skip_to_previous
Navigate back to replay the previous track or restart the current one from the beginning. Correct accidental skips, replay favorite parts, or manage playback order in Spotify. Requires an active session and Spotify token.
Instructions
Skip to the previous track or restart the current track from the beginning.
🎯 USE CASES: • Go back to replay favorite parts of songs • Navigate backwards through playlists or albums • Correct accidental skips to next track • Replay tracks that were particularly enjoyable • Build comprehensive playback control systems
📝 WHAT IT RETURNS: • Information about the track that started playing • Playback position reset to beginning of track • Updated queue and playback state information • Confirmation of successful skip operation • Device status with new playback details
🔍 EXAMPLES: • "Go back to the previous song" • "Play that last track again" • "Skip back to the song before this one" • "I want to hear that again"
🎵 SKIP BEHAVIOR: • Restarts current track if more than 3 seconds have played • Goes to actual previous track if within first 3 seconds • Follows reverse playlist/album order • Respects shuffle mode for random navigation • Updates position in listening history
⚠️ REQUIREMENTS: • Valid Spotify access token with user-modify-playback-state scope • Active playback session currently running • Previous track must exist in queue or history
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| deviceId | No | Spotify device ID (optional, uses active device if not specified) | |
| token | Yes | Spotify access token for authentication |
Implementation Reference
- src/mcp/tools/playback.ts:291-294 (handler)MCP tool handler for skip_to_previous that delegates to SpotifyServicehandler: async (args: any, spotifyService: SpotifyService) => { const { token, deviceId } = args; return await spotifyService.skipToPrevious(token, deviceId); },
- src/mcp/tools/playback.ts:287-290 (schema)Input schema validation for the skip_to_previous toolschema: createSchema({ token: commonSchemas.token(), deviceId: commonSchemas.deviceId(), }),
- src/spotify.ts:684-692 (helper)Underlying SpotifyService implementation making API call to skip to previous trackasync skipToPrevious( token: string, deviceId: string | null = null ): Promise<void> { const endpoint = deviceId ? `me/player/previous?device_id=${deviceId}` : "me/player/previous"; return await this.makeRequest<void>(endpoint, token, {}, "POST"); }
- src/mcp/tools/index.ts:22-36 (registration)Registration of playbackTools (including skip_to_previous) into the central allTools registry used by ToolRegistrarexport const allTools: ToolsRegistry = { ...albumTools, ...artistTools, ...trackTools, ...playlistTools, ...playbackTools, ...userTools, ...searchTools, };
- src/mcp/server.ts:14-14 (registration)ToolRegistrar instantiation in MCP server, enabling dynamic tool listing and execution for skip_to_previous and all toolsconst toolRegistrar = new ToolRegistrar(spotifyService);