Blueskybot

A bot for posting RSS feed updates to Bluesky using Node.js or Docker.

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Features

• Fetches RSS feeds and posts new updates to a Bluesky account.
• Avoids duplicates by locally tracking previously published links.
• Retrieves metadata (title, description, thumbnail) for embedded links.
• Adheres to Bluesky's API rate limits.
• Configurable settings for frequency, duplicate-checking, and relevance.

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Quick Start

Choose your preferred setup method:

1. Standard Node.js Installation: If you're comfortable with Node.js.
2. Docker Installation: Recommended to avoid dependency issues.

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Node.js Installation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/cgillinger/Blueskybot.git
cd Blueskybot

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Install all required packages:

npm install

Step 3: Configure the .env File

• Locate the .env.example file in the repository and rename it to .env:

mv .env.example .env

• Open the .env file and replace the placeholder values with your Bluesky credentials:

BLUESKY_USERNAME=your_email@provider.com
BLUESKY_PASSWORD=your_secure_password

Note: The .env file must remain in the project directory for the bot to function.

Step 4: Update RSS Feeds

• Open bot.mjs in a text editor.
• Update the RSS_FEEDS array with the RSS feeds you want to monitor:

const RSS_FEEDS = [
  { url: 'https://example.com/rss-feed-1.xml', title: 'Example Feed 1' },
  { url: 'https://example.com/rss-feed-2.xml', title: 'Example Feed 2' },
];

Important Notes:

• Ensure every URL is valid and points to an active RSS feed.
• Titles are optional but help you identify each feed.
• Do not add extra fields beyond url and title.

Step 5: Start the Bot

Run the bot:

npm start

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Docker Installation

Docker simplifies setup and avoids dependency issues. Here’s how to get started:

Install Docker

1. Windows:

   • Download and install Docker Desktop for Windows.
   • Ensure WSL2 is enabled if you are using Windows 10 or later.

2. MacOS:

   • Download and install Docker Desktop for Mac.
   • Supports macOS Catalina and later.

3. Linux:

   • Follow the installation instructions for your distribution:
     • Ubuntu
     • Debian
     • Fedora
     • CentOS

Note: Verify that Docker and Docker Compose are working correctly by running docker --version and docker compose version.

Step 1: Build the Docker Image

Navigate to the project directory in the terminal (the folder where the Dockerfile is located). Run:

docker build -t blueskybot .

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

Ensure your .env file is updated with valid Bluesky credentials.

Step 3: Start the Docker Container

Start the container:

docker run --env-file .env -d --name blueskybot-container blueskybot

Step 4: View Logs

Check the logs to verify the bot is running:

docker logs blueskybot-container

Step 5: Stop or Remove the Container

To stop the container:

docker stop blueskybot-container

To remove the container:

docker rm blueskybot-container

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File Overview

Key Files

• bot.mjs: The main script performing all bot functions.
• package.json: Lists the project’s dependencies.
• Dockerfile: Instructions for building the Docker image.
• .env: Contains environment variables used by the bot.

Project Structure

/
├── bot.mjs          # Main script
├── Dockerfile       # Docker configuration
├── docker-compose.yml # Alternative Docker configuration (optional)
├── LICENSE          # Project license (MIT)
├── package.json     # Dependencies
├── README.md        # Documentation

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Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Invalid Bluesky Credentials

If you see Invalid identifier or password:

1. Verify that your .env file contains correct credentials.
2. Ensure your Bluesky account is active.

API Rate Limits

If API rate limits are encountered (status code 429), the bot automatically waits until the limit resets.

Missing Dependencies

If modules are missing, reinstall them:

npm install

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Open an issue or submit a pull request to improve this project.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.