Skip to content

API Credentials Guide¤

This guide explains how to obtain API credentials for all supported AI and social media services in PyTube.

Table of Contents¤

AI Services¤

OpenAI¤

Required: api_key

  1. Sign up: Go to platform.openai.com and create an account
  2. API Keys: Navigate to platform.openai.com/api-keys
  3. Create Key: Click "Create new secret key"
  4. Copy Key: Save the key immediately (it won't be shown again)
  5. Billing: Add payment method at platform.openai.com/account/billing

Configuration: 

ai_service: "openai"
openai:
  api_key: "sk-..."
  model: "gpt-3.5-turbo"  # or gpt-4, gpt-4o
  organization: "org-..."  # Optional

Pricing: - GPT-3.5-turbo: ~$0.002 per 1K tokens - GPT-4: ~$0.03-0.06 per 1K tokens - Check current pricing at openai.com/pricing

Anthropic Claude¤

Required: api_key

  1. Sign up: Go to console.anthropic.com and create an account
  2. API Keys: Navigate to Account Settings → API Keys
  3. Create Key: Click "Create Key"
  4. Copy Key: Save the key immediately
  5. Credits: Add credits or payment method in billing section

Configuration: 

ai_service: "anthropic"
anthropic:
  api_key: "sk-ant-..."
  model: "claude-3-sonnet-20240229"  # or claude-3-opus-20240229, claude-3-haiku-20240307
  max_tokens: 1000

Pricing: - Claude 3 Haiku: ~$0.25 per 1M tokens (input), $1.25 per 1M tokens (output) - Claude 3 Sonnet: ~$3 per 1M tokens (input), $15 per 1M tokens (output) - Claude 3 Opus: ~$15 per 1M tokens (input), $75 per 1M tokens (output)

Google Gemini¤

Required: api_key

  1. Sign up: Go to makersuite.google.com (Google AI Studio)
  2. Get API Key: Click on "Get API key" in the left sidebar
  3. Create Key: Choose "Create API key in new project" or select existing project
  4. Copy Key: Save the generated API key
  5. Enable: The Gemini API is automatically enabled

Configuration: 

ai_service: "google"
google:
  api_key: "AIza..."
  model: "gemini-pro"  # or gemini-pro-vision for multimodal
  safety_settings:
    harassment: "BLOCK_MEDIUM_AND_ABOVE"
    hate_speech: "BLOCK_MEDIUM_AND_ABOVE"

Pricing: - Gemini Pro: Free tier available (60 queries per minute) - Paid tier: $0.00025 per 1K characters (input), $0.0005 per 1K characters (output)

Cohere¤

Required: api_key

  1. Sign up: Go to dashboard.cohere.com and create an account
  2. API Keys: Navigate to API Keys section
  3. Create Key: Click "Create Trial Key" or "Create Production Key"
  4. Copy Key: Save the key immediately
  5. Upgrade: Trial keys have limited usage; upgrade for production use

Configuration: 

ai_service: "cohere"
cohere:
  api_key: "..."
  model: "command"  # or command-light, command-nightly

Pricing: - Trial: Free with limited usage - Production: Starting at $0.40 per 1M tokens - Check cohere.com/pricing for details

Social Media Platforms¤

LinkedIn¤

Required: access_token, company_id (optional)

LinkedIn uses OAuth 2.0, which is complex for personal use. Here are two approaches:

  1. Create App: Go to linkedin.com/developers and create an app
  2. Verify App: Complete verification process (requires company page admin access)
  3. Products: Request access to "Share on LinkedIn" and "Marketing Developer Platform"
  4. OAuth Flow: Implement OAuth 2.0 flow to get access token
  5. Company ID: Find in your LinkedIn company page URL

Option 2: Using Third-Party Tools (Easier for personal use)¤

  1. Use tools like LinkedIn API Console
  2. Or use Postman's LinkedIn collection to generate tokens
  3. Note: Personal access tokens may have limited scope

Configuration: 

social_media_service: "linkedin"
linkedin:
  access_token: "AQX..."
  refresh_token: "..."  # Optional, for auto-refresh
  client_id: "..."      # From your app
  client_secret: "..."  # From your app
  company_id: "12345"   # Optional, for company posts

Twitter/X¤

Required: api_key, api_secret, access_token, access_token_secret

  1. Developer Account: Apply at developer.twitter.com
  2. Create Project: Once approved, create a new project and app
  3. Keys: In your app settings, find:
  4. API Key (Consumer Key)
  5. API Secret (Consumer Secret)
  6. Access Tokens: Generate Access Token and Secret
  7. Permissions: Set app permissions to "Read and Write"

Configuration: 

social_media_service: "twitter"
twitter:
  api_key: "..."         # Also called Consumer Key
  api_secret: "..."      # Also called Consumer Secret
  access_token: "..."
  access_token_secret: "..."
  bearer_token: "..."    # Optional, for app-only auth

Note: Twitter API access now requires paid tier ($100/month for Basic)

Mastodon¤

Required: access_token, instance_url

  1. Choose Instance: Select your Mastodon instance (e.g., mastodon.social, fosstodon.org)
  2. Create App: Go to Preferences → Development → New Application
  3. Permissions: Select required scopes:
  4. write:statuses (for posting)
  5. write:media (for images)
  6. Create: Submit and create the application
  7. Access Token: Copy the access token from the app details

Configuration: 

social_media_service: "mastodon"
mastodon:
  instance_url: "https://mastodon.social"  # Your instance
  access_token: "..."
  visibility: "public"  # or unlisted, private, direct

Bluesky¤

Required: handle, app_password

  1. Account: Create account at bsky.app
  2. App Password: Go to Settings → App Passwords
  3. Create: Click "Add App Password"
  4. Name: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "PyTube")
  5. Copy: Save the generated app password

Configuration: 

social_media_service: "bluesky"
bluesky:
  handle: "yourhandle.bsky.social"  # Your full handle
  app_password: "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx"  # Generated app password

Note: Never use your main account password; always use app-specific passwords

Security Best Practices¤

  1. Never commit credentials: Always use config_local.yaml (git-ignored)
  2. Use environment variables: For production deployments
  3. Rotate keys regularly: Especially for production use
  4. Limit permissions: Only grant necessary scopes/permissions
  5. Monitor usage: Check API dashboards for unusual activity

Environment Variables Alternative¤

Instead of storing in config files, you can use environment variables:

# AI Services
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

# Social Media
export LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN="..."
export TWITTER_API_KEY="..."

Then reference in your config: 

openai:
  api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}

Troubleshooting¤

Common Issues¤

  1. "Invalid API Key":
  2. Check for extra spaces or quotes
  3. Ensure key hasn't been revoked

  4. Verify you're using the correct service

  5. "Rate limit exceeded":

  6. Check your plan limits
  7. Implement exponential backoff

  8. Consider upgrading tier

  9. "Insufficient permissions":

  10. Review OAuth scopes (social media)
  11. Check API product access (LinkedIn)

  12. Verify app permissions

  13. "Configuration not found":

  14. Ensure config_local.yaml exists
  15. Check YAML formatting
  16. Verify service name spelling

Cost Estimation¤

For a typical conference with 50 talks: - AI Costs: ~$5-20 depending on model choice - Social Media: Usually free (except Twitter Basic API)