WinKlang 🎶

A simple, modern command-line tool for controlling media players on Windows, inspired by playerctl.

About The Project

WinKlang is a lightweight, powerful command-line utility for Windows that allows you to control media playback from any application that integrates with the native System Media Transport Controls (SMTC).

Inspired by the simplicity and power of playerctl on Linux, WinKlang brings a similar seamless experience to the Windows terminal. Whether you're listening to music on Spotify, watching a video in your browser, or using a desktop media player, WinKlang gives you full control without ever leaving your keyboard.

Key Features

• Universal Control: Manage playback (play, pause, next, previous) for all SMTC-compliant applications (Spotify, Chrome, Edge, etc.).
• Rich Metadata: Instantly retrieve the current track's title, artist, album, and playback status.
• JSON Output: Get machine-readable output for easy integration with scripts, bars (like Polybar/Waybar on WSL), or other tools.
• Artwork Support: Automatically saves and displays information about the current album art.
• Timeline Info: View current playback position, total duration, and a visual progress bar.
• Lightweight: Built with .NET 9.0 as a single-file executable (~17MB) with no external dependencies.

Getting Started

Installation

1. Go to the Releases page.
2. Download the latest WinKlang.exe file.
3. Place it in a folder that is included in your system's PATH (e.g., C:\Windows\System32 or a custom bin folder), or run it directly from its location.

Building from Source

If you prefer to build it yourself:

1. Ensure you have the .NET 9.0 SDK installed.

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/WinKlang.git

3. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd WinKlang

4. Build the project:

   dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained

   The executable will be in bin/Release/net9.0-windows10.0.17763.0/win-x64/publish/.

Usage

Run WinKlang from your terminal (PowerShell, CMD, or Git Bash).

Basic Commands

Examples

Get current status:

WinKlang

Control playback:

WinKlang --next WinKlang --play-pause

Get JSON output:

WinKlang --json

Requirements

• Windows 10 (Build 17763 or later) or Windows 11.
• No .NET Runtime installation required (it's self-contained).

License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.