Bluesky Avatar Updater#

Overview#

This repository contains a Python script designed to automatically update your Bluesky avatar based on the current hour. The script leverages environment variables for configuration and reads a JSON file of blob CIDs to determine the appropriate avatar. This script was inspired by @dame.is's blog post 'How I made an automated dynamic avatar for my Bluesky profile'.

The script has been tested and is fully functional. It was developed on macOS but is intended for deployment on Linux.

Prerequisites#

Before running the script, ensure you have the following:

Python 3.6 or later installed.
The required Python packages (automatically installed if missing):
- python-dotenv
- atproto
- requests
- python-magic
A valid Bluesky account with the necessary API credentials.

Installation#

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/ewanc26/bluesky-avatar-updater.git
cd bluesky-avatar-updater

Create a virtual environment and install dependencies:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Configure environment variables:
- Place your .env file in the ../assets directory relative to the script.
- The .env file should contain the following entries:
```
ENDPOINT=your_endpoint
HANDLE=your_handle
PASSWORD=your_password (app passwords are better)
DID=your_did
```
Prepare the JSON file:
- Ensure that a cids.json file is located in the ../assets directory. This file should map each hour (in two-digit format) to a corresponding blob CID. Example:
```
{
  "00": "cid_for_midnight",
  "01": "cid_for_1am",
  "02": "cid_for_2am"
}
```

Usage#

To run the script, execute:

python -u ./src/main.py

The script will:

Load the environment configuration from ../assets/.env.
Read the blob CIDs from ../assets/cids.json.
Determine the current hour and select the appropriate blob CID.
Authenticate using the AT Protocol.
Update the Bluesky avatar accordingly.

Execution logs will be recorded in logs/avatar_update.log for your review.

Automating with Cron (Linux)#

To run the script automatically every hour, a cron job is set up within the script. If you need to manually verify it, run:

crontab -l

If you need to remove or modify the cron job, use:

crontab -e

Troubleshooting#

Environment variables not loading? Ensure the .env file is correctly placed in ../assets/.
Script exits with missing dependencies? The script will attempt to install missing packages, but you can manually install them using:
```
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
Endpoint not responding? Verify that the Bluesky API endpoint is correct and accessible.

Licence#

This project is released under the MIT Licence. See the LICENSE file for full details.

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