x-queue (this is some random bullshit tbh)

minimal x (twitter) posting queue with a mandatory human step. a worker drafts short posts from the latest news headlines; everything lands in a queue. approving an item opens x.com with the text prefilled — you always press the post button yourself. no x api, no developer account, completely free.

• backend: python + fastapi (app.py)
• dashboard: single html file, black/mono/white (dashboard.html)
• worker: worker.py (local) or github actions cron (free)
• storage: one json file (queue.json). no database, no auth (local use only).

worker.py ──▶ queue.json (pending) ──▶ dashboard ──▶ OPEN IN X ──▶ you press post
                                              └────▶ SKIP

how it works

• the worker pulls the latest headlines from gnews (falls back to newsdata.io when the gnews daily limit is hit) and drafts up to 10 posts per run in a dry, lowercase, machine voice.
• each draft is stored with its headline and source url so you can verify the context before approving. seen urls are cached so nothing is drafted twice.
• OPEN IN X opens x.com in a new tab with the text already in the compose box (official x web intent). you press post — or close the tab.
• SKIP archives the draft without posting.

quick start

1. get free news api keys:
   • gnews: https://gnews.io → NEWS_API_KEY
   • newsdata.io (fallback): https://newsdata.io → NEWSDATA_API_KEY
2. cp .env.example .env and fill in the keys. never commit .env.
3. run start.bat (windows) or sh start.sh (mac/linux) — installs deps, generates today's batch, opens the dashboard at http://localhost:8000.

or manually:

pip install -r requirements.txt
python worker.py
uvicorn app:app --port 8000

pending drafts on top, posted below. auto-refreshes every 30s. you must be logged in to x in your browser for the compose box to work.

optional: better voice

set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in .env and drafts are written by claude in the account voice. without it, deterministic dry templates are used.

scheduling

local: run python worker.py daily (task scheduler / cron).

github actions: .github/workflows/generate.yml runs the worker daily at 06:00 utc (plus a manual trigger) and commits the updated queue.json back to the repo. add NEWS_API_KEY, NEWSDATA_API_KEY and optionally ANTHROPIC_API_KEY as repository secrets (settings → secrets and variables → actions), then git pull before opening the dashboard. note: in a public repo the committed queue.json — your drafts and history — is visible to everyone. run the worker locally if you don't want that.

files

file	purpose
app.py	fastapi backend; approve / skip / queue endpoints
worker.py	drafts posts from news headlines
store.py	json queue load/save
dashboard.html	the entire ui
queue.json	pending / posted / skipped / seen-url cache
.github/workflows/generate.yml	daily cron worker

notes

• posting happens through x's official web intent and is always a manual human action — nothing is ever published automatically.
• items are archived as posted when the x tab opens; if you close the tab without sending, the dashboard and reality disagree.