Glasgow Reddit Monitor 🎫

Automatically monitors r/glasgow and r/glasgowmarket for posts containing keywords like “free ticket”, “giveaway”, etc., and sends email notifications when matches are found.

Features

• 🔍 Monitors multiple subreddits simultaneously
• 📧 Email notifications with post details and direct links
• 🚫 Duplicate detection to avoid repeat notifications
• ⚙️ Fully configurable keywords and settings
• 🆓 Completely free to run (uses only free services)
• 🤖 Runs locally or automated via GitHub Actions
• 📝 Comprehensive logging and error handling

Quick Start

1. Set up Reddit API

1. Go to https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
2. Click “Create App” or “Create Another App”
3. Choose “script” as the app type
4. Note down your client_id (under the app name) and client_secret

2. Set up Gmail for notifications

1. Enable 2-factor authentication on your Gmail account
2. Generate an App Password: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833
3. Use this App Password (not your regular password) in the configuration

3. Local Setup

# Clone and enter the repository
git clone https://github.com/abhibansal60/glasgow-reddit-monitor.git
cd glasgow-reddit-monitor

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Copy and configure environment variables
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your credentials (see Configuration section)

# Run the monitor
python main.py

4. GitHub Actions Setup (Free Cloud Automation)

1. Fork this repository to your GitHub account
2. Go to your repository Settings → Secrets and Variables → Actions
3. Add the following secrets:

Secret Name	Description	Example
REDDIT_CLIENT_ID	Reddit app client ID	abc123xyz
REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET	Reddit app client secret	def456uvw
REDDIT_USER_AGENT	Reddit app user agent	GlasgowRedditMonitor/1.0
EMAIL_USER	Your Gmail address	your.email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD	Gmail App Password	abcd efgh ijkl mnop
NOTIFICATION_EMAIL	Where to send alerts	alerts@gmail.com
KEYWORDS	Comma-separated keywords	free ticket,giveaway,discount

Optional secrets (will use defaults if not set):

• SMTP_SERVER (default: smtp.gmail.com)
• SMTP_PORT (default: 587)
• CHECK_INTERVAL_MINUTES (default: 15)
• MAX_POSTS_PER_RUN (default: 50)

4. The workflow will run automatically every 15 minutes
5. You can also trigger it manually from the Actions tab

Configuration

Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env and configure:

# Reddit API (required)
REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
REDDIT_USER_AGENT=GlasgowRedditMonitor/1.0

# Email settings (required)
EMAIL_USER=your.email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD=your_gmail_app_password
NOTIFICATION_EMAIL=where.to.send@alerts.com

# Optional settings
KEYWORDS=free ticket,cheap ticket,giveaway,free entry,discount,spare ticket
CHECK_INTERVAL_MINUTES=15
MAX_POSTS_PER_RUN=50
SMTP_SERVER=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587

Monitored Subreddits

Currently monitors:

• r/glasgow
• r/glasgowmarket

Default Keywords

• free ticket
• cheap ticket
• giveaway
• free entry
• discount
• spare ticket
• extra ticket

How It Works

1. Monitoring: Checks the latest posts in configured subreddits
2. Keyword Matching: Searches post titles and content for configured keywords
3. Duplicate Prevention: Tracks seen posts in seen_posts.json
4. Notifications: Sends email with post details when matches are found
5. Logging: Records all activity in reddit_monitor.log

Running Modes

• Local Continuous: Runs indefinitely, checking every N minutes
• GitHub Actions: Single check every 15 minutes (free tier limit)

Files Generated

• seen_posts.json - Tracks processed posts to avoid duplicates
• reddit_monitor.log - Detailed activity logs

Cost Analysis ✅ 100% Free

Service	Usage	Cost
Reddit API	60 requests/hour	Free
Gmail SMTP	~100 emails/month	Free (up to 500/day)
GitHub Actions	1440 minutes/month	Free (2000/month limit)
Total		$0/month

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Reddit API Errors:

• Verify your REDDIT_CLIENT_ID and REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET
• Check if your Reddit app is set as “script” type
• Ensure your REDDIT_USER_AGENT is descriptive

Email Issues:

• Use Gmail App Password, not your regular password
• Enable 2FA on your Google account first
• Check spam folder for notifications

GitHub Actions Issues:

• Verify all secrets are set correctly (no extra spaces)
• Check the Actions tab for error logs
• Ensure your repository is not private (or you have Actions enabled)

Debugging

Check logs for detailed error information:

# View recent logs
tail -f reddit_monitor.log

# View all logs
cat reddit_monitor.log

Testing

Test email functionality:

# Quick test script
from main import RedditMonitor
monitor = RedditMonitor()
monitor.send_email("Test", "This is a test email from Reddit Monitor")

Customization

Adding More Subreddits

Edit main.py, modify the subreddits list:

self.subreddits = ['glasgow', 'glasgowmarket', 'ScotlandForSale']

Custom Keywords

Update your .env file or GitHub secrets:

KEYWORDS=concert tickets,festival passes,event tickets,free entry,giveaway

Different Email Provider

For Outlook/Hotmail:

SMTP_SERVER=smtp-mail.outlook.com
SMTP_PORT=587

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test locally
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - feel free to use and modify as needed.

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the troubleshooting section
2. Review the logs in reddit_monitor.log
3. Open an issue on GitHub

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Happy monitoring! May you never miss a free ticket again! 🎟️