Fixing The Phantom Music Assistant Server In Home Assistant

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Hey everyone, let's dive into a quirky issue some Home Assistant users are facing: a phantom Music Assistant server appearing out of nowhere! This can be super frustrating, especially when your actual setup is working perfectly fine. We'll break down the problem, potential causes, and how to tackle it. So, if you're seeing a mysterious "discovered Music Assistant server" in your Home Assistant, you're in the right place.

The Mystery of the Missing Music Assistant

So, the problem we're tackling today is that some users are finding their Music Assistant speaker providers suddenly missing in Home Assistant. To make matters even weirder, HA is showing a notification about a non-existent Music Assistant integration being found. It's like Home Assistant is seeing a ghost server!

One user, for instance, noticed this issue and restored their Music Assistant backup, which fixed the integration itself. However, Home Assistant still insisted that a server was discovered. This is the core of the problem: the system is detecting something that isn't really there, which can lead to confusion and troubleshooting headaches.

The Tell-Tale Signs

How do you know if you're experiencing this ghostly server issue? Here are a few key indicators:

  • Missing Speaker Providers: Your Music Assistant-connected speakers disappear from Home Assistant.
  • Phantom Integration: Home Assistant displays a notification saying a new Music Assistant integration has been discovered, even if you haven't added one.
  • Everything Seems to Work (Except the Ghost): Your actual Music Assistant setup is functioning correctly after a restore or restart, but the phantom server notification persists.

If you're nodding your head to any of these, you're likely dealing with the same issue. Let's dig deeper into what might be causing this.

Potential Culprits: Updates, Reboots, and Network Gremlins

Now, let's try to play detective and figure out what's causing this phantom server to appear. There are a few potential culprits we can investigate. Often, these issues arise after updates or system reboots, so that's a good place to start our investigation. Let's explore some of the main suspects.

The Update Anomaly

Updates are fantastic for bringing new features and fixes, but sometimes they can introduce unexpected issues. In this case, it's worth considering whether a recent Home Assistant Core update might be the trigger. For example, the user who reported this issue had updated from core-2025.7.2 to core-2025.7.3 right before the problem surfaced. Now, we can't definitively say the update is the cause, but it's definitely a point to consider.

To investigate this further, it's helpful to check the Home Assistant community forums or GitHub issues to see if other users are reporting similar problems after the same update. Sometimes, a bug in a new release can cause these kinds of strange behaviors.

The Reboot Rumble

Rebooting your system is a common troubleshooting step, but it can also sometimes expose underlying issues. In this particular case, the user mentioned having to do a full reboot of their systems, and their Home Assistant instance started before their NAS (Network Attached Storage) was ready to take connections. This could be significant because Music Assistant often relies on network connections to function correctly.

If Home Assistant starts up before all the necessary network services are available, it might misdetect the Music Assistant server or create a temporary configuration that leads to the phantom server issue. This is like waking up before everyone else and thinking you're alone in the house, only to realize later that everyone's just still asleep.

Network Hiccups and mDNS Mysteries

Network issues can be sneaky and cause all sorts of strange behavior. One possibility is that Home Assistant is misinterpreting network information, specifically related to mDNS (multicast DNS). mDNS is a protocol that allows devices on a local network to discover each other. Home Assistant uses mDNS to find services like Music Assistant.

The user in our example wondered if Home Assistant might be taking IP:8097 and mDNS_NAME:8097 as two different servers. This is a valid question! If there's a glitch in how mDNS is being resolved, or if there's a temporary conflict in network addressing, it could lead to Home Assistant thinking there are multiple Music Assistant servers when there's really only one.

To further diagnose this, you might want to check your network configuration, ensure your devices have stable IP addresses, and see if there are any mDNS-related errors in your logs. Network troubleshooting can be a bit technical, but it's often key to solving these kinds of issues.

Storage and Configuration Conundrums

Another area to consider is the storage and configuration of Music Assistant itself. The error logs provided by the user point to potential issues with reading the persistent storage file (/data/settings.json). Specifically, the logs show orjson.JSONDecodeError: Input is a zero-length, empty document. This suggests that the settings file might be corrupted or empty.

If the configuration file is corrupted, Music Assistant might not be able to load its settings correctly, which could lead to the service not being properly detected by Home Assistant. It's also possible that a backup file (/data/settings.json.backup) is similarly affected.

To address this, you might try manually checking the contents of these files (if you have access to them) or attempting to restore from an older backup. It's also a good idea to ensure that the storage location for Music Assistant has sufficient free space and proper permissions.

The Add-on Enigma

Lastly, let's talk about add-ons. The user confirmed that they don't have any other Music Assistant add-ons installed (beta or otherwise). This is good because having multiple instances or conflicting add-ons could definitely cause confusion. However, it's still worth double-checking your add-on list and ensuring that there are no lingering or unexpected Music Assistant-related installations.

Sometimes, an add-on might not be fully uninstalled, leaving behind remnants that could interfere with the system's ability to correctly detect the Music Assistant server. So, a quick review of your add-ons can help rule out this possibility.

Troubleshooting Steps: Let's Get This Sorted!

Alright, now that we've explored the potential causes, let's get down to brass tacks and talk about how to troubleshoot this phantom server issue. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get things back on track.

1. Restart Everything (In the Right Order)

This might sound like a basic step, but it's often the most effective. The key here is the order in which you restart things. You want to make sure your network infrastructure is up and running before Home Assistant tries to connect to anything. So, here’s the recommended sequence:

  1. Router: Restart your router first. This ensures your network is stable.
  2. NAS (if applicable): If you’re running Music Assistant on a NAS, give it time to fully boot up and become available on the network.
  3. Home Assistant: Finally, restart your Home Assistant instance. This allows it to discover the network services in the correct order.

2. Check Your Logs (They're Telling a Story!)

Home Assistant logs are like a detective's notebook – they contain clues about what's going on behind the scenes. Look for any errors or warnings related to Music Assistant, mDNS, or network connectivity. Pay close attention to timestamps, as they can help you correlate log entries with specific events (like a reboot or update).

To access your logs, you can typically use the Home Assistant UI or access the log files directly if you're comfortable with the command line. Common log messages to look for might include:

  • Errors related to music_assistant
  • mDNS discovery failures
  • Network connection issues
  • JSON decode errors (as seen in the original issue)

3. Verify Network Configuration (IPs and mDNS)

Double-check that your devices have stable IP addresses and that mDNS is functioning correctly on your network. Here’s what to look for:

  • Static IPs: Consider assigning static IP addresses to your Home Assistant instance, your NAS (if applicable), and any other devices involved in your Music Assistant setup. This prevents IP address changes from causing connection issues.
  • mDNS Troubleshooting: You can use tools like avahi-browse (on Linux) or mDNS browser apps (on other platforms) to see what mDNS services are being advertised on your network. This can help you identify if there are any conflicts or misconfigurations.

4. Inspect Music Assistant Configuration Files

As we discussed earlier, corrupted configuration files can cause issues. If you have access to the file system where Music Assistant stores its configuration (typically /data/settings.json), try the following:

  • Check File Contents: If possible, open the settings.json file and see if it appears to be valid JSON. Look for any obvious errors or inconsistencies.
  • Restore from Backup: If you have a backup of your Music Assistant configuration, try restoring it. This can help if the current file is corrupted.

Important: Before making any changes to configuration files, it's always a good idea to create a backup first, just in case.

5. Reinstall Music Assistant (As a Last Resort)

If you've tried everything else and the phantom server persists, a clean reinstall of the Music Assistant integration might be necessary. This can help clear out any lingering configuration issues or corrupted files.

To reinstall, follow these steps:

  1. Remove the Integration: Go to the Integrations page in Home Assistant and remove the Music Assistant integration.
  2. Restart Home Assistant: Restart your Home Assistant instance to ensure the integration is fully removed.
  3. Reinstall: Add the Music Assistant integration again, following the setup instructions.

Delving Deeper: Log Analysis and Debugging

For those who are comfortable with a bit more technical digging, let's talk about log analysis and debugging. The logs provided by the user in our example offer some valuable clues, and understanding how to interpret them can be a powerful troubleshooting tool.

Decoding the Error Messages

The key error messages we saw in the logs were:

2025-07-24 12:25:38.187 ERROR (MainThread) [music_assistant.controllers.config] Error while reading persistent storage file /data/settings.json
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/music_assistant/controllers/config.py", line 797, in _load
    self._data = json_loads(await _file.read())
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
orjson.JSONDecodeError: Input is a zero-length, empty document: line 1 column 1 (char 0)

This error, specifically the orjson.JSONDecodeError, indicates that the system tried to read a JSON file (in this case, /data/settings.json) but found it to be empty or invalid. This is a strong indication that the configuration file might be corrupted.

The fact that the same error appeared for the backup file (/data/settings.json.backup) suggests that the issue might have occurred before the backup was created, or that the backup process itself might have failed.

Interpreting the Traceback

The traceback provides a roadmap of where the error occurred in the code. It shows that the error happened in the _load method of the music_assistant.controllers.config module, specifically when trying to parse the JSON data using json_loads. This further reinforces the idea that the file content is the problem.

Debugging Strategies

If you encounter similar errors, here are some debugging strategies you can use:

  • File Integrity Check: If you have access to the file system, try manually inspecting the settings.json file. Is it empty? Does it contain valid JSON? You can use online JSON validators to check its validity.
  • File Permissions: Ensure that the user running Music Assistant has the necessary permissions to read the configuration file.
  • Storage Space: Check if the storage location has sufficient free space. A full disk can sometimes lead to file corruption.
  • Backup and Restore: As mentioned earlier, restoring from a known good backup can often resolve these issues.

Community Wisdom: Sharing and Seeking Help

Troubleshooting these kinds of issues can sometimes feel like a solo mission, but you're definitely not alone! The Home Assistant community is a fantastic resource for sharing experiences, seeking advice, and finding solutions.

Join the Conversation

If you're still struggling with the phantom server issue, consider posting on the Home Assistant forums or Discord channels. When you post, be sure to include:

  • Detailed Description: Explain the problem clearly and concisely.
  • Steps Taken: Describe the troubleshooting steps you've already tried.
  • Log Snippets: Include relevant snippets from your logs (but be sure to redact any sensitive information).
  • System Information: Provide details about your Home Assistant setup, such as the version, installation type, and any relevant hardware.

Learn from Others

Chances are, someone else in the community has encountered a similar issue and may have valuable insights or solutions to share. By participating in the community, you not only get help but also contribute to the collective knowledge base.

Final Thoughts: Taming the Phantom Server

The mystery of the non-existent "discovered Music Assistant server" can be a real head-scratcher, but with a systematic approach and a bit of detective work, you can usually track down the cause and get things back on track. Remember, it's often a combination of updates, reboots, network hiccups, or configuration quirks that lead to these kinds of issues.

By following the troubleshooting steps we've discussed, analyzing your logs, and tapping into the wisdom of the Home Assistant community, you'll be well-equipped to tame the phantom server and enjoy your music without ghostly interruptions. Happy listening, guys!