MusicKit Integration (Apple Music)

Time cost: 5-10 minutes

Key Insight

MusicKit's ApplicationMusicPlayer automatically publishes to MPNowPlayingInfoCenter. You don't need to manually update Now Playing info when playing Apple Music content.

What's Automatic

When using ApplicationMusicPlayer:

• Track title, artist, album
• Artwork (Apple's album art)
• Duration and elapsed time
• Playback rate (playing/paused state)

The system handles all MPNowPlayingInfoCenter updates for you.

What's NOT Automatic

• Custom metadata (chapter markers, custom artist notes)
• Remote command customization beyond standard controls
• Mixing MusicKit content with your own content

Subscription and Authorization

Check Music Authorization

import MusicKit

func requestMusicAccess() async -> Bool {
    let status = await MusicAuthorization.request()
    return status == .authorized
}

// Check current status without prompting
let currentStatus = MusicAuthorization.currentStatus
// .authorized, .denied, .notDetermined, .restricted

Check Apple Music Subscription

func checkSubscription() async -> Bool {
    do {
        let subscription = try await MusicSubscription.current
        return subscription.canPlayCatalogContent
    } catch {
        return false
    }
}

// Observe subscription changes
func observeSubscription() {
    Task {
        for await subscription in MusicSubscription.subscriptionUpdates {
            if subscription.canPlayCatalogContent {
                // Full Apple Music access
            } else if subscription.canBecomeSubscriber {
                // Show subscription offer
                showSubscriptionOffer()
            }
        }
    }
}

Subscription Offer Sheet

import MusicKit
import StoreKit

// Present Apple Music subscription offer
MusicSubscriptionOffer.Options(
    messageIdentifier: .playMusic,
    itemID: song.id
)

// In SwiftUI
.musicSubscriptionOffer(isPresented: $showOffer, options: offerOptions)

Graceful Fallback Without Subscription

@MainActor
class MusicPlayer: ObservableObject {
    @Published var canPlay = false

    func handlePlayRequest(song: Song) async {
        let authorized = await requestMusicAccess()
        guard authorized else {
            showAuthorizationDeniedAlert()
            return
        }

        do {
            let subscription = try await MusicSubscription.current
            if subscription.canPlayCatalogContent {
                // Full playback
                try await play(song: song)
            } else {
                // Preview only (30-second clips)
                if let previewURL = song.previewAssets?.first?.url {
                    playPreview(url: previewURL)
                }
            }
        } catch {
            handleError(error)
        }
    }
}

Playback

Basic Playback

import MusicKit

@MainActor
class MusicKitPlayer {
    private let player = ApplicationMusicPlayer.shared

    func play(song: Song) async throws {
        // ✅ Just play - MPNowPlayingInfoCenter updates automatically
        player.queue = [song]
        try await player.play()

        // ❌ DO NOT manually set nowPlayingInfo here
        // MPNowPlayingInfoCenter.default().nowPlayingInfo = [...] // WRONG!
    }

    func pause() {
        player.pause()
    }

    func stop() {
        player.stop()
    }
}

Observing Playback State

@MainActor
class PlayerViewModel: ObservableObject {
    private let player = ApplicationMusicPlayer.shared
    @Published var isPlaying = false
    @Published var currentEntry: ApplicationMusicPlayer.Queue.Entry?
    @Published var playbackTime: TimeInterval = 0

    func observeState() {
        // Observe playback status
        Task {
            for await state in player.state.objectWillChange.values {
                isPlaying = player.state.playbackStatus == .playing
            }
        }

        // Observe current entry (track changes)
        Task {
            for await queue in player.queue.objectWillChange.values {
                currentEntry = player.queue.currentEntry
            }
        }
    }
}

Queue Management

Setting the Queue

let player = ApplicationMusicPlayer.shared

// Single song
player.queue = [song]

// Album
player.queue = ApplicationMusicPlayer.Queue(album: album)

// Playlist
player.queue = ApplicationMusicPlayer.Queue(playlist: playlist)

// Multiple items
player.queue = ApplicationMusicPlayer.Queue(for: [song1, song2, song3])

// Start at specific item
player.queue = ApplicationMusicPlayer.Queue(for: songs, startingAt: songs[2])

Queue Operations

// Skip to next
try await player.skipToNextEntry()

// Skip to previous
how to use axiom-now-playing-musickit
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use axiom-now-playing-musickit on Cursor
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1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add axiom-now-playing-musickit
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/charleswiltgen/axiom --skill axiom-now-playing-musickitcopy
The skills CLI fetches axiom-now-playing-musickit from GitHub repository charleswiltgen/axiom and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/axiom-now-playing-musickit
Reload or restart Cursor to activate axiom-now-playing-musickit. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /axiom-now-playing-musickit) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?