More detailed installation instructions

[BoPeng]

📋 Help Needed: Installation Instructions for Non-Technical Users

I've been receiving numerous requests (primarily from Reddit users) asking for clearer installation and setup instructions for ai-marketplace-monitor. While the current installation process is straightforward for Python developers, it can be challenging for users without technical backgrounds.

What's Been Done

• ✅ Added Linux Ubuntu installation instructions via Install instructions #233
• ✅ Covered pipx installation method for Linux users

What's Still Needed

I'm looking for community contributions to help make this tool more accessible. If you've successfully installed ai-marketplace-monitor on any of the following systems, please share your installation experience by writing detailed instructions under this issue:

High Priority:

• 🪟 Windows (PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL, anaconda shell, or git bash)
• 🍎 macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon)
• 🐧 Other Linux distributions (Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, etc.)

Also Helpful:

• 📦 Alternative installation methods (conda, poetry, etc.) if you have used them
• 🔧 Common troubleshooting steps you encountered
• 💡 Tips for complete beginners

How You Can Help

If you've installed ai-marketplace-monitor on any system, please comment with:

1. Your OS/Platform (e.g., "Windows 11", "macOS Ventura", "Arch Linux")
2. Step-by-step commands you used
3. **

OR create a PR following the same style as #233

Thanks in advance for any contributions! 🙏

[AditiShelke]

Installation and Setup Experience for AI Marketplace Monitor on macOS

Hello AI Marketplace Monitor Team and Community,

I wanted to share my detailed experience installing, configuring, and running the AI Marketplace Monitor tool on macOS (Apple Silicon). This write-up includes the steps I took, errors encountered, fixes applied, and tips for new users, especially non-technical users. I hope it helps others.

Environment & Setup

macOS: Apple Silicon, latest macOS version
Python: 3.12.5 installed
Ollama: Model - deepseek-r1:14b
Virtual Environment: Using a Python virtual environment (venv)
Code Editor: Visual Studio Code as the editor and terminal environment

Installation Steps:

1. Install AI Marketplace Monitor:

 pip install ai-marketplace-monitor

2. Installed Playwright Browsers :

pip install playwright
playwright install

3. Create Configuration Directory:

Create a directory named .ai-marketplace-monitor in my home directory:
/Users/aditishelke/.ai-marketplace-monitor/

4. Create Configuration File:

Inside the .ai-marketplace-monitor directory, create a file named config.toml instead of minimal_config.toml.

My config.toml :

[ai.ollama]
base_url = "http://localhost:11434/v1"
model = "deepseek-r1:14b"  
timeout = 120

[marketplace.facebook]
search_city = "houston"
ai = "ollama"
username = "xyz@gmail" #edited it 

[item.name1]
search_phrases = "table"

[user.user1]
pushbullet_token = "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

5. Configuration Location:

If using non-default locations for your config file, you will need to use the --config option when running the program.

6. Install and Start Ollama LLM Locally:

Configure your config.toml to use the Ollama AI service:
~/.ai-marketplace-monitor/config.toml
The program confirmed the Ollama connection in logs: [AI] ollama connected.

7. Errors Faced:

i. The section [marketplace.facebook] must be included in the config; otherwise, the program will throw an error: "Config file does not contain a marketplace section."
ii. Paths with spaces (like "github project 1") must be quoted when passed with the --config option.
iii. Using the default config location can help avoid many path and naming issues.

8. Running the Program

To run the program, use:
ai-marketplace-monitor

OR specify the explicit location using the path:

ai-marketplace-monitor --config "/Users/aditishelke/Downloads/github project 1/.ai-marketplace-monitor/config.toml"

The program will open a browser window and require manual login to Facebook Marketplace for access to listings.

9. Monitoring and Troubleshooting:

After logging in to Facebook Marketplace in the browser, watch the log outputs for activity.
Ignore macOS accessibility warnings unless you want advanced input features.
If you encounter parsing or config errors, carefully double-check file names, path locations, and config syntax.

10 . Did MY Project Work as Intended?

YES:
The fact that the browser opened, the program searched for your keywords ("table" in Houston), and parsed real listings (like Black Table) means the setup and automation are working just like the author's intended.
The browser window is required to interact with Facebook while obeying login/captcha constraints.

[BoPeng]

Thanks @AditiShelke for sharing the experience. Note that

1. [marketplace.facebook] is not strictly required. You will need to add marketplace="facebook" to the section if you use another name or add another marketplace (e.g. one for local search and one for national search).
2. You can add your username and password in the config file as plain text or in the format of environment variables. You still may need to solve CAPCHA but Facebook will stop doing that after a few successful logins.