MusicBee Remote Plugin

MBXRemote requires the MusicBee Remote Control plugin "MBRC" to be installed on the MusicBee host system. This plugin enables network communication between MBXRemote and MusicBee using the MusicBee Remote Protocol.

Important: For full functionality including Initiator Actions, album navigation, podcasts, and extended track metadata, you need plugin v1.5.x (Protocol v4.5). ARiA (keyboard automation) is a separate security setting that must be enabled for Initiator Actions.

Status: Jan-2026: 'Beta-wanna-bee'
✔ Protocol v4.0 compatibility tests: PASSED (24/24)
✔ Protocol v4.5 compatibility tests: PASSED (17/17)
Validated with mbrcpval v1.5.26.3 protocol validator.

Release Note: v1.5.x is a fork of the OG MBRC plugin. The primary use case and target is to support MBXRemote. This codebase has significant modifications and enhancements. Basic functionality works with the existing Android and iOS clients. Help us improve compatibility - try it out and report any issues you encounter!

Beta Status: The codebase passes compatibility tests and appears stable, but needs more real-world testing before it can be considered production-ready. The protocol validator is still new and may not catch all edge cases.

* Development says "production-ready" - the boss says "beta until more real-world testing" ;)

Plugin Versions

Version	Protocol	Features	MBXRemote Compatibility
Standard Plugin v1.4.1	v4.0	Basic playback control, library browsing, now playing info	Basic features work
v1.5.26.3 BETA wanna-bee	v4.5	All standard features + ARiA, Library Subscriptions, Remote Library Editing, extended metadata, album navigation, podcasts	Recommended

Standard Plugin Installation

The standard MusicBee Remote plugin is available from the MusicBee Add-ons page:

The standard plugin provides basic playback control and library browsing. For full MBXRemote functionality, use the extended plugin v1.5.26.3 or later see below.

Plugin Configuration

Go to Edit > Preferences > Plugins
Find MusicBee Remote in the list
Click "Configure"
Set the Port (default: 3000)
Enable "Start with MusicBee"
Click OK and restart MusicBee

Extended Plugin with ARiA Support

To use Initiator Actions, you need version v1.5.x or later of the plugin which includes ARiA (Arbitrary Remote Initiated Actions) support.

ARiA Features (v1.5.26.3+)

Remote Keyboard Automation: Execute keyboard commands on the MusicBee host
Tab Navigation: Switch MusicBee UI tabs remotely using RIA1-10 hotkeys
Focus Control: Send keys to MusicBee (!mb!) or current window (!nofocus!)
Command Chaining: Execute multiple commands with delays (sndKeys();delay();sndKeys())
Security Toggle: ARiA can be enabled/disabled in plugin settings

Enhancements Over Standard Plugin

Enhanced Metadata: Album and artist counts included in library browsing
Extended Track Data: Library tracks include Year, Rating, Bitrate, Format, PlayCount, SkipCount, LastPlayed, and Loved fields
Protocol Negotiation: Plugin responds with v4.5 features when requested by the client
Library Subscriptions: Plugin supports real-time library change notifications - clients can subscribe to receive updates when tracks are modified, rated, played, or deleted
Remote Library Editing: Edit ratings and love status remotely - changes write back to MusicBee library instantly

Library Subscriptions - Real-Time Change Notifications

v4.5 clients can subscribe to receive instant notifications when the MusicBee library changes:

Subscribe/Unsubscribe: librarysubscribe / libraryunsubscribe commands
Tag Changes: librarytagchanged - track metadata modified (title, artist, album, etc.)
Rating Changes: libraryratingchanged - star rating updated
Play Counter: libraryplaycounterchanged - play count or skip count updated
File Deleted: libraryfiledeleted - track removed from library

Use Case: Keep client-side caches in sync without polling. MBXRemote uses this for real-time SQL cache updates.

v4.5 Extended Metadata

Protocol v4.5 clients receive full engagement metadata for library tracks, enabling local caching and advanced features:

Field	Type	Description
`playcount`	integer	Number of times track has been played
`skipcount`	integer	Number of times track was skipped
`lastplayed`	datetime	When track was last played (e.g., "2025-12-20 14:30:00")
`dateadded`	datetime	When track was added to library (e.g., "2024-06-15 09:00:00")
`loved`	string	Love status: "L" = Loved, "B" = Banned, "" = Neither
`rating`	string	Star rating (0-5 scale, e.g., "4.5")
`year`	string	Release year
`bitrate`	string	Audio bitrate in kbps
`format`	string	Audio format (MP3, FLAC, etc.)

Usage: Request protocol version 4.5 in handshake to receive extended fields in browsetracks responses. See Protocol SDK for details.

Remote Library Editing - Edit Ratings & Love Status

v4.5 clients can now modify track metadata in MusicBee, not just read it:

Set Star Ratings: Rate any library track from 0-5 stars using librarysetrating
Love/Ban Tracks: Toggle love status for any track using librarysetlove
Library-Wide: Works on any track by file path, not just currently playing
Instant Sync: Changes are saved to MusicBee immediately

MBXRemote Integration: Right-click any track in the Library view to set ratings or love status. See Protocol SDK for API details.

MusicBee 3.1+ Features

Podcast Support: Browse subscriptions, list episodes, and play podcasts remotely
Album Navigation: Skip to next/previous album in the now playing queue
Playlist Notifications: Real-time notifications when playlists are created, updated, or deleted

Work in Progress: Some library management functionality is still under development. Visualizer remote control is experimental and may not work with all MusicBee configurations.

🔒 Security Note

ARiA is disabled by default. You must explicitly enable it in the plugin settings to allow remote keyboard automation. When disabled, all standard music control features continue to work normally.

Extended Plugin Download

1.5.26.3 BETA

MusicBee Remote Plugin v1.5.x with ARiA support.

Download Plugin

Compatible with MBXRemote v1.0.x

View Changelog

Extended Plugin Installation

Easy Install (Recommended)

Download the plugin ZIP file above
Open MusicBee
Go to Edit > Preferences > Plugins
Click "Add Plugin"
Select the downloaded MBRC-Plugin-latest.zip
Restart MusicBee
Enable ARiA in plugin settings if you want Initiator Actions

How to Enable ARiA

ARiA is disabled by default for security. After installing the extended plugin:

Go to Edit > Preferences > Plugins
Find MusicBee Remote and click "Configure"
Check "Enable ARiA (Arbitrary Remote Initiated Actions)"
Click OK

Protocol version is negotiated based on the client's request (v4 or v4.5). ARiA controls whether keyboard automation commands are processed.

How to Enable Experimental Features

Experimental features (like Visualizer control) are disabled by default. To enable:

Go to Edit > Preferences > Plugins
Find MusicBee Remote and click "Configure"
Check "Enable Experimental Features"
Click OK

Experimental features may not work with all MusicBee configurations. Enable at your own discretion.

MusicBee Remote Plugin Settings Dialog

Plugin settings showing Connection Settings, Address Filtering, Cache, ARiA, Experimental Features, Debug Log, and Update Firewall options

Protocol 4.5 Feature Availability

Plugin v1.5.x negotiates the protocol version based on the client's request. Feature availability depends on the negotiated version, settings, and MusicBee version:

Feature Set	Requirement	Commands
Extended Track Metadata	Client requests v4.5+	`year`, `rating`, `bitrate`, `format` in browsetracks
ARiA (Initiator Actions)	ARiA enabled in plugin settings	`playerinitiatoraction`
Storage Path	ARiA enabled in plugin settings	`pluginstoragepath`
Album Navigation	MusicBee 3.1+ (API 50)	`playernextalbum`, `playerpreviousalbum`
Podcasts	MusicBee 3.1+ (API 51)	`podcastsubscriptions`, `podcastepisodes`, `podcastplay`
Playlist Notifications	MusicBee 3.1+ (API 49)	`playlistcreated`, `playlistupdated`, `playlistdeleted`
Visualizer Control EXPERIMENTAL	Experimental Features enabled in plugin settings	`playervisualizer`, `playervisualizerlist`
Remote Library Editing NEW	Client requests v4.5+	`librarysetrating`, `librarysetlove`

Network Configuration

Ports Used

Port	Protocol	Purpose	Configurable
45345	UDP Multicast	Service discovery (clients find the plugin)	No (hardcoded)
3000 (default)	TCP	Remote protocol communication	Yes (in plugin settings)

Address Filtering

The plugin can restrict which IP addresses are allowed to connect. Configure this in the plugin settings dialog.

Mode	Behavior
All	Any IP address can connect (no filtering)
Range	Only IPs in a subnet range can connect (e.g., 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.254)
Specified	Only explicitly listed IP addresses can connect

To add allowed IPs (Specified mode):

Set Allow dropdown to "Specified"
Type an IP address in the Address field (turns green when valid)
Click + to add it to the allowed list
Use - to remove selected IPs from the list

Note: Localhost (127.0.0.1) is always allowed regardless of filtering settings.

Firewall Configuration

The plugin includes a built-in firewall configuration option that automatically creates the necessary Windows Firewall rules:

In the plugin settings, check the "Configure Firewall" checkbox
Click Save
Approve the UAC (User Account Control) prompt when it appears
Done - the firewall is now configured based on your plugin settings

This automatically allows:

TCP on your configured listening port (default 3000)
UDP 45345 for service discovery multicast

Troubleshooting

MBXRemote Can't Find MusicBee

Connection Flow:

Client sends UDP multicast to 239.1.5.10:45345 → "Any MusicBee Remote here?"
Plugin responds with server info including the configured listening port
Client connects via TCP to <server-ip>:<listening-port>

If discovery fails:

Verify MusicBee is running with the plugin enabled
Check that both computers are on the same network subnet
Enable the "Configure Firewall" option in plugin settings and save
Try manual connection using the MusicBee host's IP address

Connection Drops or Times Out

Enable the "Configure Firewall" option in plugin settings if not already enabled
Verify the configured port matches between plugin and MBXRemote
Ensure no other application is using the same port
Check network stability between the two computers

Initiator Actions Not Working

Verify you have plugin version v1.5.x or later installed
Enable ARiA in plugin settings (disabled by default for security)
Check that MusicBee window is not minimized on the host
Check plugin logs at: %APPDATA%\MusicBee\mb_remote\
Test with a simple action first: sndKeys(CTRL ALT Q)

Plugin Not Loading

Ensure MusicBee version is 3.0 or higher
Check that .NET Framework 4.7.2+ is installed on the host
Verify plugin files are in the correct folder
Look for error messages in MusicBee's error log

Developer Resources

For protocol implementation details, testing tools, and technical specifications:

Protocol SDK - Complete protocol specification, message formats, and implementation guide
Protocol Validator - Standalone validation utility for testing plugin protocol compliance
Protocol Testing - MBXRemote's built-in compatibility tester and XML/DB comparison tools

Attribution

The original MusicBee Remote plugin and Android client were developed by Konstantinos Paparas. MBXRemote extends this work to provide a Windows desktop remote control experience.

This plugin is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 3 (GPLv3).
You may obtain the complete corresponding source code for this plugin in the resources below.

Mobile Clients & Other Resources

plugin_CHANGELOG.md
MBRC-Server-Plugin-Protocol SDK
Plug-in Sources (Halrad-fork-mbrc-plugin-main-server-latest_src.zip)
Original MBRC Plugin Repository - kelsos/mbrc-plugin on GitHub
Official MBRC Plugin v1.4.1 - Standard plugin from MusicBee Add-ons
Official MBRC Documentation
MusicBee Remote for Android
MusicBee Remote for iOS