ZoneFoundry Local Sonos#

Use this skill when an agent, local bot, or automation wants to control Sonos through the local zf CLI.

This skill is written English-first so global users can scan it quickly. Keep user-facing replies in the user's language. Chinese examples and China-specific readiness notes are included where they help.

Use this skill when#

• the user wants to connect Sonos for the first time
• the user wants to check whether local Sonos control is ready
• the user wants to play, pause, skip, change volume, or inspect status
• the user wants to add songs to the current queue without interrupting playback
• the user wants to inspect or recover queue / transport problems
• the user wants to check music-service readiness or continue a pending local link flow

Do not use this skill for#

• Sonos account creation or billing flows
• cloud relay, hosted bot subscription, or multi-tenant product logic
• arbitrary chat unrelated to Sonos control

Core model#

Treat zf as the execution layer.

bot / agent / web onboarding -> zf -> Sonos

• the bot or agent translates intent and explains results
• zf handles discovery, playback, queueing, diagnostics, readiness checks, and recovery

Alternative control methods#

In addition to agent / CLI usage, ZoneFoundry supports a Telegram Bot as an alternative control surface. Users can send voice or text messages to the bot for hands-free Sonos control from their phone.

Hard rules (MUST follow)#

1. Always obey nextCommand: If zf setup --format json returns a nextCommand field, execute that command immediately.

2. Always obey nextAction: If zf service list --format json returns a nextAction field, follow it. If nextAction=ready, proceed to play.

3. Do not block playback on service linking status. QQ Music, Apple Music, and most services work without separate CLI-side linking — users bind services through the Sonos mobile app. If state is unclear, try playing directly first.

4. Do not expose internal implementation details, premium-only routing, or speculative workarounds in public-facing explanations. Describe user-visible outcomes and the next safe action instead.

5. Keep update paths separate:

bash

clawhub update zonefoundry-local-sonos  # refresh this skill
zf update self --check --format json    # check local runtime update

Language rule#

• keep user-facing replies in the user's language
• keep literal room names and service names exactly as the user sees them on Sonos
• use English examples by default, then add Chinese examples only when they improve clarity

First-run quickstart#

When the user mentions Sonos for the first time, do not immediately say "not configured".

At the start of every new session, check runtime updates first:

bash

zf update self --check --format json

If it returns status=update_available, update before doing deeper work:

bash

zf update self --format json

Then run the one-shot readiness flow:

bash

zf setup --format json

zf setup should be the default first move because it checks:

• speaker discovery
• default room
• service list and local readiness state
• default service
• a final summary with suggested next actions

If zf setup is unavailable on an older runtime, do this fallback preflight:

bash

zf doctor --format json
zf discover --format json
zf config get defaultRoom
zf service list --format json
zf config get defaultService

If rooms are found but there is no default room, ask the user to choose exactly one visible room and then set it once:

bash

zf config set defaultRoom "Office"

If there is no default service, ask once and set it:

bash

zf config set defaultService "Spotify"

Environment gate#

Before promising persistent local bot control, confirm there is an always-on device in the same LAN as Sonos.

Valid local nodes:

• Mac or Windows PC
• NAS
• mini PC
• Raspberry Pi
• Docker host
• Home Assistant host

If the user only has a phone:

• explain that Sonos itself can still be used normally
• guide service add/login through the official Sonos iOS / Android app
• treat Sonos Web App as a supplementary control surface, not the main onboarding path
• do not promise persistent local bot control or always-on automation

Short rule:

• Sonos itself does not require a desktop app
• persistent ZoneFoundry agent or bot flows do require an always-on local node

Minimum safe commands#

Prefer JSON output by default.

bash

zf setup --format json
zf doctor --format json
zf discover --format json
zf status --name "<room>" --format json
zf queue list --name "<room>" --format json

If the user already specified a room, prefer --name "<room>".

Safe command mapping#

For user-facing explanations, prefer direct CLI command names.

Examples:

bash

zf status --name "Office" --format json
zf pause --name "Office"
zf next --name "Office"
zf volume set 20 --name "Office"

Playback rules#

Prefer the unified play music command for normal playback.

Common service examples:

bash

zf play music "Miles Davis" --format json
zf play music "Taylor Swift" --service Spotify --format json
zf play music "Adele" --service "Apple Music" --format json
zf play music "黎明 夏日傾情" --service "Apple Music" --format json
zf play music "黎明" --enqueue --service "Apple Music" --limit 5 --format json
zf queue list --name "Office" --format json
zf queue remove 3 --name "Office"
zf say "Dinner is ready" --name "Kitchen" --mode queue-insert --format json

Chinese examples:

bash

zf play music "周杰伦" --service "网易云音乐" --format json
zf play music "郑秀文" --enqueue --service "QQ音乐" --limit 5 --format json
zf play music "郑秀文 舍不得你" --service "QQ音乐" --format json
zf ncm lucky --name "客厅" "郑秀文" --format json
zf smapi search --name "客厅" --service "QQ音乐" --category tracks --open --index 1 --format json "周杰伦"

Default service selection:

• Chinese content (Chinese artist/song names, user speaks Chinese): use --service "QQ音乐". No fallback — QQ has the best Chinese catalog coverage.
• International content (English/other artist/song names, user speaks English): use --service "Spotify". If Spotify is unavailable, fallback to --service "Apple Music".
• If the user explicitly names a service, always honour that.
• QQ Music and Apple Music use public search APIs — no separate CLI linking needed. Just play directly.
• Use exact artist + title wording when the user specifies a song, for example zf play music "黎明 夏日傾情" --service "QQ音乐".

Important distinction:

• if the user says "play X", use zf play music "X" and expect a replace-style action
• if the user says "add X", "queue X", "append X", or "play X after this", use zf play music "X" --enqueue
• if the wording is ambiguous and something is already playing, --enqueue is usually the safer default

Natural-language examples:

• "play Taylor Swift" -> zf play music "Taylor Swift"
• "add five Adele songs" -> zf play music "Adele" --enqueue --limit 5
• "播郑秀文" -> zf play music "郑秀文"
• "再加一首陈奕迅" -> zf play music "陈奕迅" --enqueue

Lyrics rule#

When the user asks about lyrics for the current song, use:

bash

zf lyric --name "<room>" --format json

This fetches lyrics for the currently playing track when supported by the runtime. For raw LRC with timestamps, add --raw.

QQ Music lyrics now work reliably (MID resolution fixed). Both QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music tracks return lyrics with translations when available.

Announcement rule#

If the user asks for a short spoken interruption such as:

• "read a one-minute news brief"
• "announce the meeting starts in 5 minutes"
• "播一分钟新闻"
• "20 分钟后提醒我开会"

default to a short TTS or reminder path, not radio search.

Current stable announcement path (direct mode, default):

bash

zf say "<text>" --name "<room>" --format json

TTS language options:

• zh (普通话) — default, no flag needed
• yue (粤语/Cantonese) — pass --lang yue

Example with Cantonese:

bash

zf say "今日新闻" --name "<room>" --lang yue --format json

Important announcement rules:

1. Always use direct mode (the default). Do NOT pass --mode queue-insert. Direct mode plays TTS then automatically restores the original track and position (reltime).
2. Concatenate multiple items into one zf say call. If the user asks for "5 news headlines", compose all 5 headlines into a single text block and call zf say once. Do NOT call zf say five separate times — that causes interleaving with music and breaks reltime restore.
3. After TTS completes, the original song resumes at the exact playback position.

Only treat it as a live radio request if the user explicitly asks for a station or live news channel.

Queue hygiene rule#

After adding songs via zf play music with --enqueue or after any queue-related playback, run an automatic queue prune to remove copyright-blocked tracks:

bash

zf queue prune --name "<room>" --format json

This removes greyed-out tracks (e.g. "应版权方要求暂不能播放") from the queue. Run it silently — do not ask the user for permission, just report the result if tracks were pruned.

Service readiness rule#

Most music services work without separate CLI-side linking:

• QQ Music: uses public search API → always ready, no linking needed
• Apple Music: uses public search API → always ready, no linking needed
• Spotify: depends on household setup; try playing directly first
• NetEase Cloud Music (网易云音乐): uses SMAPI; may need initial linking via zf setup

Users bind music services through the Sonos mobile app — there is no desktop binding. Do not tell users "service not linked" if zf play music works. Try playing first, diagnose only on failure.

If you need a reliable probe, prefer:

bash

zf doctor service --service "Spotify" --query "Miles Davis" --format json

New-session rule#

If a new session starts and the user says things like:

• "done"
• "complete"
• "I logged in already"
• "已经绑好啦"
• "我登录好了"

do not force the whole onboarding conversation again.

Prefer this order:

1. try playing the user's request directly
2. fall back to zf setup --format json only if playback fails and context is unclear

Failure routing#

Read structured JSON errors first:

• error.code
• error.message
• error.details

Do not classify every playback failure as auth or copyright.

Known patterns:

• if the same song plays in a helper room but not in the target room, suspect room-local queue or transport pollution first
• if you see TRANSITIONING or partial queue failure, do not loop infinite retries
• if queue pollution is suspected, prefer explicit queue inspection and recovery commands
• if deeper room-local pollution is confirmed, zf group rebuild --name "<target>" --via "<helper>" is the stronger recovery path

Boundaries#

• Sonos official mobile apps remain the default path for adding and logging in to content services
• Sonos Web App is a supplementary control surface, not the primary onboarding path
• group rebuild is a recovery tool, not proof that the original defect is fixed
• exact RelTime restoration is not a guaranteed stable capability
• OpenClaw skill updates and local zf runtime updates may require a new session to fully refresh

When to ask the user something#

Ask only when required:

• choose a default room
• confirm a preferred music service
• confirm helper-room usage for group rebuild

Do not ask the user to learn repo internals or memorize command names.

User-facing tone#

Good examples:

• "I'll first check whether this machine can discover your Sonos speakers on the LAN."
• "I found these rooms: Office, Kitchen. Which one should be the default?"
• "我先检查这台机器能不能发现你局域网里的 Sonos。"
• "我找到这些房间：客厅、浴室。你想默认控制哪一个？"

Avoid:

• "Please install the Sonos controller" as a blanket answer
• "Learn the zf CLI first"
• "Not configured" before running preflight

Read these references when needed#

Bundled reference files (same repo, references/ subdirectory):

• onboarding-boundary.md — product scope and onboarding guidance
• command-map.md — command map and recovery rules
• china-service-linking.md — China service-linking notes