Alexa Remote Control

Control Amazon Echo devices via shell commands using alexa-remote-control.

Setup

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/adn77/alexa-remote-control.git
cd alexa-remote-control

2. Get a refresh token

The script needs a refresh token from Amazon. Use alexa-cookie-cli:

npx alexa-cookie-cli

This opens a browser for Amazon login. After authentication, copy the refreshToken (starts with Atnr|...).

3. Create a wrapper script

Create alexa-alarm.sh (or similar) with credentials:

#!/bin/bash
SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
TIME="${1:-7:00 am}"
DEVICE="${2:-Bedroom Echo Show}"

export REFRESH_TOKEN='Atnr|YOUR_TOKEN_HERE'
export AMAZON='amazon.co.uk'      # or amazon.com for US
export ALEXA='alexa.amazon.co.uk' # or alexa.amazon.com

"$SCRIPT_DIR/alexa_remote_control.sh" -d "$DEVICE" -e "textcommand:Set an alarm for $TIME"

Make executable: chmod +x alexa-alarm.sh

Usage

Set alarms

./alexa-alarm.sh "6:30 am"                    # Default device
./alexa-alarm.sh "7:00 am" "Kitchen Echo"     # Specific device

Generic commands

# Play flash briefing (news)
./alexa_remote_control.sh -d "Bedroom Echo Show" -e "textcommand:Play my flash briefing"

# Play music
./alexa_remote_control.sh -d "Kitchen Echo" -e "textcommand:Play BBC Radio 6"

# Smart home
./alexa_remote_control.sh -d "Living Room Echo" -e "textcommand:Turn off the lights"

# Weather
./alexa_remote_control.sh -d "Bedroom Echo Show" -e "textcommand:What's the weather"

# Timer
./alexa_remote_control.sh -d "Kitchen Echo" -e "textcommand:Set a timer for 10 minutes"

List devices

./alexa_remote_control.sh -a  # Lists all devices with names/types

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Example
REFRESH_TOKEN	Amazon auth token	`Atnr
AMAZON	Amazon domain	amazon.co.uk / amazon.com
ALEXA	Alexa domain	alexa.amazon.co.uk

Notes

• Token expires periodically; re-run alexa-cookie-cli if auth fails
• Device names are case-sensitive; use -a to check exact names
• UK users: use amazon.co.uk / alexa.amazon.co.uk
• US users: use amazon.com / alexa.amazon.com