GET /playlists/{id}/tracks,
+# which Spotify removed in its February 2026 API changes. Grandfathered apps
+# still get a pass there; apps created after that change get a hard 403
+# regardless of auth method (client-credentials, or even a correctly-scoped,
+# correctly-owned OAuth user token -- confirmed live, exit 134 unhandled
+# APIException: Forbidden from Extractors.Spotify.GetPlaylist). sldl has no
+# fallback to the still-working /items endpoint, so it can never read a
+# playlist for a new app no matter what alembic hands it. Reading the
+# playlist ourselves (via /items) and handing sldl a plain CSV instead
+# sidesteps sldl's Spotify client entirely -- works the same for
+# grandfathered and new apps alike.
+SPOTIFY_URL=$(sed -n 's/^input *= *//p' "$CONFIG_FILE" | tr -d ' ')
+[[ -f "$SPOTIFY_ENV" ]] && source "$SPOTIFY_ENV"
+
+if [[ -z "$SPOTIFY_URL" || -z "${SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID:-}" || -z "${SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET:-}" ]]; then
+  log "ERROR: missing playlist URL in $CONFIG_FILE or Spotify credentials in $SPOTIFY_ENV"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+log "Fetching playlist from Spotify: $SPOTIFY_URL"
+if ! SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID="$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID" SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET="$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET" \
+    SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN="${SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN:-}" \
+    python3 "${PIPELINE_DIR:-/app/pipeline}/lib/spotify-playlist-csv.py" "$SPOTIFY_URL" "$CSV_FILE" >> "$LOG" 2>&1; then
+  log "ERROR: failed to fetch playlist from Spotify — see $LOG"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Surface the fetched count in the timestamped summary. Zero tracks from a
+# successful fetch is almost never a truly empty playlist -- it usually means
+# Spotify hid the contents from the connected account (see the pointed errors
+# in spotify-playlist-csv.py), so call it out instead of letting sldl no-op
+# with a clean exit 0.
+TRACK_COUNT=$(($(wc -l < "$CSV_FILE") - 1))
+if [[ "$TRACK_COUNT" -le 0 ]]; then
+  log "WARNING: Spotify returned 0 visible tracks for this playlist -- nothing to download. If the playlist isn't actually empty, the connected Spotify account can't see its contents (it must own or collaborate on the playlist for newly created Spotify apps)."
+else
+  log "Fetched $TRACK_COUNT track(s) from Spotify"
+fi
+
 # ==== Run sldl (vendored binary, subprocess of this container) ====
 log "Running sldl for: $PLAYLIST_NAME"
 
@@ -62,37 +104,24 @@ log "Running sldl for: $PLAYLIST_NAME"
 # download. A non-zero exit here is logged but not fatal.
 #
 # Hard timeout: without it a stuck sldl hangs FOREVER holding the shared lock,
-# which silently skips every later-scheduled playlist for the night. (Seen
-# 2026-06-18: a transient Spotify client-creds failure made sldl fall back to
-# interactive OAuth — "manually open: https://accounts.spotify.com/..." — and
-# it waited 7h on a browser callback that never comes. Fixed by always
-# rendering `spotify-refresh` into the conf once a Spotify account is
-# connected via /connect/spotify — sldl's own docs confirm supplying a
-# refresh token skips the login-flow requirement entirely. This timeout stays
-# as a backstop for any other cause of a stuck run.) timeout TERMs the run
-# and KILLs after a grace period; there's no leftover container to clean up
-# now that sldl is a plain subprocess instead of a docker-compose service.
+# which silently skips every later-scheduled playlist for the night. timeout
+# TERMs the run and KILLs after a grace period; there's no leftover container
+# to clean up now that sldl is a plain subprocess instead of a docker-compose
+# service.
+#
+# -c "$CONFIG_FILE" still supplies Soulseek login, download path, quality
+# settings, port, etc. -- the CSV positional arg + --input-type csv override
+# just the input source (confirmed: sldl ignores the conf's own `input =`/
+# `input-type =` lines when both are given).
 SLDL_TIMEOUT="${SLDL_TIMEOUT:-2700}"        # 45 min; override via env
 SLDL_EXIT=0
 timeout --kill-after=30s "$SLDL_TIMEOUT" \
-  "$SLDL_BIN" -c "$CONFIG_FILE" >> "$LOG" 2>&1 \
+  "$SLDL_BIN" "$CSV_FILE" --input-type csv -c "$CONFIG_FILE" >> "$LOG" 2>&1 \
   || SLDL_EXIT=$?
 if [[ "$SLDL_EXIT" -eq 124 || "$SLDL_EXIT" -eq 137 ]]; then
   log "ERROR: sldl exceeded ${SLDL_TIMEOUT}s and was killed (likely a hang)"
 elif [[ "$SLDL_EXIT" -eq 134 ]]; then
-  # sldl aborts (SIGABRT) on ANY unhandled .NET exception rather than failing
-  # cleanly. The one case we've actually seen in the wild: a valid, freshly-
-  # refreshed user token still gets 403 Forbidden loading the playlist,
-  # because Spotify scopes OAuth playlist reads to what the CONNECTED account
-  # can see (its own playlists, ones it collaborates on, or ones marked
-  # Public) -- unlike client-credentials, which could read any public
-  # playlist regardless of whose app it was. Give a pointed hint when that's
-  # the visible cause; otherwise just flag that sldl crashed outright.
-  if grep -q "APIException: Forbidden" "$LOG"; then
-    log "ERROR: sldl crashed (exit 134) -- Spotify returned 403 loading this playlist. The connected Spotify account can't see it: make sure it's owned by, or shared/followed by, whichever account is connected via /connect/spotify, or set it to Public on Spotify."
-  else
-    log "ERROR: sldl crashed (exit 134, unhandled exception) -- see the log above for the exception detail"
-  fi
+  log "ERROR: sldl crashed (exit 134, unhandled exception) -- see the log above for the exception detail"
 fi
 log "sldl finished with exit code $SLDL_EXIT"
 
@@ -125,27 +154,19 @@ log "Cleaning up .incomplete files in dropbox"
 find "$DROPBOX" -name "*.incomplete" -type f -delete 2>>"$LOG" || true
 
 # ==== Rewrite tags from Spotify (source of truth for matched tracks) ====
-# Reads Spotify creds + playlist URL from the same conf sldl used. For each file
-# in the dropbox that matches a Spotify playlist track, overwrites ARTIST
+# Uses the playlist URL and _spotify.env credentials already loaded for the
+# CSV fetch above (confs no longer carry Spotify creds). For each file in the
+# dropbox that matches a Spotify playlist track, overwrites ARTIST
 # (semicolon-joined), ALBUMARTIST (primary), ALBUM, TITLE, TRACKNUMBER,
 # DISCNUMBER, DATE. GROUPING is preserved. Files that don't match are left for
 # the fallback step below.
-SPOTIFY_URL=$(sed -n 's/^input *= *//p' "$CONFIG_FILE" | tr -d ' ')
-SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID=$(sed -n 's/^spotify-id *= *//p' "$CONFIG_FILE" | tr -d ' ')
-SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET=$(sed -n 's/^spotify-secret *= *//p' "$CONFIG_FILE" | tr -d ' ')
-SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN=$(sed -n 's/^spotify-refresh *= *//p' "$CONFIG_FILE" | tr -d ' ')
-
-if [[ -n "$SPOTIFY_URL" && -n "$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID" && -n "$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET" ]]; then
-  log "Rewriting tags from Spotify for files in $DROPBOX"
-  if SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID="$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID" SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET="$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-      SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN="$SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN" \
-      python3 ${PIPELINE_DIR:-/app/pipeline}/lib/spotify-retag.py "$SPOTIFY_URL" "$DROPBOX" >> "$LOG" 2>&1; then
-    log "Spotify retag complete"
-  else
-    log "WARNING: Spotify retag failed (exit $?) — continuing with sldl-supplied tags"
-  fi
+log "Rewriting tags from Spotify for files in $DROPBOX"
+if SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID="$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID" SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET="$SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET" \
+    SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN="${SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN:-}" \
+    python3 ${PIPELINE_DIR:-/app/pipeline}/lib/spotify-retag.py "$SPOTIFY_URL" "$DROPBOX" >> "$LOG" 2>&1; then
+  log "Spotify retag complete"
 else
-  log "Skipping Spotify retag — missing input/spotify-id/spotify-secret in $CONFIG_FILE"
+  log "WARNING: Spotify retag failed (exit $?) — continuing with sldl-supplied tags"
 fi
 
 # ==== Quarantine any files still missing essential tags ====

pipeline/configs/_template.conf

@@ -14,19 +14,15 @@
 user = SOULSEEK_USER
 pass = SOULSEEK_PASS
 
-# ==== Spotify API credentials ====
-spotify-id = SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID
-spotify-secret = SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET
-# Set once an account is connected via /connect/spotify (blank otherwise).
-# sldl's own docs confirm supplying a refresh token skips its interactive
-# login-flow requirement entirely -- this is what lets newly created Spotify
-# apps (which Spotify blocks from reading playlists with client-credentials
-# alone) work without sldl ever trying to open a browser.
-spotify-refresh = SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN
-
 # ==== Input (Spotify playlist URL) ====
+# sldl itself never reads Spotify at all -- its vendored Spotify client still
+# calls GET /playlists/{id}/tracks, which Spotify removed in its February 2026
+# API changes (new apps get a hard 403 there regardless of auth method; see
+# spotify-playlist-csv.py). run-playlist.sh reads the playlist itself (via the
+# still-working /items endpoint) and hands sldl a CSV via --input-type csv on
+# the command line, which overrides this line entirely -- it's kept only so
+# run-playlist.sh has somewhere to read the playlist URL from per-playlist.
 input = SPOTIFY_URL
-input-type = spotify
 
 # ==== Output paths ====
 # SLDL_DROPBOX_ROOT is substituted at render time from $MUSIC_DATA_DIR

pipeline/lib/spotify-playlist-csv.py

@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+spotify-playlist-csv.py — dump a Spotify playlist to a CSV sldl can search from.
+
+sldl's own vendored Spotify client still calls Spotify's GET /playlists/{id}/tracks
+endpoint, which Spotify removed in its February 2026 API changes (see
+https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/web-api/references/changes/february-2026)
+in favor of /items. Grandfathered apps still get a pass on /tracks for now, but
+apps created after that change get a hard 403 there regardless of auth method --
+client-credentials, or a correctly-scoped, correctly-owned OAuth user token, none
+of it matters, because the endpoint itself is gone for them. sldl has no separate
+code path to fall back to /items, so it can never read a playlist for a new app
+no matter what alembic hands it.
+
+Rather than depend on sldl's Spotify client at all, this script reads the
+playlist itself (via /items, which alembic's own code already migrated to) and
+writes the same Artist,Title,Album,Length CSV format upgrade-mp3-to-flac.sh
+already feeds to sldl via --input-type csv. run-playlist.sh runs this first and
+then points sldl at the CSV instead of the playlist URL, sidestepping sldl's
+Spotify client entirely -- for grandfathered and new apps alike.
+
+Usage:
+  spotify-playlist-csv.py <playlist_url> <out_csv>
+
+Credentials are read from env vars SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID and SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET.
+SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN, if set, mints a user token instead of client-credentials
+(required for newly created Spotify apps -- see _spotify_auth.get_token).
+"""
+import csv
+import json
+import os
+import re
+import sys
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.request
+
+from _spotify_auth import get_token
+
+API = "https://api.spotify.com/v1"
+
+
+def fetch_playlist(url: str, token: str) -> list[dict]:
+    m = re.search(r"playlist[/:]([A-Za-z0-9]+)", url)
+    if not m:
+        sys.exit(f"Could not parse playlist ID from {url!r}")
+    pid = m.group(1)
+    tracks = []
+    # No `fields` filter: Spotify's February 2026 changes renamed each entry's
+    # payload from "track" to "item" for apps on the new behavior (extended
+    # quota / grandfathered apps keep "track"), and a fields filter selects by
+    # key name -- filtering on track(...) silently returns EMPTY pages on the
+    # renamed shape. Fetch unfiltered and parse both key names below.
+    next_url = f"{API}/playlists/{pid}/items?limit=100"
+    while next_url:
+        req = urllib.request.Request(next_url, headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"})
+        try:
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=15) as r:
+                data = json.loads(r.read())
+        except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+            if e.code in (403, 404):
+                sys.exit(
+                    f"Spotify returned {e.code} loading this playlist. The connected "
+                    "Spotify account can't see it: it must own the playlist, be a "
+                    "collaborator on it, or (for grandfathered apps) the playlist "
+                    "must be Public. Check which account is connected via "
+                    "/connect/spotify."
+                )
+            raise
+        if "items" not in data:
+            # New-behavior apps get metadata only (no items field) for
+            # playlists the connected account doesn't own or collaborate on.
+            sys.exit(
+                "Spotify returned this playlist without its contents. For newly "
+                "created Spotify apps, the connected account must OWN the playlist "
+                "or be a collaborator on it (public is no longer enough). Ask the "
+                "owner to make it collaborative and add you, or recreate the "
+                "playlist under the connected account."
+            )
+        for item in data["items"]:
+            t = item.get("track") or item.get("item")
+            if not t or t.get("is_local"):
+                continue
+            # All artists, comma-joined -- matches what sldl's own Spotify
+            # extractor fed its search, so multi-artist tracks match no worse
+            # than they did before the CSV detour.
+            artists = [a["name"] for a in (t.get("artists") or []) if a.get("name")]
+            tracks.append(
+                {
+                    "artist": ", ".join(artists),
+                    "title": t.get("name", ""),
+                    "album": (t.get("album") or {}).get("name", ""),
+                    "length": round((t.get("duration_ms") or 0) / 1000),
+                }
+            )
+        next_url = data.get("next")
+    return tracks
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    if len(sys.argv) != 3:
+        sys.exit(f"Usage: {sys.argv[0]} <playlist_url> <out_csv>")
+    url, out_path = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
+
+    cid = os.environ.get("SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID")
+    csec = os.environ.get("SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET")
+    refresh = os.environ.get("SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN") or None
+    if not cid or not csec:
+        sys.exit("SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID and SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET must be set")
+
+    token = get_token(cid, csec, refresh)
+    tracks = fetch_playlist(url, token)
+
+    with open(out_path, "w", newline="") as f:
+        writer = csv.writer(f)
+        writer.writerow(["Artist", "Title", "Album", "Length"])
+        for t in tracks:
+            writer.writerow([t["artist"], t["title"], t["album"], t["length"]])
+
+    print(f"[spotify-playlist-csv] wrote {len(tracks)} tracks to {out_path}")
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())

pipeline/lib/spotify-retag.py

@@ -56,8 +56,11 @@ def fetch_playlist(url: str, token: str) -> list[dict]:
         )
         with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=15) as r:
             data = json.loads(r.read())
-        for item in data["items"]:
-            t = item.get("track")
+        # Entries carry "track" (grandfathered apps) or "item" (apps on the
+        # February 2026 renamed shape); items is absent entirely when the
+        # connected account can't read the playlist's contents.
+        for item in data.get("items", []):
+            t = item.get("track") or item.get("item")
             if not t or t.get("is_local"):
                 continue
             tracks.append(

tests/test_credential_service.py

@@ -43,22 +43,41 @@ def test_render_playlist_confs_injects_creds_safely(db, config_dir):
     text = conf.read_text()
     assert "user = seek" in text
     assert "pass = p'a$(id)ss" in text
-    assert "spotify-id = CID" in text
-    assert "spotify-secret = CSECRET" in text
-    # no account connected yet -- rendered blank, not left as the placeholder
-    assert "spotify-refresh = \n" in text
+    # run-playlist.sh scrapes the playlist URL from this line to build the CSV
+    assert "input = https://open.spotify.com/playlist/Z" in text
+    # Spotify creds must NOT be rendered into confs: sldl never talks to
+    # Spotify (run-playlist.sh feeds it a CSV); the creds live in _spotify.env
+    assert "spotify-id" not in text
+    assert "spotify-secret" not in text
+    assert "spotify-refresh" not in text
+    assert "CID" not in text
+    assert "CSECRET" not in text
     # rendered config must be owner-only (holds the Soulseek password)
     assert stat.S_IMODE(os.stat(conf).st_mode) == 0o600
 
 
-def test_render_playlist_confs_includes_spotify_refresh_when_connected(db, config_dir):
-    cs.set_credentials(db, "spotify", {"client_id": "CID", "client_secret": "CSECRET", "refresh_token": "RTOK"})
-    cs.set_credentials(db, "soulseek", {"username": "seek", "password": "pw"})
-    pl.create(db, name="rtest2", spotify_url="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/Z")
+def test_spotify_env_renders_creds_and_refresh_token(db, config_dir):
+    # _spotify.env is the ONLY rendered home of Spotify creds; run-playlist.sh
+    # sources it to fetch the playlist CSV, so values must be shell-quoted
+    cs.set_credentials(
+        db, "spotify", {"client_id": "CID", "client_secret": "CS'EC$(id)RET", "refresh_token": "RTOK"}
+    )
 
-    conf = config_dir / "pipeline" / "rtest2.conf"
-    text = conf.read_text()
-    assert "spotify-refresh = RTOK" in text
+    env = config_dir / "pipeline" / "_spotify.env"
+    text = env.read_text()
+    assert "SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID=CID" in text
+    # shlex.quote keeps a metacharacter-laden secret a single literal value
+    assert "SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET='CS'\"'\"'EC$(id)RET'" in text
+    assert "SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN=RTOK" in text
+    assert stat.S_IMODE(os.stat(env).st_mode) == 0o600
+
+
+def test_spotify_env_refresh_token_blank_until_connected(db, config_dir):
+    cs.set_credentials(db, "spotify", {"client_id": "CID", "client_secret": "CSECRET"})
+
+    text = (config_dir / "pipeline" / "_spotify.env").read_text()
+    # rendered blank (''), which sources cleanly and stays falsy in bash
+    assert "SPOTIFY_REFRESH_TOKEN=''" in text
 
 
 def test_azuracast_renders_and_clears_base_url(db, config_dir):

tests/test_spotify_client.py

@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+"""get_playlist_tracks must parse BOTH /items response shapes: entries keyed
+"track" (grandfathered / extended-quota apps) and "item" (apps on Spotify's
+February 2026 renamed shape), and must fail loudly, not return [], when
+Spotify withholds a playlist's contents (no items field at all)."""
+import pytest
+
+from app.services import spotify_client
+
+URL = "https://open.spotify.com/playlist/XYZ123"
+
+
+class _Resp:
+    def __init__(self, data):
+        self._data = data
+
+    def raise_for_status(self):
+        pass
+
+    def json(self):
+        return self._data
+
+
+def _fake_api(monkeypatch, pages):
+    it = iter(pages)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(spotify_client, "_get_token", lambda db: "tok")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        spotify_client.httpx,
+        "get",
+        lambda url, params=None, headers=None, timeout=None: _Resp(next(it)),
+    )
+
+
+def _track(name, artist, isrc=None):
+    return {
+        "name": name,
+        "artists": [{"name": artist}],
+        "external_ids": {"isrc": isrc} if isrc else {},
+    }
+
+
+def test_parses_legacy_track_shape(monkeypatch):
+    _fake_api(monkeypatch, [{"items": [{"track": _track("Sandstorm", "Darude", "FIDAR9900011")}], "next": None}])
+    tracks = spotify_client.get_playlist_tracks(None, URL)
+    assert tracks == [{"artist": "Darude", "title": "Sandstorm", "isrc": "FIDAR9900011"}]
+
+
+def test_parses_renamed_item_shape(monkeypatch):
+    # February 2026 shape: payload under "item", not "track"
+    _fake_api(monkeypatch, [{"items": [{"item": _track("Sandstorm", "Darude")}], "next": None}])
+    tracks = spotify_client.get_playlist_tracks(None, URL)
+    assert tracks == [{"artist": "Darude", "title": "Sandstorm", "isrc": None}]
+
+
+def test_missing_items_field_raises_not_empty(monkeypatch):
+    # metadata-only response (playlist not owned by the connected account on a
+    # new app) must be an error the UI can show, never a silent empty list
+    _fake_api(monkeypatch, [{"name": "DJ-USB", "public": True}])
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="without its contents"):
+        spotify_client.get_playlist_tracks(None, URL)
+
+
+def test_skips_null_entries_and_paginates(monkeypatch):
+    _fake_api(
+        monkeypatch,
+        [
+            {"items": [{"track": None}, {"track": _track("A", "X")}], "next": "page2"},
+            {"items": [{"item": _track("B", "Y")}], "next": None},
+        ],
+    )
+    tracks = spotify_client.get_playlist_tracks(None, URL)
+    assert [t["title"] for t in tracks] == ["A", "B"]