What is this?
Nuclear is a free, open-source desktop music player that finds free music for you: search for any song or artist, stream it, and build playlists.
Nuclear is a free, open-source desktop music player that finds free music for you: search for any song or artist, stream it, and build playlists.Is this a desktop app or does it run in the browser?It's a native desktop app you install on your machine — the current version is built with Tauri (a Rust backend with a React interface), not a web app.
It's a native desktop app you install on your machine — the current version is built with Tauri (a Rust backend with a React interface), not a web app.Do I need an account or any extra setup to start listening?No — install it and search for music right away; there are no accounts or subscriptions. Only building from source needs extra tools: Node.js 22+, pnpm 9+, and stable Rust.
No — install it and search for music right away; there are no accounts or subscriptions. Only building from source needs extra tools: Node.js 22+, pnpm 9+, and stable Rust.Where does the music come from — is there a catalog like Spotify's?It's built around free music: Nuclear searches for and streams music from any source rather than selling access to a licensed catalog, so what you can hear depends on the sources available to it.
It's built around free music: Nuclear searches for and streams music from any source rather than selling access to a licensed catalog, so what you can hear depends on the sources available to it.Which platforms does it run on?Windows, macOS, and Linux — including both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Windows, macOS, and Linux — including both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.Does it track me or show ads?No — the README says it outright: a music player without ads or tracking, and it's open source, so the code is inspectable.
No — the README says it outright: a music player without ads or tracking, and it's open source, so the code is inspectable.What can plugins do?A lot — every core function is plugin-driven. Plugins add streaming sources, metadata, playlists and dashboard content; install them from the built-in plugin store or write your own with the @nuclearplayer/plugin-sdk.
A lot — every core function is plugin-driven. Plugins add streaming sources, metadata, playlists and dashboard content; install them from the built-in plugin store or write your own with the @nuclearplayer/plugin-sdk.Can I control the player with an AI agent?Yes — enable the MCP server in Settings → Integrations, then connect Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Claude Desktop, Cursor or Windsurf. The MCP is designed to be discoverable, and a Nuclear MCP Skill can bring your agent up to speed.
Yes — enable the MCP server in Settings → Integrations, then connect Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Claude Desktop, Cursor or Windsurf. The MCP is designed to be discoverable, and a Nuclear MCP Skill can bring your agent up to speed.What's included besides search and playback?Queue management with shuffle, repeat and drag-and-drop reordering; favorites for albums, artists and tracks; playlist import and export, including from other services; auto-updates; keyboard shortcuts; multiple interface languages; and a log viewer.
Queue management with shuffle, repeat and drag-and-drop reordering; favorites for albums, artists and tracks; playlist import and export, including from other services; auto-updates; keyboard shortcuts; multiple interface languages; and a log viewer.Can I customize how it looks?Yes — Nuclear ships with several built-in themes and also supports custom CSS themes, so you can restyle the player yourself.
Yes — Nuclear ships with several built-in themes and also supports custom CSS themes, so you can restyle the player yourself.What are similar projects?spotatui, openspot-music-app, Levyra-deepsound, Omarchy-Spotify, pear-desktop, spotube, spotify-tui, spotifast
spotatui, openspot-music-app, Levyra-deepsound, Omarchy-Spotify, pear-desktop, spotube, spotify-tui, spotifastWhich topics is it in?spotify, mac, music-player, music, tauri, plugin-system, audio, agpl, streaming, sdk, mcp-server, plugin
spotify, mac, music-player, music, tauri, plugin-system, audio, agpl, streaming, sdk, mcp-server, plugin