Turn MusicBee into a network-accessible music service.
MBXHub is a MusicBee plugin — paired with a lightweight Windows companion — that exposes your library and playback over a clean local HTTP + WebSocket API. Any device on your network can search, browse, control, and stream your music: web browsers, phones, scripts, home-automation, and companion apps all talk to the same hub.
Prerelease — v0.5.x.x (release candidate). MBXHub is under active development. The standing rule: every build should be better than the last.
This is for MBXHub examples and companion works. Hub releases live at mbxhub.com.
- 🎛 Full playback & library control over REST — play/pause, next/previous, volume, mute, shuffle/repeat, position, queue, ratings, and more (150+ endpoints).
- 🔎 MusicBee-aware search — a real query language with field operators, autocomplete, saved searches, and history.
- ⚡ Real-time events over WebSocket, on the same port as REST — track changes, playback state, and library updates, no polling.
- 🖥 Built-in web dashboard — now-playing and full control in any browser, nothing to install on the client.
- 📡 Zero-config discovery — hubs announce themselves on the LAN over SSDP.
- 🔊 Listen Here — stream the current track straight to the browser.
- 🏠 Local-first & offline — no cloud, no external services, no CDNs. Everything stays on your network.
Once the plugin is installed in MusicBee:
- Open the dashboard — Tools → MBXHub → Dashboard. The Now Playing dashboard and built-in pages work right away on this PC; nothing else needed to get going.
- Open network access so phones and other devices can reach it — Tools → MBXHub → Settings → Firewall (Step 4 of the install guide). This also confirms the port MBXHub is using.
- Connect other devices — scan the QR code on the dashboard, once the firewall is open.
MBXHub uses port 8080 by default, falling back to 8081 if that's taken. You can set it to 80 or any other port you like. The current port is shown in MBXHub Settings (Tools → MBXHub → Settings, or Preferences → Plugins → Configure).
MBXHub serves its own documentation. With the hub reachable at http://<hub>/:
| Endpoint | What |
|---|---|
http://<hub>/docs |
Full REST API reference |
http://<hub>/changelog |
Release notes |
http://<hub>/llms.txt |
Machine-readable API summary |
Project site: mbxhub.com
Working examples live in samples/ — a browser control, a Lyrion Music Server plugin, an MCP server, and prompt recipes. Each one talks to MBXHub over its public REST / WebSocket API and stands on its own; none need the hub's source.
MBXHub is built by HALRAD LLC.
© 2026 HALRAD LLC · haro@halrad.com