Set up Cratebird.

Start by connecting Apple Music. Then you can import a song list from the web or, on Mac, ask your AI agent to build a playlist. Choose the instructions you need below.

What you need

Cratebird platform requirements
Device	Minimum system	What you can do
Mac	macOS 14	Use your own AI agent to read, create, or add to playlists. You can also import song lists from the web.
iPhone	iOS 17	Share or paste web pages and song lists, review recordings, and create Apple Music playlists.
iPad	iPadOS 17	Import song lists and choose recordings, with more room to review them on a larger screen.

US$1.99 buys Cratebird for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There is no Cratebird account or subscription.

To match songs and create playlists, you need an active Apple Music subscription and Sync Library. On Mac, sign in to the Music app first.
For conversations on Mac, you need your own AI agent with support for local MCP connections. The setup instructions below explain how to connect it. Your agent’s account and fees are separate.
You can import song lists on iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 or later. Apple’s on-device AI can help when Cratebird’s usual reading rules find no songs. That optional feature needs macOS 26, iOS 26, or iPadOS 26 or later, compatible Apple Intelligence hardware, and an available model in a supported language.

Turn a web page into a playlist on iPhone or iPad

For a short example, try A Little Lift: six songs in plain text, with steps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Share a page from Safari or paste its address with Add a Link. Cratebird looks for song titles and artists, then searches Apple Music for matching recordings. This also works with supported public playlist links, including Spotify playlists. You don’t need an AI agent for this.

In Safari, choose Share → Cratebird. Check the page details, give your playlist a name, and choose Save for Later.
Tap Continue in Cratebird. If iOS doesn’t switch apps, tap Done and open Cratebird. To come back another time, find the draft in Saved Pages.
Choose Find Songs. Connect Apple Music and choose Review Songs when prompted.
Check the suggested recordings against the text from the page. Accept the matches you want or tap a song to choose another recording. Open Ready to Copy to change a selection, or Left Out by You to restore a song you skipped.
Choose Create in Apple Music and confirm. You can find the result and any songs left out in Playlist History.

Sharing a page saves a draft. Your Apple Music library changes only when you confirm playlist creation. The songs you choose stay in the same order as the source, including any repeats.

Cratebird can’t read the page

If you can read the page in Safari, try sharing it from there. You can also paste or edit the titles and artists in Cratebird’s optional text field; Cratebird will use that text. Lists in images and pages with missing artist names may need this extra step. Cratebird can recognize up to 200 songs, but it may not find every song on a page.

How do I choose the right recording?

A song title may refer to a studio track, a live performance, or a different edition. Check the album and version before accepting a suggestion. Tap a song to see other recordings, search Apple Music, or leave it out. A page may not say which version it means, so a matching title and artist can’t settle every choice.

My playlist didn’t finish creating

Open Playlist History and choose Check Playlist for that attempt. Connect Apple Music if asked. A timed-out request may still have succeeded, so check it before creating another playlist.

I can’t find the song I want

Tap the song and try searching with just its title and artist. Compare the album, length, and clean or explicit label where available. Some recordings aren’t available in your region, and spoken-word items may have no song match. You can leave a song out; the import report will note it.

Do I need Apple Intelligence?

No. Cratebird’s usual song-list reading works on iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 or later. Optional on-device AI needs compatible Apple Intelligence hardware running OS 26 or later, with its model downloaded and language supported. If a page is hard to read, try pasting clear titles and artists. Cratebird doesn’t send pages to a cloud AI service.

Where does my information go?

Your drafts, saved text, and playlist history stay on your device. Apple Music handles song searches and playlist requests. A website receives a request when Cratebird needs to read its page. If you use an agent on Mac, that agent receives the song and playlist details needed to help you. We don’t collect your app activity. The privacy policy explains what each service receives.

Import a web page on Mac

Open Import a Web Page, paste a page link, and choose Find Songs. To use text instead of a download, expand Paste Page Text or a Song List and paste the titles and artists. Review the source excerpts and Apple Music recordings. Accept the available song matches or choose recordings individually, name your playlist, and choose Create Playlist when ready.

Start on your Mac

Move Cratebird to Applications and open it.
Choose Connect Apple Music and grant permission.
On Your Agent, enable Allow agent access on this Mac. Keep Cratebird running.
Choose one of the connection methods below.

Codex or ChatGPT desktop: MCP settings

Open your agent’s Settings → MCP servers → Add server.
Name it Cratebird and choose STDIO.
In Cratebird, select Codex / MCP → Copy Helper Path. Paste it into the server’s Command field. Leave arguments and environment variables empty.
Save and select Restart. In ChatGPT, turn on Work and choose Work locally for a new chat. A local Codex chat also works.

For an app installed in Applications, the command is:

/Applications/Cratebird.app/Contents/Helpers/cratebird-mcp

Ask: “Use Cratebird to check my Apple Music connection. Tell me whether it is ready without creating a playlist.” Your agent should report whether Apple Music is ready. Use the agent’s approval controls for playlist creation.

Use a Codex configuration file instead

Merge this section into ~/.codex/config.toml. Update an existing Cratebird section rather than adding it twice, then restart the connection. The app’s copy button uses the path of your installed copy.

[mcp_servers.cratebird]
command = "/Applications/Cratebird.app/Contents/Helpers/cratebird-mcp"
tool_timeout_sec = 600

ChatGPT desktop: a local plugin

Use Cratebird in ChatGPT Work locally or a local Codex chat. Regular Chat mode cannot run its local helper.

In Cratebird, select ChatGPT Plugin → Prepare Local Plugin.
Quit and reopen ChatGPT. Open Plugins, select the personal source named in Cratebird (normally Personal Plugins), and install Cratebird.
Turn on Work and choose Work locally for a new chat. Type @, select Cratebird from the plugin picker, and try the connection-check prompt above.

Preparation adds local plugin files and a personal source entry. It preserves other plugins and backs up an existing source before changes. You still install the plugin in ChatGPT. If you already added Cratebird as an MCP server, disable that duplicate connection.

Local plugin availability depends on your app and workspace settings. See OpenAI’s local plugin guide. After moving Cratebird, update the plugin in the app and refresh or reinstall it in ChatGPT.

ChatGPT on the web: the custom MCP form uses an HTTP server or a Secure MCP Tunnel. Cratebird’s current helper runs on your Mac and has no HTTP endpoint. A helper path cannot be used as a Server URL; the local plugin does not add a web connection.

Other compatible agents

Choose Other Agents → Copy MCP JSON in Cratebird. Merge this entry into your agent’s existing configuration and restart its connection. The client must support local STDIO servers and the mcpServers format.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cratebird": {
      "command": "/Applications/Cratebird.app/Contents/Helpers/cratebird-mcp"
    }
  }
}

You don’t need to paste passwords or Apple Music credentials into your agent’s settings. See the official MCP setup guide for the current desktop controls.

Your first prompt

“Use Cratebird to make me a 45-minute playlist for a late-night walk. Start mellow and let it build. Show me your picks, then create it in Apple Music when I say go.”

You can also ask your agent to read a favorite playlist, find more songs like it, or add new artists to it. The agent chooses the music and uses Cratebird to search Apple Music and save your selections. Its suggestions depend on the agent and the recordings available in your region.

Troubleshooting

Apple Music won’t connect

Open Music and check the signed-in account, subscription, and Sync Library. On Mac, check Cratebird’s permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music, then return to Cratebird and choose Check Connection. On iPhone or iPad, check its Media & Apple Music permission in Settings, then try connecting again. If the app still reports an authorization error, contact support with the exact message.

ChatGPT can only search Apple Music or make playlist drafts

Start a new chat with Work → Work locally, then type @ and select Cratebird. The separate Apple Music connection does not gain Cratebird’s library tools when you install this plugin. Restarting ChatGPT or typing “Cratebird” into regular Chat mode does not make the local helper available there. See how to choose Work locally.

My local agent can’t find Cratebird

If no tools appear, check the helper path, restart the connection, and start a new local chat. If tools report app_unavailable, open Cratebird and enable agent access. If you moved the app, copy a fresh path or update the plugin. For a missing plugin, restart ChatGPT and check the personal source selector; app or workspace policy may restrict local sources.

A playlist request timed out

Ask your agent to check whether the original request finished before trying again. Cratebird saves enough information to check a request after an interruption, and Apple may take time to show every song. For a new playlist, you can also choose Recover / Verify under Recent Playlists. If your agent needs more detail, ask it to use recover_playlist for a new playlist or recover_append for additions, with the original request key.

Can an agent change my existing playlists?

Your agent can read playlists and add songs to playlists you can edit. Cratebird checks the existing contents before adding songs and checks the result afterward. You can ask it to add only artists who aren’t already on the playlist. Cratebird’s agent tools can’t delete or rename playlists, or remove or reorder songs. Use your agent’s approval controls to decide when it can add music.

Can I import a page from a music service?

You can try a public playlist link, including a Spotify playlist, without signing in to that service in Cratebird. Some supported pages provide a readable track list; others may show only a few songs or none at all. Cratebird looks for the songs in Apple Music. It doesn’t transfer audio files. If the list is incomplete, paste the titles and artists you want to import.

Contact support

Tell us what you were trying to do, which step failed, and the exact error you saw. Include your device, operating-system version, Cratebird version, and your agent’s name if you use one. Remove account details and private playlist information from screenshots.

support@cratebird.com

For information about local history and service connections, read the privacy policy.