DeemixKit Credentials Setup

Overview

DeemixKit uses a unified credentials file to store API keys for services that require authentication. This keeps your sensitive data secure and centralized across all scripts.

Important: Deezer does NOT require any credentials - it uses a free public API!

📍 Location

Your credentials file should be located at:

~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json

🔑 Supported Services

Spotify (Required)

DeemixKit's Spotify features require a Client ID and Client Secret from Spotify's Developer Portal.

What you need:

client_id - Your Spotify application's Client ID
client_secret - Your Spotify application's Client Secret

How to get them:

Go to Spotify Developer Dashboard
Click "Create App" or "Log in" if you're not already logged in
Fill in the form:
- App name: DeemixKit (or any name you prefer)
- App description: Music downloader automation
- Redirect URI: http://localhost:8888/callback (this field is required but not used by our scripts)
- API/SDK: Web API
Click "Save"
Copy your Client ID and Client Secret from the app settings page

Deezer (Not Required)

Deezer provides a free, public API that doesn't require authentication. No setup needed!

Last.fm (Optional)

Currently not used by DeemixKit but available for future features.

YouTube (Optional)

Currently not used by DeemixKit but available for future features.

Discogs (Optional)

Currently not used by DeemixKit but available for future features.

📁 Custom Paths (Optional)

Some DeemixKit scripts use custom paths for your setup. These can be configured in the same credentials.json file.

Available Path Settings

Setting	Description	Default
`paths.deemixkit`	Path to the DeemixKit installation	`/Volumes/Eksternal/Music/Tools/DeemixKit`
`paths.audio_library`	Path to your music collection	`/Volumes/Eksternal/Audio`

When to Configure Paths

You only need to set these if:

You've installed DeemixKit in a different location
Your music collection is stored elsewhere
You're setting up DeemixKit on a new machine

Example Configuration

Add the paths section to your credentials.json:

{
  "spotify": {
    "client_id": "YOUR_SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
    "client_secret": "YOUR_SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
  },
  "paths": {
    "deemixkit": "/your/custom/path/to/DeemixKit",
    "audio_library": "/your/custom/path/to/Music"
  }
}

Note: The paths section is optional. If not specified, the scripts will use their default values.

⚙️ Setup Instructions

Step 1: Create the Config Directory

mkdir -p ~/.config/deemixkit

Step 2: Create the Credentials File

nano ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json
# or use your preferred editor: vim, code, etc.

Step 3: Add Your Credentials

Paste the following into the file:

{
  "spotify": {
    "client_id": "YOUR_SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
    "client_secret": "YOUR_SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
  },
  "paths": {
    "deemixkit": "/path/to/DeemixKit",
    "audio_library": "/path/to/Music"
  }
}

Replace the placeholder values with your actual Spotify credentials and custom paths (if needed).

Step 4: Save and Exit

If using nano: Press Ctrl+O, then Ctrl+X
If using vim: Press :wq
If using VS Code: Press Cmd+S, then Cmd+Q

Step 5: Set Secure Permissions (Recommended)

chmod 600 ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json

This makes the file readable and writable only by you.

✅ Testing Your Setup

Test if your Spotify credentials work:

# Navigate to DeemixKit directory
cd /path/to/DeemixKit

# Test Spotify resolver
python3 spotify-resolver.py --band "Metallica" --album "Master of Puppets"

If successful, you should see:

✅ Copied to clipboard: Metallica - Master of Puppets
   https://open.spotify.com/album/...

If you see "Spotify API credentials not configured", check:

File location is correct: ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json
JSON is valid (no syntax errors)
Client ID and Secret are correct

📋 Complete Example File

Here's a complete example of what your credentials.json might look like:

{
  "spotify": {
    "client_id": "abc123def456ghi789jkl012mno345pq",
    "client_secret": "678rst901uvw234xyz567abc890def123ghi"
  },
  "paths": {
    "deemixkit": "/Volumes/Eksternal/Music/Tools/DeemixKit",
    "audio_library": "/Volumes/Eksternal/Audio"
  },
  "lastfm": {
    "api_key": "your_lastfm_api_key",
    "api_secret": "your_lastfm_api_secret"
  },
  "deezer": {
    "api_key": "your_deezer_api_key",
    "api_secret": "your_deezer_api_secret"
  },
  "youtube": {
    "api_key": "your_youtube_api_key"
  },
  "discogs": {
    "consumer_key": "your_discogs_consumer_key",
    "consumer_secret": "your_discogs_consumer_secret",
    "access_token": "your_discogs_access_token",
    "access_secret": "your_discogs_access_secret"
  }
}

Note: Only include credentials for services you actually use. If you only use Spotify and Deezer, you only need those sections (and Deezer doesn't even require credentials). The paths section is optional and only needed if you want to customize default paths.

🔒 Security Best Practices

1. Never Commit Credentials

The .gitignore file in DeemixKit prevents accidental commits:

# Credentials and secrets
credentials.json
.env
*.pem
*.key
*_secret.json
*_credentials.json

Never commit your actual credentials.json file!

2. Use Example Files

Only commit credentials.json.example with placeholder values:

{
  "spotify": {
    "client_id": "your_spotify_client_id_here",
    "client_secret": "your_spotify_client_secret_here"
  }
}

3. File Permissions

Set restrictive permissions on your credentials file:

chmod 600 ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json

This makes the file readable and writable only by you.

4. Rotate Credentials

Regularly rotate your API keys for better security:

Generate new keys every 3-6 months
Delete old unused keys from Spotify Developer Dashboard
Update your credentials.json file

5. Minimal Permissions

When creating your Spotify app:

Only request necessary permissions
DeemixKit only needs basic search and read access
Don't request write or user data permissions

🌍 Environment Variables (Alternative)

You can also use environment variables instead of a credentials file:

# Set environment variables
export SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID="your_client_id"
export SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET="your_client_secret"

# Scripts will automatically use these if credentials.json is not found

Pros:

Works well for temporary testing
Useful in CI/CD environments
No file to manage

Cons:

Must be set in every terminal session
Not persistent across reboots
Less convenient for daily use

Recommendation: Use credentials.json for permanent setup, environment variables for temporary testing.

🔧 Script-Specific Config Files

In addition to the unified credentials file, some scripts have their own config files for settings (not credentials):

Script	Config Location	Purpose
`spotify-resolver.py`	`~/.config/spotify-resolver/config.json`	API credentials, timeout, retries
`deezer-resolver.py`	`~/.config/deezer-resolver/config.json`	Timeout, retries, cache settings
`discography-resolver.py`	`~/.config/discography-resolver/config.json`	Timeout, retries, user agent

Note: These config files are optional. If they don't exist, scripts use sensible defaults.

❓ Common Issues

Issue: "Spotify API credentials not configured"

Cause: Credentials file not found or invalid JSON

Solutions:

Check file exists: ls ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json
Verify JSON is valid: python3 -m json.tool ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json
Check file path: cat ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json
Ensure you're using the home directory shortcut ~, not /Users/yourname

Issue: "Error loading credentials"

Cause: JSON syntax error in credentials file

Solution: Validate JSON:

python3 -m json.tool ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json

This will show you where the syntax error is.

Issue: Works in one script but not another

Cause: Scripts might be looking in different config directories

Solution: Ensure the unified credentials file exists at ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json (not in script-specific directories).

📚 Additional Resources

Spotify Developer Dashboard
Spotify Web API Documentation
Deezer Developer Portal (Deezer doesn't require credentials, but documentation is useful)
JSON Validator - Validate your JSON online

💡 Tips

Quick Edit Command

Create an alias for quick editing:

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile
alias edit-deemix-creds='nano ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json'

# Use it anytime
edit-deemix-creds

Backup Your Credentials

Keep a secure backup of your credentials file:

# Create backup
cp ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json ~/.config/deemixkit/credentials.json.backup

# Or use a password manager to store them securely

Multiple Spotify Apps

You can create multiple Spotify apps for different purposes:

One for personal use (DeemixKit)
One for development/testing
Each app gets its own Client ID and Secret

🆘 Still Having Trouble?

Check the logs: Python scripts log to ~/.local/log/<script-name>/
Run with verbose flag: Add --verbose to see detailed error messages
Test credentials manually: Use curl to test Spotify API directly
Review this guide: Make sure you followed all steps correctly
Check GitHub issues: Someone may have solved the same problem

Need help? Open an issue on GitHub with details about what's not working.

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DeemixKit Credentials Setup

Overview

📍 Location

🔑 Supported Services

Spotify (Required)

Deezer (Not Required)

Last.fm (Optional)

YouTube (Optional)

Discogs (Optional)

📁 Custom Paths (Optional)

Available Path Settings

When to Configure Paths

Example Configuration

⚙️ Setup Instructions

Step 1: Create the Config Directory

Step 2: Create the Credentials File

Step 3: Add Your Credentials

Step 4: Save and Exit

Step 5: Set Secure Permissions (Recommended)

✅ Testing Your Setup

📋 Complete Example File

🔒 Security Best Practices

1. Never Commit Credentials

2. Use Example Files

3. File Permissions

4. Rotate Credentials

5. Minimal Permissions

🌍 Environment Variables (Alternative)

🔧 Script-Specific Config Files

❓ Common Issues

Issue: "Spotify API credentials not configured"

Issue: "Error loading credentials"

Issue: Works in one script but not another

📚 Additional Resources

💡 Tips

Quick Edit Command

Backup Your Credentials

Multiple Spotify Apps

🆘 Still Having Trouble?