SirenSong

SirenSong answers the Starbucks siren's call for you — it automates login to Starbucks Wi-Fi captive portals. It authenticates over plain HTTP and rolls a fresh MAC address on each reconnect, so the portal's per-device time limit never runs out.

Prerequisites

• nmcli (NetworkManager command-line tool)
• Rust and Cargo

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/junjitree/sirensong.git
   cd sirensong

2. Build with Cargo:

cargo build --release

Alternatively, you can install it directly to your system's Cargo bin directory:

cargo install --path .

Usage

If you installed the binary using cargo install, you can run it directly:

sirensong [SSID]

Otherwise, run the application using Cargo:

cargo run -- [SSID]

Or run the compiled binary:

./target/release/sirensong [SSID]

It defaults to "Starbucks Customer" if no SSID is provided.

By default sirensong runs in watch mode — it stays up and re-authenticates whenever the portal drops. Pass --once to authenticate a single time and exit.

Options

sirensong [OPTIONS] [SSID]

  -o, --once             Authenticate once and exit (default: watch and re-auth on drop)
  -i, --interval <SECS>  Watch poll interval in seconds (default: 60)
  -q, --quiet            Suppress status output (errors still print)
  -h, --help             Print help

Before doing anything, sirensong runs a lightweight generate_204 connectivity check and exits early if you are already online, so repeated runs are cheap.

Watch mode (default)

Captive-portal sessions expire on the venue's clock. Watch mode keeps you authenticated by polling connectivity and re-running the portal login only when it drops. Just run it in a terminal while you are at the café and stop it (Ctrl-C) when you leave:

sirensong                       # watch "Starbucks Customer"
sirensong "Some Other Cafe"     # watch a different SSID
sirensong -i 30                 # poll every 30s

It only reconnects when it confirms it is offline (several failed probes, so a momentary blip does not trigger a needless reconnect) and the target SSID is in range. If you walk away and forget to stop it, it leaves whatever network you join next alone instead of hunting for the Starbucks AP.

How re-auth works (MAC rotation)

Captive portals cap usage per device (MAC address). SirenSong relies on NetworkManager being configured to randomize the MAC on each connection —

# /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf
[connection]
wifi.cloned-mac-address=random

When connectivity drops, SirenSong cycles the connection down and back up, which makes NetworkManager roll a fresh random MAC. The portal then sees a brand-new device and grants a new session, which the HTTP login claims. This is why it can re-authenticate indefinitely — each pass looks like a different device. Without cloned-mac-address=random, re-auth on the same (already capped) MAC would be rejected.

Disclaimer

This is a personal automation/educational project. The MAC randomization deliberately resets the captive portal's per-device usage allowance. Use it on networks you are authorized to use and respect the venue's terms of service and any applicable acceptable-use policies. You are responsible for how you use it.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.