Spotify’s new Prompted Playlist feature lets you control the algorithm

Spotify is rolling out Prompted Playlists, a tool that lets you steer its recommendation engine with plain-language instructions. You type what you want to hear — a mood, activity, or theme — and can add rules like how often the playlist should refresh.

The service then builds a playlist from your full listening history, explaining why each track appears, so you can see how the algorithm connects your prompt to its choices. The result is a more controlled, transparent version of Spotify’s usual automated mixes, tuned to your own habits instead of a generic formula.