Sonos Announce

Play audio on Sonos with intelligent state restoration - pauses streaming, skips Line-In/TV/Bluetooth, resumes everything.

Play audio files on Sonos speakers with intelligent state restoration.

When to use

• User wants to play an announcement on Sonos
• Soundboard effects (airhorn, rimshot, etc.)
• Any audio playback that should resume previous state

This skill handles playback only - audio generation (TTS, ElevenLabs, etc.) is separate.

Quick Start

python

import sys
import os
sys.path.insert(0, '/path/to/sonos-announce')
from sonos_core import announce

# Play audio and restore previous state
# Assumes audio is in default media_dir (~/.local/share/openclaw/media/outbound)
result = announce('my_audio.mp3')

Installation

bash

pip install soco

Requirements:

• python3 - Python 3
• ffprobe - Part of ffmpeg, for audio duration detection
• soco - Python Sonos library

Core Function

python

announce(audio_file_path, wait_for_audio=True, media_dir=None)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
audio_file_path	str	required	Filename (if using media_dir) or full path to audio file
wait_for_audio	bool	True	Wait for audio to finish playing before returning
media_dir	str	None	Directory where audio file is located (HTTP server will serve from here)

Returns

python

{
  'coordinators': 2,
  'states': {
    '192.168.1.120': {
      'uri': 'x-sonos-spotify:spotify%3atrack%3a...',
      'position': '0:01:23',
      'queue_position': 5,
      'was_playing': True,
      'is_external': False,
      'transport_state': 'PLAYING',
      'speaker_name': 'Bedroom'
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Simple (file in default media directory)

python

from sonos_core import announce

# File served from default media_dir
result = announce('announcement.mp3')

With custom media directory

python

from sonos_core import announce

# Full path to audio file
result = announce(
    'my_audio.mp3', 
    media_dir='/home/user/audio/announcements'
)

Full path (no media_dir)

python

from sonos_core import announce

# Uses directory of file as media_dir
result = announce('/full/path/to/audio.mp3')

Environment Variables

Configure the HTTP server for streaming to Sonos:

Variable	Default	Description
SONOS_HTTP_HOST	auto-detected	LAN IP address (auto-detected)
SONOS_HTTP_PORT	8888	HTTP server port

bash

# Set before running (optional)
export SONOS_HTTP_HOST=192.168.1.100  # Override auto-detected IP
export SONOS_HTTP_PORT=8888           # Override port

# Or set in code before importing
import os
os.environ['SONOS_HTTP_HOST'] = '192.168.1.100'

from sonos_core import announce
announce('audio.mp3')

Supported Platforms

Platform	Status	Notes
macOS	✅ Supported	Full support
Linux	✅ Supported	Full support
Windows	✅ Supported	Uses taskkill and start /b

The module automatically detects your platform and uses appropriate commands for:

• Killing the HTTP server
• Starting the HTTP server in background

State Restoration

The module intelligently restores previous playback state:

Source Type	Behavior
Spotify Track	Resumed at exact position (seek)
Spotify Playlist	Resumed at exact position (seek)
Spotify Radio	Resumed from start (no seek)
Internet Radio	Resumed from start (no seek)
Line-In	Re-connected to Line-In input
TV/HDMI	Re-connected to TV audio
Bluetooth	Re-connected to Bluetooth
Paused content	Left paused

Seeking Behavior

Some streaming services don't support seeking to a specific position:

• Can seek: Spotify tracks, Spotify playlists, local files, queue items
• Cannot seek: Spotify Radio, TuneIn radio, Pandora, Tidal radio

The module automatically detects these and handles accordingly.

External Input Detection

Automatically detects inputs that cannot be paused:

• x-rincon:RINCON_* - Line-In
• x-rincon-stream:RINCON_* - Line-In stream
• x-sonos-htastream:* - TV/HDMI (Sonos Home Theater)
• x-sonos-vanished:* - Vanished device
• x-rincon-bt:* - Bluetooth

Soundboard Example

python

from sonos_core import announce

SOUNDS = {
    'airhorn': '/path/to/sounds/airhorn.mp3',
    'rimshot': '/path/to/sounds/rimshot.mp3',
    'victory': '/path/to/sounds/victory.mp3',
}

def play_sound(name):
    """Play a sound effect."""
    if name in SOUNDS:
        announce(SOUNDS[name])
    else:
        print(f"Unknown sound: {name}")

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
No speakers found	Ensure on same network as Sonos speakers
Resume not working	Check speakers were playing (not paused) before announcement
HTTP server failed	Check port 8888 is available, or set SONOS_HTTP_PORT
Module import error	Run: pip install soco
Duration detection fails	Ensure ffprobe is installed (part of ffmpeg)

Files

• sonos_core.py - Main module with announce() function
• SKILL.md - This documentation