automation

Automate Social Media Posting with Python and Docker

This guide covers a Python service that monitors RSS feeds and cross-posts to social platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon.

Shipped January 2026

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A lightweight Python service that monitors an RSS/Atom feed and automatically cross-posts new entries to social platforms such as Bluesky and Mastodon. It also supports sending a push notification with a preformatted Twitter intent link for optional manual approval.

Features

  • Continuously monitors a specified RSS/Atom feed for new entries
  • Automatically posts new entries to Bluesky and Mastodon if configured
  • Sends a push notification containing a Twitter intent link to enable manual approval
  • Maintains posting state to prevent duplicate posts
  • Runs as a Docker container for straightforward deployment and management

Tech Stack

  • Python 3.12 (using the python:3.12-slim Docker base image)
  • Python libraries: feedparser, atproto (Bluesky client), mastodon.py, requests
  • Containerization with Docker and Docker Compose

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system
  • Optional: Access credentials for Bluesky and/or Mastodon
  • Optional: Push notification service webhook (e.g., Pushover) for manual approval notifications

Installation & Running

  1. Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/justin-napolitano/cross_poster.git
cd cross_poster
  1. Configure environment variables in docker-compose.yaml:
  • SITE_FEED_URL: URL of the RSS/Atom feed to monitor
  • STATE_FILE: Path to the JSON file to store state (default /data/state.json)
  • Bluesky credentials (optional): BSKY_HANDLE, BSKY_PASSWORD
  • Mastodon credentials (optional): MASTODON_BASE_URL, MASTODON_ACCESS_TOKEN
  • Push notification webhook (optional): PUSH_WEBHOOK, PUSH_TOKEN, PUSH_USER
  1. Build and start the service:
docker-compose up --build -d
  1. To view logs:
docker-compose logs -f

Project Structure

├── app/
│   └── run.py          # Main application script
├── Dockerfile          # Docker image definition
└── docker-compose.yaml # Service orchestration and environment configuration
  • app/run.py contains the main logic for polling the feed, posting to social platforms, and sending push notifications.

Future Work / Roadmap

  • Add support for additional social platforms beyond Bluesky and Mastodon
  • Implement more robust error handling and logging
  • Provide configuration options for polling intervals and batch sizes
  • Add unit and integration tests
  • Support multiple feeds and customizable post formatting
  • Improve security around credential management

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