diff --git a/client/sjnmusic b/client/sjnmusic
index f63757b..df90e3f 100755
--- a/client/sjnmusic
+++ b/client/sjnmusic
@@ -1,36 +1,234 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+sjnmusic - tiny CLI for sjnmusicd HTTP daemon.
+Talks to the webserver at http://127.0.0.1:14567 by default. Override with
+--host or --port, or set SJNMUSIC_HOST / SJNMUSIC_PORT environment variables.
+"""
 
+import argparse
 import json
-import socket
+import os
 import sys
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.parse
+import urllib.request
 
-SOCKET_PATH = "/tmp/sjnmusic.sock"
+DEFAULT_HOST = "127.0.0.1"
+DEFAULT_PORT = 14567
 
-def main():
-    if len(sys.argv) < 2:
-        print("usage: sjnmusic <command> [value]")
+
+def build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
+    p = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        prog="sjnmusic",
+        description="Talk to the sjnmusicd HTTP daemon.",
+    )
+    p.add_argument("--host", default=os.environ.get("SJNMUSIC_HOST", DEFAULT_HOST))
+    p.add_argument(
+        "--port",
+        type=int,
+        default=int(os.environ.get("SJNMUSIC_PORT", str(DEFAULT_PORT))),
+    )
+    p.add_argument("--json", action="store_true", help="print raw JSON responses")
+
+    sub = p.add_subparsers(dest="cmd", required=True)
+
+    def add_search_fields(sp):
+        sp.add_argument("query", nargs="*", help="search text")
+        sp.add_argument("-q", "--query", dest="query_flag", help="search text")
+
+    add_search_fields(sub.add_parser("play", help="search & start playing immediately"))
+    add_search_fields(sub.add_parser("add", help="search & append to queue"))
+    add_search_fields(sub.add_parser("del", help="search & delete from disk+db"))
+    add_search_fields(sub.add_parser("init", help="download via yt-dlp and register"))
+    add_search_fields(sub.add_parser("search", help="search the song database"))
+
+    sub.add_parser("queue", help="show the current queue")
+    sub.add_parser("now", help="alias for /now-playing")
+    sub.add_parser("skip", help="skip the next song")
+    sub.add_parser("clear", help="empty the queue")
+    sub.add_parser("songs", help="list all known songs")
+    sub.add_parser("playlists", help="list all playlists")
+    sub.add_parser("help", help="list HTTP endpoints")
+
+    pl_new = sub.add_parser("pl-new", help="create a playlist")
+    pl_new.add_argument("name")
+
+    pl_show = sub.add_parser("pl-show", help="show playlist contents")
+    pl_show.add_argument("name")
+
+    pl_add = sub.add_parser("pl-add", help="add a song to a playlist")
+    pl_add.add_argument("name")
+    pl_add.add_argument("query", nargs="*")
+    pl_add.add_argument("-q", "--query", dest="query_flag")
+
+    pl_play = sub.add_parser("pl-play", help="load a playlist into the queue")
+    pl_play.add_argument("name")
+
+    pl_rm = sub.add_parser("pl-rm", help="delete a playlist")
+    pl_rm.add_argument("name")
+
+    return p
+
+
+def join_query(args) -> str:
+    parts = []
+    if getattr(args, "query_flag", None):
+        parts.append(args.query_flag)
+    if getattr(args, "query", None):
+        parts.extend(args.query)
+    return " ".join(parts).strip()
+
+
+def call(host, port, method, route, body=None, query=None):
+    qs = ""
+    if query:
+        qs = "?" + urllib.parse.urlencode(query)
+    url = f"http://{host}:{port}{route}{qs}"
+
+    data = None
+    headers = {}
+    if body is not None:
+        data = json.dumps(body).encode("utf-8")
+        headers["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
+    req = urllib.request.Request(url=url, data=data, headers=headers, method=method)
+
+    try:
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=15) as resp:
+            payload = resp.read().decode("utf-8")
+            return resp.status, payload
+    except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+        return e.code, e.read().decode("utf-8", errors="replace")
+    except urllib.error.URLError as e:
+        print(f"error: cannot reach daemon at {url}: {e.reason}", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(2)
+
+
+def print_response(args, status, payload):
+    if args.json:
+        print(f"HTTP {status}\n{payload}")
+        return
+    try:
+        obj = json.loads(payload)
+    except json.JSONDecodeError:
+        print(f"HTTP {status}: {payload}")
+        return
+    if isinstance(obj, dict) and "error" in obj:
+        print(f"error: {obj['error']}", file=sys.stderr)
         sys.exit(1)
+    if "queue" in obj and "current" in obj:
+        print("queue:")
+        for s in obj.get("queue", []):
+            print(f"  - [{s['id']}] {s['name']}")
+        cur = obj.get("current")
+        if cur:
+            print(f"now playing: [{cur['id']}] {cur['name']}")
+        else:
+            print("now playing: (idle)")
+        return
+    if "current" in obj and "queue_len" in obj:
+        cur = obj.get("current")
+        if cur:
+            print(f"now playing: [{cur['id']}] {cur['name']}")
+        else:
+            print("now playing: (idle)")
+        print(f"queue length: {obj['queue_len']}")
+        return
+    if "songs" in obj:
+        for s in obj["songs"]:
+            print(f"[{s['id']}] {s['name']}")
+        return
+    if isinstance(obj, list):
+        if obj and isinstance(obj[0], dict) and obj[0].get("songs") is not None:
+            for pl in obj:
+                print(f"{pl['name']}  ({len(pl.get('songs', []))} songs)")
+                for s in pl.get("songs", []):
+                    print(f"   - [{s['id']}] {s['name']}")
+        else:
+            for s in obj:
+                print(s)
+        return
+    if isinstance(obj, dict) and "name" in obj and "songs" in obj:
+        pl = obj
+        print(f"playlist: {pl['name']}")
+        for s in pl.get("songs", []):
+            print(f"  - [{s['id']}] {s['name']}")
+        return
+    if isinstance(obj, dict) and "endpoints" in obj:
+        for ep in obj["endpoints"]:
+            print(ep)
+        return
+    if isinstance(obj, dict) and "added" in obj:
+        print(f"added [{obj['added']['id']}] {obj['added']['name']} -> {obj['playlist']['name']}")
+        return
+    print(json.dumps(obj, indent=2))
 
-    cmd = sys.argv[1]
-    value = " ".join(sys.argv[2:])
 
-    if cmd == "play":
-        payload = {"Play": value}
-    elif cmd == "add":
-        payload = {"Add": value}
-    elif cmd == "del":
-        payload = {"Del": value}
-    elif cmd == "init":
-        payload = {"Init": value}
+def main(argv=None):
+    args = build_parser().parse_args(argv)
+    host, port = args.host, args.port
+    q = join_query(args)
+
+    def with_q(body):
+        body = dict(body or {})
+        if q:
+            body.setdefault("query", q)
+        return body
+
+    if args.cmd == "play":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", "/play", body=with_q(None))
+    elif args.cmd == "add":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", "/add", body=with_q(None))
+    elif args.cmd == "del":
+        if not q:
+            print("error: 'del' requires a search query", file=sys.stderr)
+            sys.exit(2)
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", "/del", body=with_q(None))
+    elif args.cmd == "init":
+        if not q:
+            print("error: 'init' requires a song name", file=sys.stderr)
+            sys.exit(2)
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", "/init", body={"song": q})
+    elif args.cmd == "search":
+        if not q:
+            print("error: 'search' requires a query", file=sys.stderr)
+            sys.exit(2)
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", "/search", query={"q": q})
+    elif args.cmd == "queue":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", "/queue")
+    elif args.cmd == "now":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", "/now-playing")
+    elif args.cmd == "skip":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", "/skip")
+    elif args.cmd == "clear":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", "/queue/clear")
+    elif args.cmd == "songs":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", "/songs")
+    elif args.cmd == "playlists":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", "/playlists")
+    elif args.cmd == "help":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", "/help")
+    elif args.cmd == "pl-new":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", "/playlists", body={"name": args.name})
+    elif args.cmd == "pl-show":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", f"/playlists/{urllib.parse.quote(args.name)}")
+    elif args.cmd == "pl-add":
+        if not q:
+            print("error: 'pl-add' requires a song query", file=sys.stderr)
+            sys.exit(2)
+        status, payload = call(
+            host, port, "POST",
+            f"/playlists/{urllib.parse.quote(args.name)}/add",
+            body={"query": q},
+        )
+    elif args.cmd == "pl-play":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "POST", f"/playlists/{urllib.parse.quote(args.name)}/play")
+    elif args.cmd == "pl-rm":
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "DELETE", f"/playlists/{urllib.parse.quote(args.name)}")
     else:
-        print(f"unknown command: {cmd}")
-        sys.exit(1)
+        status, payload = call(host, port, "GET", "/help")
 
-    sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
-    sock.connect(SOCKET_PATH)
+    print_response(args, status, payload)
 
-    sock.sendall(json.dumps(payload).encode())
-    sock.close()
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     main()
diff --git a/daemon/Cargo.lock b/daemon/Cargo.lock
index 1544f0a..951b6f1 100644
--- a/daemon/Cargo.lock
+++ b/daemon/Cargo.lock
@@ -45,12 +45,68 @@ dependencies = [
  "pkg-config",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "anstream"
+version = "1.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "824a212faf96e9acacdbd09febd34438f8f711fb84e09a8916013cd7815ca28d"
+dependencies = [
+ "anstyle",
+ "anstyle-parse",
+ "anstyle-query",
+ "anstyle-wincon",
+ "colorchoice",
+ "is_terminal_polyfill",
+ "utf8parse",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "anstyle"
+version = "1.0.14"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "940b3a0ca603d1eade50a4846a2afffd5ef57a9feac2c0e2ec2e14f9ead76000"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "anstyle-parse"
+version = "1.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "52ce7f38b242319f7cabaa6813055467063ecdc9d355bbb4ce0c68908cd8130e"
+dependencies = [
+ "utf8parse",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "anstyle-query"
+version = "1.1.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "40c48f72fd53cd289104fc64099abca73db4166ad86ea0b4341abe65af83dadc"
+dependencies = [
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "anstyle-wincon"
+version = "3.0.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "291e6a250ff86cd4a820112fb8898808a366d8f9f58ce16d1f538353ad55747d"
+dependencies = [
+ "anstyle",
+ "once_cell_polyfill",
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "arrayvec"
 version = "0.7.6"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "7c02d123df017efcdfbd739ef81735b36c5ba83ec3c59c80a9d7ecc718f92e50"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "ascii"
+version = "1.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d92bec98840b8f03a5ff5413de5293bfcd8bf96467cf5452609f939ec6f5de16"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "autocfg"
 version = "1.5.1"
@@ -144,6 +200,12 @@ version = "1.0.4"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9330f8b2ff13f34540b44e946ef35111825727b38d33286ef986142615121801"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "chunked_transfer"
+version = "1.5.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6e4de3bc4ea267985becf712dc6d9eed8b04c953b3fcfb339ebc87acd9804901"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "clang-sys"
 version = "1.8.1"
@@ -161,6 +223,12 @@ version = "0.4.3"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "4bfbf56724aa9eca8afa4fcfadeb479e722935bb2a0900c2d37e0cc477af0688"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "colorchoice"
+version = "1.0.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1d07550c9036bf2ae0c684c4297d503f838287c83c53686d05370d0e139ae570"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "combine"
 version = "4.6.7"
@@ -226,6 +294,38 @@ version = "0.11.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "0c87e182de0887fd5361989c677c4e8f5000cd9491d6d563161a8f3a5519fc7f"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "defmt"
+version = "1.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a6e524506490a1953d237cb87b1cfc1e46f88c18f10a22dfe0f507dc6bfc7f7f"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags 1.3.2",
+ "defmt-macros",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "defmt-macros"
+version = "1.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f0a27770e9c8f719a79d8b638281f4d828f77d8fd61e0bd94451b9b85e576a0b"
+dependencies = [
+ "defmt-parser",
+ "proc-macro-error2",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "defmt-parser"
+version = "1.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "10d60334b3b2e7c9d91ef8150abfb6fa4c1c39ebbcf4a81c2e346aad939fee3e"
+dependencies = [
+ "thiserror 2.0.18",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "dirs"
 version = "5.0.1"
@@ -262,6 +362,29 @@ dependencies = [
  "cfg-if",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "env_filter"
+version = "1.0.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "32e90c2accc4b07a8456ea0debdc2e7587bdd890680d71173a15d4ae604f6eef"
+dependencies = [
+ "log",
+ "regex",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "env_logger"
+version = "0.11.10"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0621c04f2196ac3f488dd583365b9c09be011a4ab8b9f37248ffcc8f6198b56a"
+dependencies = [
+ "anstream",
+ "anstyle",
+ "env_filter",
+ "jiff",
+ "log",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "equivalent"
 version = "1.0.2"
@@ -369,6 +492,12 @@ version = "3.5.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "62adaabb884c94955b19907d60019f4e145d091c75345379e70d1ee696f7854f"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "httpdate"
+version = "1.0.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "df3b46402a9d5adb4c86a0cf463f42e19994e3ee891101b1841f30a545cb49a9"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "indexmap"
 version = "2.14.0"
@@ -379,6 +508,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "hashbrown 0.17.1",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "is_terminal_polyfill"
+version = "1.70.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a6cb138bb79a146c1bd460005623e142ef0181e3d0219cb493e02f7d08a35695"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "itertools"
 version = "0.13.0"
@@ -394,6 +529,31 @@ version = "1.0.18"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "8f42a60cbdf9a97f5d2305f08a87dc4e09308d1276d28c869c684d7777685682"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "jiff"
+version = "0.2.29"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "34f877a98676d2fb664698d74cc6a51ce6c484ce8c770f05d0108ec9090aeb46"
+dependencies = [
+ "defmt",
+ "jiff-static",
+ "log",
+ "portable-atomic",
+ "portable-atomic-util",
+ "serde_core",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "jiff-static"
+version = "0.2.29"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0666b5ab5ecaca213fc2a85b8c0083d9004e84ee2d5f9a7e0017aaf50986f25f"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "jni"
 version = "0.21.1"
@@ -405,7 +565,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "combine",
  "jni-sys 0.3.1",
  "log",
- "thiserror",
+ "thiserror 1.0.69",
  "walkdir",
  "windows-sys 0.45.0",
 ]
@@ -550,7 +710,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "log",
  "ndk-sys",
  "num_enum",
- "thiserror",
+ "thiserror 1.0.69",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -658,12 +818,24 @@ version = "1.21.4"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9f7c3e4beb33f85d45ae3e3a1792185706c8e16d043238c593331cc7cd313b50"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "once_cell_polyfill"
+version = "1.70.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "384b8ab6d37215f3c5301a95a4accb5d64aa607f1fcb26a11b5303878451b4fe"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "option-ext"
 version = "0.2.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "04744f49eae99ab78e0d5c0b603ab218f515ea8cfe5a456d7629ad883a3b6e7d"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "percent-encoding"
+version = "2.3.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "9b4f627cb1b25917193a259e49bdad08f671f8d9708acfd5fe0a8c1455d87220"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "pin-project-lite"
 version = "0.2.17"
@@ -676,13 +848,50 @@ version = "0.3.33"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "19f132c84eca552bf34cab8ec81f1c1dcc229b811638f9d283dceabe58c5569e"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "portable-atomic"
+version = "1.13.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c33a9471896f1c69cecef8d20cbe2f7accd12527ce60845ff44c153bb2a21b49"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "portable-atomic-util"
+version = "0.2.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c2a106d1259c23fac8e543272398ae0e3c0b8d33c88ed73d0cc71b0f1d902618"
+dependencies = [
+ "portable-atomic",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "proc-macro-crate"
 version = "3.5.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "e67ba7e9b2b56446f1d419b1d807906278ffa1a658a8a5d8a39dcb1f5a78614f"
 dependencies = [
- "toml_edit",
+ "toml_edit 0.25.12+spec-1.1.0",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "proc-macro-error-attr2"
+version = "2.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "96de42df36bb9bba5542fe9f1a054b8cc87e172759a1868aa05c1f3acc89dfc5"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "proc-macro-error2"
+version = "2.0.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "11ec05c52be0a07b08061f7dd003e7d7092e0472bc731b4af7bb1ef876109802"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro-error-attr2",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -717,7 +926,7 @@ checksum = "ba009ff324d1fc1b900bd1fdb31564febe58a8ccc8a6fdbb93b543d33b13ca43"
 dependencies = [
  "getrandom 0.2.17",
  "libredox",
- "thiserror",
+ "thiserror 1.0.69",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -760,7 +969,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "hound",
  "lewton",
  "symphonia",
- "thiserror",
+ "thiserror 1.0.69",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -841,6 +1050,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "zmij",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "serde_spanned"
+version = "0.6.9"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "bf41e0cfaf7226dca15e8197172c295a782857fcb97fad1808a166870dee75a3"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "shlex"
 version = "1.3.0"
@@ -858,11 +1076,16 @@ name = "sjnmusicd"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "dirs",
+ "env_logger",
+ "log",
+ "percent-encoding",
  "rodio",
  "rusqlite",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "strsim",
+ "tiny_http",
+ "toml",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -949,7 +1172,16 @@ version = "1.0.69"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "b6aaf5339b578ea85b50e080feb250a3e8ae8cfcdff9a461c9ec2904bc923f52"
 dependencies = [
- "thiserror-impl",
+ "thiserror-impl 1.0.69",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "thiserror"
+version = "2.0.18"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "4288b5bcbc7920c07a1149a35cf9590a2aa808e0bc1eafaade0b80947865fbc4"
+dependencies = [
+ "thiserror-impl 2.0.18",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -963,6 +1195,29 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "thiserror-impl"
+version = "2.0.18"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ebc4ee7f67670e9b64d05fa4253e753e016c6c95ff35b89b7941d6b856dec1d5"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tiny_http"
+version = "0.12.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "389915df6413a2e74fb181895f933386023c71110878cd0825588928e64cdc82"
+dependencies = [
+ "ascii",
+ "chunked_transfer",
+ "httpdate",
+ "log",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tinyvec"
 version = "1.11.0"
@@ -978,6 +1233,27 @@ version = "0.1.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "1f3ccbac311fea05f86f61904b462b55fb3df8837a366dfc601a0161d0532f20"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "toml"
+version = "0.8.23"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "dc1beb996b9d83529a9e75c17a1686767d148d70663143c7854d8b4a09ced362"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+ "serde_spanned",
+ "toml_datetime 0.6.11",
+ "toml_edit 0.22.27",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_datetime"
+version = "0.6.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "22cddaf88f4fbc13c51aebbf5f8eceb5c7c5a9da2ac40a13519eb5b0a0e8f11c"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "toml_datetime"
 version = "1.1.1+spec-1.1.0"
@@ -987,6 +1263,20 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde_core",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_edit"
+version = "0.22.27"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "41fe8c660ae4257887cf66394862d21dbca4a6ddd26f04a3560410406a2f819a"
+dependencies = [
+ "indexmap",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_spanned",
+ "toml_datetime 0.6.11",
+ "toml_write",
+ "winnow 0.7.15",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "toml_edit"
 version = "0.25.12+spec-1.1.0"
@@ -994,9 +1284,9 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "d2153edc6955a6c354fad8f5efd38b6a8769bdccf9fe50f8e1329f81b0baa5d7"
 dependencies = [
  "indexmap",
- "toml_datetime",
+ "toml_datetime 1.1.1+spec-1.1.0",
  "toml_parser",
- "winnow",
+ "winnow 1.0.3",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1005,15 +1295,27 @@ version = "1.1.2+spec-1.1.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "a2abe9b86193656635d2411dc43050282ca48aa31c2451210f4202550afb7526"
 dependencies = [
- "winnow",
+ "winnow 1.0.3",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_write"
+version = "0.1.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "5d99f8c9a7727884afe522e9bd5edbfc91a3312b36a77b5fb8926e4c31a41801"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "unicode-ident"
 version = "1.0.24"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "e6e4313cd5fcd3dad5cafa179702e2b244f760991f45397d14d4ebf38247da75"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "utf8parse"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "06abde3611657adf66d383f00b093d7faecc7fa57071cce2578660c9f1010821"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "vcpkg"
 version = "0.2.15"
@@ -1365,6 +1667,15 @@ version = "0.52.6"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "589f6da84c646204747d1270a2a5661ea66ed1cced2631d546fdfb155959f9ec"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "winnow"
+version = "0.7.15"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "df79d97927682d2fd8adb29682d1140b343be4ac0f08fd68b7765d9c059d3945"
+dependencies = [
+ "memchr",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "winnow"
 version = "1.0.3"
diff --git a/daemon/Cargo.toml b/daemon/Cargo.toml
index bcba8f2..686e49f 100644
--- a/daemon/Cargo.toml
+++ b/daemon/Cargo.toml
@@ -10,3 +10,8 @@ serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 dirs = "5"
 strsim = "0.11"
+tiny_http = "0.12"
+log = "0.4"
+env_logger = "0.11"
+toml = "0.8"
+percent-encoding = "2"
diff --git a/daemon/src/audio.rs b/daemon/src/audio.rs
index 9a63d64..3046a37 100644
--- a/daemon/src/audio.rs
+++ b/daemon/src/audio.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use log::debug;
 use rodio::{Decoder, OutputStream, Sink};
 use std::fs::File;
 use std::io::BufReader;
@@ -15,17 +16,21 @@ impl AudioEngine {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn play(&mut self, path: &str) {
-        let (_stream, handle) = OutputStream::try_default().unwrap();
-        let sink = Sink::try_new(&handle).unwrap();
+    pub fn play(&mut self, path: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
+        let (_stream, handle) = OutputStream::try_default()
+            .map_err(|e| format!("could not open audio output: {e}"))?;
+        let sink = Sink::try_new(&handle).map_err(|e| format!("could not create sink: {e}"))?;
 
-        let file = File::open(path).unwrap();
-        let source = Decoder::new(BufReader::new(file)).unwrap();
+        let file = File::open(path).map_err(|e| format!("could not open file: {e}"))?;
+        let source =
+            Decoder::new(BufReader::new(file)).map_err(|e| format!("decode error: {e}"))?;
 
         sink.append(source);
+        debug!("rodio sink appended for {path}");
 
         self.sink = Some(sink);
         self._stream = Some(_stream);
+        Ok(())
     }
 
     pub fn is_playing(&self) -> bool {
diff --git a/daemon/src/config.rs b/daemon/src/config.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b4949cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/config.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+use std::fs;
+
+use log::{debug, info, warn};
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+use crate::paths::config_path;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ServerConfig {
+    /// Bind host. Use "127.0.0.1" for local-only, "0.0.0.0" to expose on the network.
+    pub host: String,
+    /// Port to bind the HTTP server on.
+    pub port: u16,
+}
+
+impl Default for ServerConfig {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            host: "127.0.0.1".to_string(),
+            port: 14567,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct LoggingConfig {
+    /// Log filter: trace, debug, info, warn, error
+    pub level: String,
+}
+
+impl Default for LoggingConfig {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            level: "info".to_string(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+pub struct Config {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub server: ServerConfig,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub logging: LoggingConfig,
+}
+
+impl Config {
+    /// Load configuration from the TOML file. If the file does not exist, create
+    /// it with sensible defaults so the daemon can be configured on first run.
+    pub fn load() -> Self {
+        let path = config_path();
+
+        if !std::path::Path::new(&path).exists() {
+            warn!("Config not found at {path}, creating default config");
+            let cfg = Config::default();
+            if let Ok(s) = toml::to_string_pretty(&cfg) {
+                if let Err(e) = fs::write(&path, s) {
+                    warn!("Failed to write default config: {e}");
+                } else {
+                    info!("Wrote default config to {path}");
+                }
+            }
+            return cfg;
+        }
+
+        match fs::read_to_string(&path) {
+            Ok(text) => match toml::from_str::<Config>(&text) {
+                Ok(cfg) => {
+                    debug!("Loaded config from {path}: {:?}", cfg);
+                    cfg
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    warn!("Failed to parse config at {path}: {e}. Falling back to defaults.");
+                    Config::default()
+                }
+            },
+            Err(e) => {
+                warn!("Failed to read config at {path}: {e}. Falling back to defaults.");
+                Config::default()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/daemon/src/daemon.rs b/daemon/src/daemon.rs
index a1e3322..a964f20 100644
--- a/daemon/src/daemon.rs
+++ b/daemon/src/daemon.rs
@@ -1,36 +1,99 @@
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 use std::thread;
 
+use log::{debug, error, info, warn};
+
 use crate::{
-    state::DaemonState,
-    socket::start_socket,
-    db::init_db,
     audio::AudioEngine,
+    config::Config,
+    db::open_db,
+    server::start_server,
+    state::DaemonState,
 };
 
-pub fn run() {
-    let state = Arc::new(Mutex::new(DaemonState::new()));
+pub fn run(cfg: Config) {
+    info!("Starting sjnmusicd");
 
-    init_db();
+    let conn = open_db();
+    let state = Arc::new(Mutex::new(DaemonState::new(conn)));
 
-    let socket_state = state.clone();
-    thread::spawn(move || {
-        start_socket(socket_state);
-    });
+    // HTTP server thread.
+    let server_state = state.clone();
+    let host = cfg.server.host.clone();
+    let port = cfg.server.port;
+    let server_handle = thread::Builder::new()
+        .name("sjnmusic-http".into())
+        .spawn(move || {
+            start_server(server_state, &host, port);
+        });
+    if let Err(e) = server_handle {
+        error!("Failed to spawn HTTP server thread: {e}");
+    }
 
+    // Audio playback loop (runs on the main thread).
     let mut audio = AudioEngine::new();
+    info!("Playback loop ready");
 
     loop {
         {
             let mut state = state.lock().unwrap();
 
+            // Clear "now playing" once the audio engine reports the song has
+            // ended so /now-playing and /queue reflect reality while the
+            // next iteration decides what's up next.
+            if !audio.is_playing() {
+                if let Some(prev) = state.current.take() {
+                    debug!("Playback finished for {}", prev.name);
+                }
+            }
+
             if !state.queue.is_empty() && !audio.is_playing() {
-                let song = state.queue.remove(0);
-                audio.play(&song.path);
-                state.current = Some(song);
+                // Snapshot the next song first, attempt audio.play, and only
+                // remove from the queue (memory + DB) when playback actually
+                // starts so decode/init failures don't silently lose it.
+                let next = state.queue[0].clone();
+                debug!("Starting playback: {} ({})", next.name, next.path);
+                match audio.play(&next.path) {
+                    Ok(()) => match state.pop_played() {
+                        Ok(Some(popped)) => {
+                            let name = popped.name.clone();
+                            state.current = Some(popped);
+                            debug!("DB queue row removed for {name}");
+                            info!("Now playing: {name}");
+                        }
+                        Ok(None) => {
+                            // Should not happen — we peeked a non-empty queue.
+                            state.current = Some(next.clone());
+                            warn!(
+                                "pop_played returned None after successful audio.play for {}",
+                                next.name
+                            );
+                        }
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            // pop_played is DB-first; on Err the in-memory
+                            // queue has NOT been mutated, so the song is
+                            // already at index 0 — do not re-insert or we
+                            // would duplicate it.
+                            error!(
+                                "Played {} but failed to update DB queue ({e}); \
+                                 leaving in-memory queue untouched",
+                                next.name
+                            );
+                            state.current = Some(next);
+                        }
+                    },
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        // The previous "now playing" is no longer accurate.
+                        state.current = None;
+                        error!(
+                            "Failed to play {} ({e}); leaving in queue",
+                            next.path
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
 
-        std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(100));
+        thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(200));
     }
 }
diff --git a/daemon/src/db.rs b/daemon/src/db.rs
index 809adeb..a10d097 100644
--- a/daemon/src/db.rs
+++ b/daemon/src/db.rs
@@ -1,16 +1,54 @@
+use log::{debug, info};
 use rusqlite::Connection;
 
-use crate::paths::db_path;
+use crate::paths::{db_path, ensure_dirs};
 
-pub fn init_db() {
-    let conn = Connection::open(db_path()).unwrap();
+/// Open (and configure) the SQLite database, creating tables on first run.
+pub fn open_db() -> Connection {
+    ensure_dirs();
+    let conn = Connection::open(db_path()).expect("Failed to open songs DB");
 
-    conn.execute(
+    // Reasonable defaults for a small local DB.
+    conn.execute_batch(
+        "PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL;
+         PRAGMA synchronous = NORMAL;
+         PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;",
+    )
+    .expect("Failed to set DB pragmas");
+
+    conn.execute_batch(
         "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS songs (
-            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
-            name TEXT UNIQUE,
-            path TEXT
-        )",
-        [],
-    ).unwrap();
+            id   INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+            name TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
+            path TEXT NOT NULL
+         );
+
+        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS queue (
+            position INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+            song_id  INTEGER NOT NULL,
+            FOREIGN KEY(song_id) REFERENCES songs(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+         );
+
+        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS playlists (
+            id   INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+            name TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL
+         );
+
+        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS playlist_songs (
+            playlist_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+            position    INTEGER NOT NULL,
+            song_id     INTEGER NOT NULL,
+            PRIMARY KEY (playlist_id, position),
+            FOREIGN KEY(playlist_id) REFERENCES playlists(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+            FOREIGN KEY(song_id)     REFERENCES songs(id)     ON DELETE CASCADE
+         );
+
+         CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_playlist_songs_pl
+             ON playlist_songs(playlist_id, position);",
+    )
+    .expect("Failed to create DB schema");
+
+    debug!("Database initialized at {}", db_path());
+    info!("Database ready");
+    conn
 }
diff --git a/daemon/src/main.rs b/daemon/src/main.rs
index 4ce52e0..fd10c19 100644
--- a/daemon/src/main.rs
+++ b/daemon/src/main.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,33 @@
-mod daemon;
-mod socket;
-mod protocol;
-mod state;
-mod db;
 mod audio;
+mod config;
+mod daemon;
+mod db;
 mod paths;
+mod server;
+mod state;
 
 fn main() {
-    daemon::run();
+    // Initialise logging first so subsequent startup steps are visible.
+    let cfg = config::Config::load();
+    env_logger::Builder::from_default_env()
+        .filter_level(parse_level(&cfg.logging.level))
+        .format_timestamp_secs()
+        .init();
+
+    log::info!("Loaded configuration");
+    log::debug!("Config: {:?}", cfg);
+
+    paths::ensure_dirs();
+    daemon::run(cfg);
+}
+
+fn parse_level(s: &str) -> log::LevelFilter {
+    match s.to_lowercase().as_str() {
+        "trace" => log::LevelFilter::Trace,
+        "debug" => log::LevelFilter::Debug,
+        "info" => log::LevelFilter::Info,
+        "warn" | "warning" => log::LevelFilter::Warn,
+        "error" => log::LevelFilter::Error,
+        _ => log::LevelFilter::Info,
+    }
 }
diff --git a/daemon/src/paths.rs b/daemon/src/paths.rs
index 1dc3d0c..29ad075 100644
--- a/daemon/src/paths.rs
+++ b/daemon/src/paths.rs
@@ -34,3 +34,14 @@ pub fn db_path() -> String {
     p.push("songs.db");
     p.to_string_lossy().to_string()
 }
+
+pub fn config_path() -> String {
+    let mut p = base_dir();
+    p.push("config.toml");
+    p.to_string_lossy().to_string()
+}
+
+pub fn ensure_dirs() {
+    let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(base_dir());
+    let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(songs_dir());
+}
diff --git a/daemon/src/protocol.rs b/daemon/src/protocol.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index a661f53..0000000
--- a/daemon/src/protocol.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
-
-#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug)]
-pub enum Command {
-    Play(String),
-    Add(String),
-    Del(String),
-    Init(String),
-    Search(String),
-}
diff --git a/daemon/src/server.rs b/daemon/src/server.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f955f66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/server.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,352 @@
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+
+use log::{debug, error, info, warn};
+use serde::Serialize;
+use tiny_http::{Header, Method, Request, Response, Server, StatusCode};
+
+use crate::state::DaemonState;
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+struct ApiError {
+    error: String,
+}
+
+fn json_response<T: Serialize>(status: u16, body: &T) -> Response<std::io::Cursor<Vec<u8>>> {
+    let bytes = serde_json::to_vec(body).unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+        error!("JSON serialization failed: {e}");
+        br#"{"error":"serialization failed"}"#.to_vec()
+    });
+    Response::from_data(bytes)
+        .with_status_code(StatusCode(status))
+        .with_header(
+            Header::from_bytes(&b"Content-Type"[..], &b"application/json"[..]).unwrap(),
+        )
+}
+
+fn error_response(msg: impl Into<String>) -> Response<std::io::Cursor<Vec<u8>>> {
+    json_response(400, &ApiError { error: msg.into() })
+}
+
+fn parse_body(body: &str) -> serde_json::Result<serde_json::Value> {
+    if body.trim().is_empty() {
+        Ok(serde_json::Value::Null)
+    } else {
+        serde_json::from_str(body)
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn start_server(state: Arc<Mutex<DaemonState>>, host: &str, port: u16) {
+    let addr = format!("{host}:{port}");
+    let server = match Server::http(&addr) {
+        Ok(s) => {
+            info!("HTTP server listening on http://{addr}");
+            info!("Set RUST_LOG=debug for verbose logs");
+            s
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            error!("Failed to bind HTTP server on {addr}: {e}");
+            return;
+        }
+    };
+
+    for request in server.incoming_requests() {
+        let state = state.clone();
+        let url = request.url().to_string();
+        let method = request.method().clone();
+        debug!("{} {}", method, url);
+        if let Err(e) = handle(request, state, &method, &url) {
+            warn!("Failed to respond: {e}");
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Owns the request so we can call `request.respond()` at the end. Reads the
+/// body (for POST/PUT/DELETE), routes, and replies with JSON.
+fn handle(
+    mut request: Request,
+    state: Arc<Mutex<DaemonState>>,
+    method: &Method,
+    url: &str,
+) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+    let path = url.split('?').next().unwrap_or(url);
+    let route = route_for(method, path);
+
+    // /help short-circuit: no body, no state.
+    if matches!(route, Route::Help) {
+        let resp = json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({
+            "endpoints": [
+                "GET  /help",
+                "GET  /songs",
+                "GET  /search?q=... or POST /search {query}",
+                "GET  /queue",
+                "GET  /now-playing",
+                "POST /play {query}",
+                "POST /add {query}",
+                "POST /del {query}",
+                "POST /init {song}",
+                "POST /skip",
+                "POST /queue/clear",
+                "GET  /playlists",
+                "POST /playlists {name}",
+                "GET  /playlists/{name}",
+                "POST /playlists/{name}/add {query}",
+                "POST /playlists/{name}/play",
+                "DELETE /playlists/{name}",
+            ]
+        }));
+        return Ok(request.respond(resp)?);
+    }
+
+    let mut body_text = String::new();
+    if matches!(method, Method::Post | Method::Delete | Method::Put) {
+        let _ = request.as_reader().read_to_string(&mut body_text)?;
+    }
+    debug!("Body: {}", body_text);
+
+    let query_params = parse_query(url);
+
+    let mut state = match state.lock() {
+        Ok(s) => s,
+        Err(p) => {
+            error!("State mutex poisoned: {p}");
+            let resp = error_response("internal state error");
+            return Ok(request.respond(resp)?);
+        }
+    };
+
+    let response = match route {
+        Route::Help => unreachable!("handled above"),
+
+        Route::Songs => json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({
+            "songs": state.all_songs(),
+        })),
+
+        Route::Search => match query_or_body(&query_params, &body_text) {
+            Ok(q) => match state.search(&q) {
+                Some(song) => json_response(200, &song),
+                None => json_response(404, &ApiError {
+                    error: format!("song not found: {q}"),
+                }),
+            },
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::Queue => json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({
+            "queue": state.queue,
+            "current": state.current,
+        })),
+
+        Route::NowPlaying => json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({
+            "current": state.current,
+            "queue_len": state.queue.len(),
+        })),
+
+        Route::Play => match query_or_body(&query_params, &body_text) {
+            Ok(q) => match state.play(&q) {
+                Ok(song) => json_response(200, &song),
+                Err(e) => error_response(e),
+            },
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::Add => match query_or_body(&query_params, &body_text) {
+            Ok(q) => match state.add(&q) {
+                Ok(song) => json_response(200, &song),
+                Err(e) => error_response(e),
+            },
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::Del => match query_or_body(&query_params, &body_text) {
+            Ok(q) => match state.delete(&q) {
+                Ok(song) => json_response(200, &song),
+                Err(e) => error_response(e),
+            },
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::Init => match name_from_body(&body_text) {
+            Ok(song) => match state.init(song) {
+                Ok(s) => json_response(200, &s),
+                Err(e) => error_response(e),
+            },
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::Skip => match state.skip() {
+            Ok(Some(s)) => json_response(200, &s),
+            Ok(None) => json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({"skipped": null})),
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::QueueClear => match state.clear_queue() {
+            Ok(()) => json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({"cleared": true})),
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::PlaylistsList => json_response(200, &state.list_playlists()),
+
+        Route::PlaylistCreate => match name_from_body(&body_text) {
+            Ok(name) => match state.create_playlist(&name) {
+                Ok(pl) => json_response(200, &pl),
+                Err(e) => error_response(e),
+            },
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::PlaylistGet(name) => match state.get_playlist(&name) {
+            Ok(pl) => json_response(200, &pl),
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::PlaylistAdd(name) => match query_or_body(&query_params, &body_text) {
+            Ok(q) => match state.add_to_playlist(&name, &q) {
+                Ok((pl, song)) => json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({
+                    "playlist": pl,
+                    "added": song,
+                })),
+                Err(e) => error_response(e),
+            },
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::PlaylistPlay(name) => match state.play_playlist(&name) {
+            Ok(pl) => json_response(200, &pl),
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::PlaylistDelete(name) => match state.delete_playlist(&name) {
+            Ok(()) => json_response(200, &serde_json::json!({"deleted": name})),
+            Err(e) => error_response(e),
+        },
+
+        Route::NotFound => json_response(404, &ApiError {
+            error: format!("no route for {method} {path}"),
+        }),
+    };
+
+    Ok(request.respond(response)?)
+}
+
+enum Route {
+    Help,
+    Songs,
+    Search,
+    Queue,
+    NowPlaying,
+    Play,
+    Add,
+    Del,
+    Init,
+    Skip,
+    QueueClear,
+    PlaylistsList,
+    PlaylistCreate,
+    PlaylistGet(String),
+    PlaylistAdd(String),
+    PlaylistPlay(String),
+    PlaylistDelete(String),
+    NotFound,
+}
+
+fn route_for(method: &Method, path: &str) -> Route {
+    let p = path.trim_end_matches('/');
+    match (method, p) {
+        (Method::Get, "") | (Method::Get, "/help") => Route::Help,
+        (Method::Get, "/songs") => Route::Songs,
+        (m, "/search") if matches!(m, Method::Get | Method::Post) => Route::Search,
+        (Method::Get, "/queue") => Route::Queue,
+        (Method::Get, "/now-playing") => Route::NowPlaying,
+        (Method::Post, "/play") => Route::Play,
+        (Method::Post, "/add") => Route::Add,
+        (Method::Post, "/del") => Route::Del,
+        (Method::Post, "/init") => Route::Init,
+        (Method::Post, "/skip") => Route::Skip,
+        (Method::Post, "/queue/clear") => Route::QueueClear,
+        (Method::Get, "/playlists") => Route::PlaylistsList,
+        (Method::Post, "/playlists") => Route::PlaylistCreate,
+        (Method::Get, path) if path.starts_with("/playlists/") => {
+            let rest = &path["/playlists/".len()..];
+            let (name, suffix) = split_playlist_route(rest);
+            match suffix {
+                "/add" => Route::PlaylistAdd(name),
+                "/play" => Route::PlaylistPlay(name),
+                "" => Route::PlaylistGet(name),
+                _ => Route::NotFound,
+            }
+        }
+        (Method::Delete, path) if path.starts_with("/playlists/") => {
+            let name = path["/playlists/".len()..].to_string();
+            Route::PlaylistDelete(name)
+        }
+        _ => Route::NotFound,
+    }
+}
+
+fn split_playlist_route(rest: &str) -> (String, &'static str) {
+    if let Some(name) = rest.strip_suffix("/add") {
+        return (name.to_string(), "/add");
+    }
+    if let Some(name) = rest.strip_suffix("/play") {
+        return (name.to_string(), "/play");
+    }
+    (rest.to_string(), "")
+}
+
+fn parse_query(url: &str) -> std::collections::HashMap<String, String> {
+    let mut out = std::collections::HashMap::new();
+    if let Some(q) = url.split('?').nth(1) {
+        for pair in q.split('&') {
+            if let Some((k, v)) = pair.split_once('=') {
+                out.insert(urldecode(k), urldecode(v));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    out
+}
+
+/// Percent-decodes using `url` crate's `percent_encoding` so that UTF-8
+/// sequences survive intact.
+fn urldecode(s: &str) -> String {
+    use percent_encoding::percent_decode_str;
+    percent_decode_str(s)
+        .decode_utf8_lossy()
+        .into_owned()
+        .replace('+', " ")
+}
+
+fn query_or_body(
+    query_params: &std::collections::HashMap<String, String>,
+    body: &str,
+) -> Result<String, String> {
+    if let Some(q) = query_params.get("q") {
+        if !q.is_empty() {
+            return Ok(q.clone());
+        }
+    }
+    let v = parse_body(body).map_err(|e| format!("invalid JSON body: {e}"))?;
+    if let Some(obj) = v.as_object() {
+        for key in ["query", "name", "song", "q"] {
+            if let Some(s) = obj.get(key).and_then(|x| x.as_str()) {
+                if !s.is_empty() {
+                    return Ok(s.to_string());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Err("missing 'query' parameter".to_string())
+}
+
+fn name_from_body(body: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
+    let v = parse_body(body).map_err(|e| format!("invalid JSON body: {e}"))?;
+    if let Some(obj) = v.as_object() {
+        for key in ["name", "song", "query"] {
+            if let Some(s) = obj.get(key).and_then(|x| x.as_str()) {
+                if !s.is_empty() {
+                    return Ok(s.to_string());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Err("missing 'name' or 'song' in body".to_string())
+}
diff --git a/daemon/src/socket.rs b/daemon/src/socket.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 4f85049..0000000
--- a/daemon/src/socket.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,62 +0,0 @@
-use std::io::{Read, Write};
-use std::os::unix::net::UnixListener;
-use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
-use std::thread;
-
-use crate::{protocol::Command, state::DaemonState};
-
-pub fn start_socket(state: Arc<Mutex<DaemonState>>) {
-    let _ = std::fs::remove_file("/tmp/sjnmusic.sock");
-
-    let listener = UnixListener::bind("/tmp/sjnmusic.sock").unwrap();
-
-    for stream in listener.incoming() {
-        let state = state.clone();
-
-        thread::spawn(move || {
-            let mut stream = stream.unwrap();
-
-            let mut buf = [0; 2048];
-            let size = stream.read(&mut buf).unwrap();
-
-            let msg = String::from_utf8_lossy(&buf[..size]);
-
-            if let Ok(cmd) = serde_json::from_str::<Command>(&msg) {
-                let response = handle(cmd, state);
-                let _ = stream.write_all(response.as_bytes());
-            } else {
-                let _ = stream.write_all(b"ERROR: Invalid JSON");
-            }
-        });
-    }
-}
-
-fn handle(cmd: Command, state: Arc<Mutex<DaemonState>>) -> String {
-    let mut state = state.lock().unwrap();
-
-    match cmd {
-        Command::Play(query) => {
-            state.play(&query);
-            format!("OK: Playing {}", query)
-        }
-        Command::Add(query) => {
-            state.add(&query);
-            format!("OK: Added {}", query)
-        }
-        Command::Del(query) => {
-            state.delete(&query);
-            format!("OK: Deleted {}", query)
-        }
-        Command::Init(song) => {
-            state.init(song.clone());
-            format!("OK: Downloading {}", song)
-        }
-        Command::Search(query) => {
-            if let Some(song) = state.search(&query) {
-                serde_json::to_string(&song).unwrap_or_else(|_| "ERROR: Serialization failed".to_string())
-            } else {
-                "ERROR: Song not found".to_string()
-            }
-        }
-    }
-}
diff --git a/daemon/src/state.rs b/daemon/src/state.rs
index 027be1e..88060ce 100644
--- a/daemon/src/state.rs
+++ b/daemon/src/state.rs
@@ -1,139 +1,493 @@
-use std::process::Command as SysCommand;
-use strsim::jaro_winkler;
-use serde::{Serialize, Deserialize};
+use std::sync::Mutex;
 
-#[derive(Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+use log::{debug, error, info, warn};
+use rusqlite::{params, Connection};
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use strsim::jaro_winkler;
+
+use crate::paths::song_path;
+
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct Song {
+    pub id: i64,
     pub name: String,
     pub path: String,
 }
 
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct Playlist {
+    pub id: i64,
+    pub name: String,
+    pub songs: Vec<Song>,
+}
+
+/// The in-memory mirror of the SQLite-backed state. Wrapped in a Mutex by
+/// the daemon so HTTP request handlers and the playback loop can share it.
 pub struct DaemonState {
+    pub conn: Mutex<Connection>,
+    /// Songs pending play, in order. The first element is the next to play.
     pub queue: Vec<Song>,
+    /// Currently playing song, if any.
     pub current: Option<Song>,
 }
 
+const FUZZY_THRESHOLD: f64 = 0.65;
+
 impl DaemonState {
-    pub fn new() -> Self {
+    pub fn new(conn: Connection) -> Self {
+        let queue = Self::load_queue_from_db(&conn);
+        info!("Restored queue with {} song(s) from DB", queue.len());
         Self {
-            queue: Vec::new(),
+            conn: Mutex::new(conn),
+            queue,
             current: None,
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn play(&mut self, query: &str) {
-        if let Some(song) = self.search(query) {
-            self.queue.insert(0, song);
-        } else {
-            eprintln!("Song nicht gefunden: {}", query);
+    fn lock_conn(&self) -> std::sync::MutexGuard<'_, Connection> {
+        match self.conn.lock() {
+            Ok(g) => g,
+            Err(p) => {
+                warn!("DB mutex was poisoned, recovering");
+                p.into_inner()
+            }
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn add(&mut self, query: &str) {
-        if let Some(song) = self.search(query) {
-            self.queue.push(song);
-        } else {
-            eprintln!("Song nicht gefunden: {}", query);
-        }
+    // ------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // DB -> memory helpers
+    // ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    fn load_queue_from_db(conn: &Connection) -> Vec<Song> {
+        let mut stmt = match conn.prepare(
+            "SELECT s.id, s.name, s.path
+             FROM queue q JOIN songs s ON s.id = q.song_id
+             ORDER BY q.position ASC",
+        ) {
+            Ok(s) => s,
+            Err(e) => {
+                error!("Failed to prepare queue load: {e}");
+                return Vec::new();
+            }
+        };
+
+        stmt.query_map([], |row| {
+            Ok(Song {
+                id: row.get(0)?,
+                name: row.get(1)?,
+                path: row.get(2)?,
+            })
+        })
+        .map(|it| it.filter_map(Result::ok).collect())
+        .unwrap_or_default()
     }
 
-    pub fn delete(&mut self, query: &str) {
-        if let Some(song) = self.search(query) {
-            let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&song.path);
-            self.queue.retain(|s| s.name != song.name);
-        } else {
-            eprintln!("Song nicht gefunden: {}", query);
-        }
+    /// Public wrapper around `all_songs`: returns every song in the DB, sorted
+    /// by name. Used by `DaemonState::search` (in-memory) and the `/songs`
+    /// HTTP route.
+    pub fn all_songs(&self) -> Vec<Song> {
+        Self::list_songs(&self.lock_conn())
     }
 
-    pub fn init(&mut self, name: String) {
-        let path = crate::paths::song_path(&name);
+    fn list_songs(conn: &Connection) -> Vec<Song> {
+        let mut stmt = match conn.prepare("SELECT id, name, path FROM songs ORDER BY name") {
+            Ok(s) => s,
+            Err(e) => {
+                error!("Failed to list songs: {e}");
+                return Vec::new();
+            }
+        };
 
-        let result = SysCommand::new("yt-dlp")
+        stmt.query_map([], |row| {
+            Ok(Song {
+                id: row.get(0)?,
+                name: row.get(1)?,
+                path: row.get(2)?,
+            })
+        })
+        .map(|it| it.filter_map(Result::ok).collect())
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+    }
+
+    fn insert_song(conn: &Connection, name: &str, path: &str) -> rusqlite::Result<i64> {
+        conn.execute(
+            "INSERT OR IGNORE INTO songs (name, path) VALUES (?1, ?2)",
+            params![name, path],
+        )?;
+        let id: i64 = conn.query_row(
+            "SELECT id FROM songs WHERE name = ?1",
+            params![name],
+            |row| row.get(0),
+        )?;
+        Ok(id)
+    }
+
+    fn queue_append_db(conn: &Connection, song_id: i64) -> rusqlite::Result<()> {
+        // Append at the end. Explicit max+1 so ordering survives deletes.
+        let next: i64 = conn
+            .query_row(
+                "SELECT COALESCE(MAX(position), 0) + 1 FROM queue",
+                [],
+                |row| row.get(0),
+            )
+            .unwrap_or(1);
+        conn.execute(
+            "INSERT INTO queue (position, song_id) VALUES (?1, ?2)",
+            params![next, song_id],
+        )?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    fn queue_clear_db(conn: &Connection) -> rusqlite::Result<()> {
+        conn.execute("DELETE FROM queue", [])?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    fn playlist_append_db(
+        conn: &Connection,
+        playlist_id: i64,
+        song_id: i64,
+    ) -> rusqlite::Result<()> {
+        let next: i64 = conn
+            .query_row(
+                "SELECT COALESCE(MAX(position), 0) + 1 FROM playlist_songs WHERE playlist_id = ?1",
+                params![playlist_id],
+                |row| row.get(0),
+            )
+            .unwrap_or(1);
+        conn.execute(
+            "INSERT INTO playlist_songs (playlist_id, position, song_id) VALUES (?1, ?2, ?3)",
+            params![playlist_id, next, song_id],
+        )?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    // ------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // Public API used by both HTTP server and playback loop
+    // ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    /// Search the songs DB by name. Uses an exact (case-insensitive) match
+    /// first, then falls back to a Jaro-Winkler fuzzy match.
+    pub fn search(&self, query: &str) -> Option<Song> {
+        debug!("Searching DB for: {query}");
+        let query_lower = query.to_lowercase();
+        let songs = self.all_songs();
+
+        // Exact match wins outright.
+        if let Some(s) = songs.iter().find(|s| s.name.to_lowercase() == query_lower) {
+            debug!("Exact DB match: {} (id={})", s.name, s.id);
+            return Some(s.clone());
+        }
+
+        // Best fuzzy match above threshold.
+        let best = songs
+            .iter()
+            .map(|s| (s.clone(), jaro_winkler(&s.name.to_lowercase(), &query_lower)))
+            .filter(|(_, score)| *score > FUZZY_THRESHOLD)
+            .max_by(|a, b| a.1.partial_cmp(&b.1).unwrap_or(std::cmp::Ordering::Equal));
+
+        if let Some((song, score)) = best {
+            debug!("Fuzzy DB match: {} (score={:.3})", song.name, score);
+            return Some(song);
+        }
+
+        warn!("No DB match for query: {query}");
+        None
+    }
+
+    /// Insert a song at the front of the queue and start playing it.
+    pub fn play(&mut self, query: &str) -> Result<Song, String> {
+        let song = self
+            .search(query)
+            .ok_or_else(|| format!("song not found: {query}"))?;
+        self.queue.insert(0, song.clone());
+        let conn = self.lock_conn();
+        // Reset persisted queue to keep DB and memory consistent.
+        Self::queue_clear_db(&conn).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        for s in &self.queue {
+            Self::queue_append_db(&conn, s.id).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        }
+        info!("Play: {} (id={})", song.name, song.id);
+        Ok(song)
+    }
+
+    /// Append a song to the end of the queue.
+    pub fn add(&mut self, query: &str) -> Result<Song, String> {
+        let song = self
+            .search(query)
+            .ok_or_else(|| format!("song not found: {query}"))?;
+        self.queue.push(song.clone());
+        Self::queue_append_db(&self.lock_conn(), song.id).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        info!("Added to queue: {} (id={})", song.name, song.id);
+        Ok(song)
+    }
+
+    /// Delete a song from the DB, filesystem, and any queue entries.
+    pub fn delete(&mut self, query: &str) -> Result<Song, String> {
+        let song = self
+            .search(query)
+            .ok_or_else(|| format!("song not found: {query}"))?;
+
+        {
+            let conn = self.lock_conn();
+            // Foreign keys remove queue & playlist entries automatically.
+            conn.execute("DELETE FROM songs WHERE id = ?1", params![song.id])
+                .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        }
+
+        if let Err(e) = std::fs::remove_file(&song.path) {
+            warn!("Could not delete file {}: {e}", song.path);
+        }
+        self.queue.retain(|s| s.id != song.id);
+        if self
+            .current
+            .as_ref()
+            .map(|c| c.id == song.id)
+            .unwrap_or(false)
+        {
+            self.current = None;
+        }
+        info!("Deleted song {} (id={})", song.name, song.id);
+        Ok(song)
+    }
+
+    /// Download a song via yt-dlp and register it in the DB.
+    pub fn init(&self, name: String) -> Result<Song, String> {
+        let path = song_path(&name);
+        debug!("yt-dlp target path: {path}");
+
+        let output = std::process::Command::new("yt-dlp")
             .args([
                 "-x",
                 "--audio-format",
                 "mp3",
                 "-o",
                 &path,
-                &format!("ytsearch1:{}", name),
+                &format!("ytsearch1:{name}"),
             ])
             .output();
 
-        if result.is_err() {
-            eprintln!("INIT failed: yt-dlp not available or download error");
-            return;
+        match output {
+            Ok(out) => {
+                if !out.status.success() {
+                    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+                    error!("yt-dlp failed for {name}: {stderr}");
+                    return Err(format!("yt-dlp failed: {stderr}"));
+                }
+                info!("yt-dlp finished for {name}");
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                error!("yt-dlp not available: {e}");
+                return Err(format!("yt-dlp unavailable: {e}"));
+            }
         }
-        println!("INIT finished: {}", path);
+
+        if !std::path::Path::new(&path).exists() {
+            return Err(format!("download finished but file missing: {path}"));
+        }
+
+        let conn = self.lock_conn();
+        let id = Self::insert_song(&conn, &name, &path).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        info!("Registered song {name} (id={id}) at {path}");
+        Ok(Song {
+            id,
+            name,
+            path,
+        })
     }
 
-    pub fn search(&self, query: &str) -> Option<Song> {
-        use std::fs;
-        
-        let songs_dir = crate::paths::songs_dir();
-        let query_lower = query.to_lowercase();
-        
-        // Alle .mp3 Dateien aus songs_dir lesen
-        let entries = match fs::read_dir(&songs_dir) {
-            Ok(entries) => entries,
-            Err(_) => return None,
+    /// Clear the queue (memory + DB).
+    pub fn clear_queue(&mut self) -> Result<(), String> {
+        self.queue.clear();
+        Self::queue_clear_db(&self.lock_conn()).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        info!("Queue cleared");
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Pop the song at the head of the queue as having been played. Removes
+    /// the same row from the in-memory queue and the `queue` table so that
+    /// a daemon restart does not put already-played songs back into rotation.
+    /// The DB is updated first — if the DELETE fails the in-memory queue
+    /// is left untouched and the error is returned to the caller, keeping
+    /// memory and DB consistent.
+    pub fn pop_played(&mut self) -> Result<Option<Song>, String> {
+        if self.queue.is_empty() {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+        let id = self.queue[0].id;
+        // Scope the DB guard so it is dropped before mutating `self.queue`.
+        let result = {
+            let conn = self.lock_conn();
+            conn.execute(
+                "DELETE FROM queue WHERE song_id = ?1 ORDER BY position ASC LIMIT 1",
+                params![id],
+            )
+        };
+        result.map_err(|e| format!("failed to delete queue row from DB: {e}"))?;
+        Ok(Some(self.queue.remove(0)))
+    }
+
+    /// Skip the song currently at the front of the queue. Thin wrapper around
+    /// `pop_played` so the queue-pop SQL lives in exactly one place.
+    pub fn skip(&mut self) -> Result<Option<Song>, String> {
+        if let Some(skipped) = self.pop_played()? {
+            info!("Skipped {}", skipped.name);
+            Ok(Some(skipped))
+        } else {
+            Ok(None)
+        }
+    }
+
+    // ------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // Playlists
+    // ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    pub fn list_playlists(&self) -> Vec<Playlist> {
+        let conn = self.lock_conn();
+        let mut stmt = match conn.prepare("SELECT id, name FROM playlists ORDER BY name") {
+            Ok(s) => s,
+            Err(e) => {
+                error!("Failed to list playlists: {e}");
+                return Vec::new();
+            }
         };
 
-        let mut best_match: Option<(String, f64)> = None;
-        const MIN_SCORE: f64 = 0.65; // Threshold - nicht zu aggressiv
+        let ids: Vec<(i64, String)> = stmt
+            .query_map([], |row| Ok((row.get(0)?, row.get(1)?)))
+            .map(|it| it.filter_map(Result::ok).collect())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        drop(stmt);
 
-        for entry in entries {
-            if let Ok(entry) = entry {
-                if let Ok(metadata) = entry.metadata() {
-                    if metadata.is_file() {
-                        if let Some(filename) = entry.file_name().to_str() {
-                            // .mp3 entfernen
-                            let song_name = filename.strip_suffix(".mp3")
-                                .or_else(|| filename.strip_suffix(".webm"))
-                                .unwrap_or(filename);
-                            
-                            let song_name_lower = song_name.to_lowercase();
-                            
-                            // Exakte Übereinstimmung (case-insensitive)
-                            if song_name_lower == query_lower {
-                                return Some(Song {
-                                    name: song_name.to_string(),
-                                    path: entry.path().to_string_lossy().to_string(),
-                                });
-                            }
-                            
-                            // Fuzzy match mit Jaro-Winkler
-                            let score = jaro_winkler(&song_name_lower, &query_lower);
-                            
-                            if score > MIN_SCORE {
-                                if best_match.is_none() || score > best_match.as_ref().unwrap().1 {
-                                    best_match = Some((
-                                        entry.path().to_string_lossy().to_string(),
-                                        score
-                                    ));
-                                }
-                            }
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-            }
+        ids.into_iter()
+            .map(|(id, name)| {
+                let songs = Self::load_playlist_songs(&conn, id);
+                Playlist { id, name, songs }
+            })
+            .collect()
+    }
+
+    fn load_playlist_songs(conn: &Connection, playlist_id: i64) -> Vec<Song> {
+        let mut stmt = match conn.prepare(
+            "SELECT s.id, s.name, s.path
+             FROM playlist_songs ps JOIN songs s ON s.id = ps.song_id
+             WHERE ps.playlist_id = ?1
+             ORDER BY ps.position ASC",
+        ) {
+            Ok(s) => s,
+            Err(_) => return Vec::new(),
+        };
+        stmt.query_map(params![playlist_id], |row| {
+            Ok(Song {
+                id: row.get(0)?,
+                name: row.get(1)?,
+                path: row.get(2)?,
+            })
+        })
+        .map(|it| it.filter_map(Result::ok).collect())
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+    }
+
+    pub fn create_playlist(&self, name: &str) -> Result<Playlist, String> {
+        let conn = self.lock_conn();
+        conn.execute(
+            "INSERT OR IGNORE INTO playlists (name) VALUES (?1)",
+            params![name],
+        )
+        .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        let id: i64 = conn
+            .query_row(
+                "SELECT id FROM playlists WHERE name = ?1",
+                params![name],
+                |row| row.get(0),
+            )
+            .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        info!("Created playlist {name} (id={id})");
+        Ok(Playlist {
+            id,
+            name: name.to_string(),
+            songs: Vec::new(),
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn delete_playlist(&self, name: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
+        let conn = self.lock_conn();
+        let affected = conn
+            .execute("DELETE FROM playlists WHERE name = ?1", params![name])
+            .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        if affected == 0 {
+            return Err(format!("playlist not found: {name}"));
         }
+        info!("Deleted playlist {name}");
+        Ok(())
+    }
 
-        // Wenn fuzzy match gefunden, returne es
-        if let Some((path, _)) = best_match {
-            if let Some(filename) = std::path::Path::new(&path)
-                .file_name()
-                .and_then(|f| f.to_str()) {
-                let song_name = filename.strip_suffix(".mp3")
-                    .or_else(|| filename.strip_suffix(".webm"))
-                    .unwrap_or(filename);
-                return Some(Song {
-                    name: song_name.to_string(),
-                    path,
-                });
+    pub fn add_to_playlist(
+        &self,
+        playlist: &str,
+        query: &str,
+    ) -> Result<(Playlist, Song), String> {
+        let song = self
+            .search(query)
+            .ok_or_else(|| format!("song not found: {query}"))?;
+        let conn = self.lock_conn();
+        let playlist_id: i64 = conn
+            .query_row(
+                "SELECT id FROM playlists WHERE name = ?1",
+                params![playlist],
+                |row| row.get(0),
+            )
+            .map_err(|_| format!("playlist not found: {playlist}"))?;
+        Self::playlist_append_db(&conn, playlist_id, song.id).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        info!("Added {} to playlist {}", song.name, playlist);
+        let pl = Playlist {
+            id: playlist_id,
+            name: playlist.to_string(),
+            songs: Self::load_playlist_songs(&conn, playlist_id),
+        };
+        Ok((pl, song))
+    }
+
+    /// Load a playlist into the active queue (replacing the current queue).
+    pub fn play_playlist(&mut self, name: &str) -> Result<Playlist, String> {
+        let (playlist_id, songs) = {
+            let conn = self.lock_conn();
+            let playlist_id: i64 = conn
+                .query_row(
+                    "SELECT id FROM playlists WHERE name = ?1",
+                    params![name],
+                    |row| row.get(0),
+                )
+                .map_err(|_| format!("playlist not found: {name}"))?;
+            let songs = Self::load_playlist_songs(&conn, playlist_id);
+            Self::queue_clear_db(&conn).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+            for s in &songs {
+                Self::queue_append_db(&conn, s.id).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
             }
-        }
+            (playlist_id, songs)
+        };
+        // Guard is dropped; safe to mutate self.queue without borrow conflict.
+        self.queue = songs.clone();
+        info!("Playing playlist {name} ({} songs)", songs.len());
+        Ok(Playlist {
+            id: playlist_id,
+            name: name.to_string(),
+            songs,
+        })
+    }
 
-        None
+    pub fn get_playlist(&self, name: &str) -> Result<Playlist, String> {
+        let conn = self.lock_conn();
+        let playlist_id: i64 = conn
+            .query_row(
+                "SELECT id FROM playlists WHERE name = ?1",
+                params![name],
+                |row| row.get(0),
+            )
+            .map_err(|_| format!("playlist not found: {name}"))?;
+        Ok(Playlist {
+            id: playlist_id,
+            name: name.to_string(),
+            songs: Self::load_playlist_songs(&conn, playlist_id),
+        })
     }
 }
diff --git a/nohup.out b/nohup.out
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29