Spotify Setup
SheevChat's Now Playing overlay reads your currently playing Spotify track in real-time. Because Spotify requires each user to provide their own developer app credentials, you'll need to create a free Spotify developer app before connecting. This takes about 5 minutes.
Why Do I Need My Own App?
Spotify limits developer apps in development mode to 25 users. Rather than restrict access, SheevChat lets each user create their own free Spotify developer app — this gives you full control over your credentials and means there's no user limit. Your Client ID and Client Secret are stored locally on your device and never shared with anyone.
Before You Start — Spotify Premium Required
Creating a Spotify developer app with Web API access requires a Spotify Premium account. Spotify no longer allows free accounts to select the Web API option when creating a developer app. If you don't have Premium, the Web API checkbox will be unavailable during app creation and the Now Playing overlay will not be functional.
Already Have a Spotify Developer App?
Spotify limits developer accounts to one app. If you've already created one for another project, you can reuse it for SheevChat by adding our redirect URI to it:
- Go to developer.spotify.com/dashboard and open your existing app
- Scroll to the bottom and click Edit
- Under Redirect URIs, add
https://auth.sheevchat.com/auth/spotify/callback - Optionally update your app description to mention SheevChat so you remember what it's used for
- Click Save
Then copy the Client ID and Client Secret from that app and paste them into SheevChat's Connect tab. Skip to Step 4 below.
Step 1 — Create a Spotify Developer Account
Go to developer.spotify.com/dashboard and log in with your Spotify account. You don't need a separate account — your regular Spotify login works.
Step 2 — Create a New App
Click Create app in the dashboard. Fill in the following:
- App name — anything you like, e.g.
SheevChat - App description — e.g.
Now Playing overlay for SheevChat - Redirect URI — this must be set to exactly:
https://auth.sheevchat.com/auth/spotify/callback - APIs used — select Web API
Check the box to agree to Spotify's Developer Terms of Service, then click Save.
Step 3 — Find Your Client ID and Client Secret
After creating the app you'll be taken to its settings page. You'll see your Client ID displayed directly. To reveal your Client Secret, click View client secret.
Keep this page open — you'll need to copy both values into SheevChat in the next step.
Step 4 — Connect in SheevChat
Open SheevChat and go to the Connect tab. Under Spotify, paste your Client ID and Client Secret into the fields provided, then click Connect. A browser window will open to Spotify's authorization page — log in and approve access. Once authorized, SheevChat will close the window and confirm the connection.
Step 5 — Enable the Now Playing Overlay
Once connected, the Now Playing overlay will appear automatically when a track is playing on your Spotify account. You can configure its position, size, and display options from the overlay settings in SheevChat.
Troubleshooting
I get an error when connecting
Double-check that the redirect URI in your Spotify app settings is set to exactly https://auth.sheevchat.com/auth/spotify/callback — no trailing slash, no variations. This is the most common cause of connection errors. You can verify it in your Spotify developer dashboard under your app's settings.
It says "Invalid client"
Your Client ID or Client Secret was entered incorrectly in SheevChat. Go back to your Spotify developer dashboard, copy them again carefully, and re-enter them in the Connect tab. Make sure there are no extra spaces before or after the values.
Nothing shows in the overlay when music is playing
Make sure music is actively playing on the Spotify account you connected — not paused, and not playing on a different account. The overlay only shows when a track is actively playing. If you're playing on a different device, make sure it's the same Spotify account.
The overlay stopped working after a while
Spotify access tokens expire after one hour. SheevChat automatically refreshes them in the background — if this stops working, try disconnecting and reconnecting Spotify in the Connect tab.
Development Mode & the 25 User Limit
By default, Spotify developer apps are in development mode and are limited to 25 users. Since you're using your own app with your own Spotify account, you are the only user of your app — so this limit doesn't apply to you. You don't need to request extended quota or take your app out of development mode for personal use.