mocp

console-based audio player with an ncurses interface

TLDR

Launch the MOC terminal UI

$ mocp

Launch MOC in a specific directory

$ mocp [path/to/directory]

Start server in background without UI

$ mocp -S

Add song to play queue in background

$ mocp -q [path/to/audio_file]

Add songs recursively to play queue

$ mocp -a [path/to/directory]

Clear the play queue

$ mocp -c

Play or stop current song

$ mocp --play

$ mocp --stop

Stop the server

$ mocp -x

SYNOPSIS

mocp [-S] [-x] [-p] [-s] [-q] [-a] [-c] [-f] [-r] [file|dir...]

MOC (Music On Console) is a console-based audio player with an ncurses interface. It supports OGG, WAV, MP3, FLAC, and other audio formats through various decoder plugins.The player uses a client-server architecture: the server handles playback while clients provide the interface. This allows music to continue playing after closing the interface. Navigate directories using arrow keys and press Enter to play files.

PARAMETERS

-S, --server

Run only the server in background and exit

-F, --foreground

Run server in foreground with logging to stdout

-x, --exit

Shut down the MOC server

-p, --play

Start playing from first playlist item

-s, --stop

Stop playback

-P, --pause

Pause playback

-U, --unpause

Resume from pause

-G, --toggle-pause

Toggle between play and pause states

-f, --next

Play next song

-r, --previous

Play previous song

-q, --enqueue

Add files to queue without starting interface

-a, --append

Append files, directories, or playlists

-c, --clear

Clear the playlist

-k _N_, --seek _N_

Seek forward/backward by N seconds (use +/- prefix)

-v _N_, --volume _N_

Set or adjust mixer volume

-i, --info

Display currently playing file information

-T _theme_, --theme

Load specified theme file

-C _file_, --config

Use alternate configuration file

-m, --music-dir

Start in configured MusicDir

INSTALL

sudo apt install moc

sudo zypper install moc

brew install moc

nix profile install nixpkgs#moc

CAVEATS

Command-line options affecting server behavior (like --sound-driver) are silently ignored if the server is already running. The server must be restarted to apply such changes. Configuration is stored in ~/.moc/ directory.

HISTORY

MOC was originally developed by Damian Pietras. The project provides a lightweight, terminal-based alternative to graphical music players, following the Unix philosophy of doing one thing well.