Plug in API keys, get auto-fetched counts.

This is the "what should I do today" recommender. An optional Python script that asks Claude to plan ranked quick wins for each brand, applying MorningStack's effort/momentum/content-gap methodology. You pay Anthropic directly with your own key (~$0.05-0.25 per run depending on number of brands and model). Without this key, the kit still works — wins stay buyer-authored.

1. Sign in to console.anthropic.com (free account, paid usage).
2. Go to API keys → Create key. Copy the key (starts with sk-ant-...).
3. Top up a small balance — $5 covers months of typical use for a 4-brand kit.
4. Paste the key into api_keys.json.anthropic.api_key.
5. (Optional) Pick a model: claude-sonnet-4-6 is default. Use claude-opus-4-7 for higher-quality plans (~5× cost). Use claude-haiku-4-5 for cheapest.
6. Run python3 claude_brief.py from the kit folder. It rewrites brands.json with fresh wins + top priorities (backed up to brands.json.bak first). Then run generate.py as normal.

What the methodology asks Claude to do: rank wins by ROI for today, weight time-sensitive mentions first, prefer the biggest follower-mover platform, fill content gaps, mix effort tags (always at least one "fast" win in the top 3 so you've got a pre-coffee task), and tie at least 2 of 5 wins to the brand's focus_today channel. The framework is spelled out verbatim in the script's system prompt — you can read it, edit it, fork it.

Bluesky is fully public. No API key needed. Just put your handle in brands.json fetch_ids.bs and you're done.

1. Open brands.json, find your brand.
2. Add "bs": "yourhandle.bsky.social" to the brand's fetch_ids block.
3. Run python3 fetch_followers.py.

Free Google Cloud API key, generous 10,000-unit-per-day quota (one channel check ≈ 1 unit, so you could check 10,000 channels a day). Works for any public channel's subscriber count.

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com. Sign in with any Google account.
2. Create a new project (top bar). Name it anything — "morningstack" works.
3. Search for YouTube Data API v3 in the API Library and click Enable.
4. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials. Click Create Credentials → API key. Copy it.
5. Paste the key into api_keys.json under youtube.api_key.
6. Find your channel ID (not the @handle): in YouTube Studio → Settings → Channel → Advanced settings. It looks like UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
7. Paste the channel ID into your brand's fetch_ids.yt.

Tokens are per-instance — if you have accounts on multiple Mastodon servers, you'll need one token each. Self-service from your own instance settings, no app review.

1. Sign in to your Mastodon home instance in a browser.
2. Go to Preferences → Development → New application.
3. Name it "MorningStack". Scopes needed: read:accounts. Submit.
4. Open the new application. Copy Your access token.
5. Paste into api_keys.json under mastodon.<your-instance.tld> — use the bare hostname (no https://).
6. In brands.json, add "mast": "your-instance.tld" to the brand's fetch_ids.

For newsletter active-subscriber counts. Free on Beehiiv's Launch plan and above. One key per publication.

1. In Beehiiv dashboard, click your publication → Settings → Integrations → API.
2. Click Create new API key. Name it "MorningStack". Copy it.
3. Grab your publication ID from the URL of any publication settings page — it looks like pub_a1b2c3d4-1234-abcd.
4. In api_keys.json, paste under beehiiv.api_key (or per-publication if you have multiple — see example).
5. In brands.json, add "subs": "beehiiv:pub_xxxxxxxx" to fetch_ids (note the beehiiv: prefix).

For newsletter active-subscriber counts on Kit. Free on Kit's Newsletter plan. One API secret per Kit account.

1. Sign in to app.kit.com → Account Settings → Developer Settings.
2. Copy your API Secret (not the API Key — the Secret is needed for v4).
3. Paste into api_keys.json under kit.api_secret.
4. In brands.json, add "subs": "kit" to fetch_ids for whichever brand uses Kit.

Discord doesn't have "followers" — what's tracked is your server's approximate member count. You need to create a bot, invite it to your server, and paste its token.

1. Open discord.com/developers/applications → New Application. Name it "MorningStack". Save.
2. In the sidebar: Bot. Click Add Bot. Under Token, click Reset Token and copy it (only shown once).
3. In OAuth2 → URL Generator, tick bot under Scopes, and tick View Server Insights (or just View Channel — minimal permission is fine) under Bot Permissions.
4. Open the generated invite URL, pick your server, authorise. The bot joins.
5. Get your server (guild) ID: in Discord, User Settings → Advanced → Developer Mode = ON. Then right-click your server icon → Copy Server ID.
6. Paste the bot token into api_keys.json.discord.bot_token. Paste the server ID into brands.json fetch_ids.dc.

Twitch needs OAuth — slightly more setup than the others but free and reliable once it's working.

1. Go to dev.twitch.tv/console/apps → Register Your Application.
2. Name: "MorningStack". OAuth Redirect URL: http://localhost (we don't actually use it). Category: Other. Confidential: no.
3. Copy the Client ID. Paste into api_keys.json.twitch.client_id.
4. Get a user access token with the moderator:read:followers scope. Easiest: use twitchtokengenerator.com (third-party tool, links straight to Twitch's official OAuth flow). Pick "Custom Scope Token", check moderator:read:followers, generate.
5. Copy the Access Token. Paste into api_keys.json.twitch.user_access_token.
6. Get your numeric broadcaster ID: visit https://api.twitch.tv/helix/users?login=YOURNAME with your client-id + token in headers (or use the dev portal's User Lookup tool). Or use any "twitch user ID lookup" website. Paste into brands.json fetch_ids.tw.

Pinterest API v5 requires a Business account and OAuth. Worth it if Pinterest is a real channel for one of your brands.

1. Convert your Pinterest account to Business (free) at pinterest.com/business/convert if not already.
2. Go to developers.pinterest.com, sign in, click My apps → Connect app. Name it "MorningStack". Submit.
3. Once the app is approved (usually instant for trial), grab the App ID + App Secret Key.
4. Run an OAuth flow with scope user_accounts:read. Easiest path: use Pinterest's playground at developers.pinterest.com/docs/api/v5/oauth-tokens — they give you a sample script.
5. Copy the resulting access token. Paste into api_keys.json.pinterest.access_token.
6. No fetch_ids.pin needed — the token is account-scoped.

One Meta dev account, one Meta app, three platforms in one setup. The setup is the heaviest in the kit, but it covers a lot.

1. Sign in to developers.facebook.com with a personal Facebook account. Become a developer (free).
2. Click My Apps → Create App. Use case: Other → Business. Name: "MorningStack". Submit.
3. In the app dashboard, click Add product and add: Instagram, Threads, Facebook Login for Business, Pages (if managing FB Pages).
4. Verify your business at App settings → Basic → Business verification if you want to publish the app (Development Mode works for your own accounts without verification).
5. Get a User Access Token via the Graph API Explorer. Scopes you need: instagram_basic, pages_read_engagement, pages_show_list, threads_basic.
6. Exchange the short-lived token for a long-lived token (60 days) using the Token Tool link next to the token in the explorer.
7. Paste the long-lived token into api_keys.json.meta.access_token.
8. To find your IG user ID: in Graph API Explorer, GET /me/accounts, then look up the Page's instagram_business_account.id. To find your Threads user ID: GET /me?fields=id with the Threads scope. To find your Page ID: GET /me/accounts shows the Page's id.
9. For Facebook Pages, also get the Page Access Token (different from User Access Token). GET /me/accounts?fields=access_token — it's in each Page object. Paste into api_keys.json.meta.page_tokens[PAGE_ID].
10. In brands.json fetch_ids: "th" = Threads user ID, "ig" = Instagram business user ID, "fb" = Facebook Page ID.