The build combines a physical shelf for the current record sleeve, an ESP32 device, an NFC reader, LEDs, and a self-hosted backend.
The ESP32 reads an NFC tag and sends it to a single-user server. That server uses SQLite to associate records with tags. A newly scanned tag triggers a Telegram notification with a link to complete the album record; a known tag is logged as played. The device also stores the last scanned tag to avoid repeated reads from the reader.
The author says the hardware schematics, laser-cut design, ESP32 device setup, and self-hosted software are open source. Suggested future work includes MusicBrainz IDs, automatic album art, additional album information, and listening statistics. The source does not provide a release version, repository URL, licence terms, bill of materials, cost, or evidence of use beyond the authors' own setup.