Bluesky Relationship Connections Script

This script retrieves follower or following relationships for a specified Bluesky user, finds mutual connections, and saves the data in CSV format.

Features

• Retrieve followers or following lists for a given user.
• Find mutual connections between your network and the users in the retrieved list.
• Customize the number of users to process.
• Output data in CSV format, with mutual connections formatted as per specific requirements.

Setup

1. Install the required dependencies:

   pip install atproto python-dotenv

   Or if you're using Poetry:

   poetry add atproto python-dotenv

2. Create a .env file in the project directory with your Bluesky credentials:

   BLUESKY_USERNAME=your_bluesky_handle
   BLUESKY_PASSWORD=your_app_password
   

   Replace your_bluesky_handle and your_app_password with your actual Bluesky credentials.

3. Ensure you have the following files in your project directory:

   • main.py
   • .env
   • pyproject.toml (if using Poetry for dependency management)

Usage

1. Open a terminal and navigate to the project directory.

2. Run the script:

   python main.py

   By default, the script will:

   • Retrieve information about your following relationships.
   • Process 10 users.

3. Optional Parameters:

   • Specify the number of users to retrieve (-n or --number):

     python main.py -n 50

     This command processes 50 users instead of the default 10.

   • Specify the relationship type (-r or --relationship):

     • To retrieve followers:

       python main.py -r followers

     • To retrieve following (default behavior):

       python main.py -r following

   • Combine both options:

     python main.py -n 50 -r followers

4. The script will generate an output file:

   • following_connections.csv or follower_connections.csv, depending on the relationship type specified.

   The CSV file contains the following columns:

   • Relationship Type: Indicates whether the user is a 'Follower' or 'Following'.
   • Username: The handle of the user.
   • Mutual Connections: A list of mutual connections in a specific format.

Output Format

• The Mutual Connections field in the CSV file is formatted as:

  ["username1","username2","username3"]
  

  • Each username inside the array is enclosed in double quotes.
  • The entire field is enclosed in double quotes due to CSV formatting conventions.

• Note on Double Quotes:

  • Because of CSV escaping rules, double quotes inside fields are represented by two consecutive double quotes ("").

  • So, in the CSV file, the Mutual Connections field will appear as:

    "[""username1"",""username2"",""username3""]"
    

  • This is normal and expected when fields contain double quotes.

• Example Entry:

  "Following","alice.bsky.sh","[""bob.bsky.social"",""charlie.bsky.social""]"
  

Notes

• Bluesky Credentials: Ensure your Bluesky account has the necessary permissions to fetch user data and follower/following information.

• Environment Variables: The script uses python-dotenv to load environment variables from the .env file.

• Error Handling: The script raises a ValueError if BLUESKY_USERNAME and BLUESKY_PASSWORD are not set.

• Progress Monitoring: The script prints a message to the console each time it processes a new user.

• Output Files Named According to Relationship Type:

  • The output CSV file is named based on the relationship type:

    • If retrieving followers, the output file is follower_connections.csv.
    • If retrieving following, the output file is following_connections.csv.

• Rate Limit Considerations:

  • Fetching followings for each user may result in a large number of API calls.
  • Be mindful of any rate limits imposed by the Bluesky API.
  • If processing a large number of users, consider implementing rate limiting or exception handling for rate limit exceptions.

Sample Output

Partial Content of following_connections.csv:

"Following","alice.bsky.sh","[""bob.bsky.social"",""charlie.bsky.social""]"

• Explanation:

  • Relationship Type: Indicates the relationship type selected (Following in this example).
  • Username: The handle of the user being processed.
  • Mutual Connections: A list of mutual connections with the user, formatted as specified.

Example

1. Set up your .env file:

   BLUESKY_USERNAME=your_bluesky_handle
   BLUESKY_PASSWORD=your_app_password
   

2. Run the script to retrieve 20 followers:

   python main.py -n 20 -r followers

3. The script will:

   • Process each user, printing progress messages to the console.
   • Save the results to follower_connections.csv.

4. Open the CSV file to view the results.

Important

• Keep your .env file secure and avoid committing it to version control systems or sharing it publicly.

• Be cautious when sharing the output CSV files if they contain sensitive or personal information.

---

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out!