You need to [install Python 3](https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Download) to use `ephemetoot`. Python 2 is now end-of-life, however it continued to be installed as the default Python on MacOS and many Linux distributions until very recently, so you should check.
If you do not have permission to install python modules, you may need to use the `--user` flag. Generally this is not advisable, since you will need to run the script with the same user as ephemetoot will only be installed for that user and not globally:
Now you've installed `ephemetoot`, in order to actually use it you will need an application "access token" from each user. Log in to your Mastodon account using a web browser:
1. Click the `settings` cog
2. Click on `Development`
3. Click `NEW APPLICATION`
4. Enter an application name (e.g. 'ephemetoot'), and give the app both 'read' and 'write' Scopes
5. Click `SUBMIT`
6. Click on the name of the new app, which should be a link
7. Copy the `Your access token` string
**NOTE**: Anyone who has your access token and the domain name of your Mastodon server will be able to:
* read all your private and direct toots,
* publish toots and DMs, and
* delete everything in your account.
**Do not share your access token with anyone you do not 100% trust!!!**.
## Configuration file
As of version 2, you can use a single `ephemetoot` installation to delete toots from multiple accounts. Configuration for each user is set up in the `config.yaml` file. This uses [yaml syntax](https://yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html) and can be updated at any time without having to reload `ephemetoot`.
Copy `example-config.yaml` to a new file called `config.yaml`:
You can now enter the configuration details for each user:
| setting | description |
| ---: | :--- |
| access_token | **required** - The alphanumeric access token string from the app you created in Mastodon |
| username | **required** - Your username without the '@' or server domain. e.g. `hugh`|
| base_url | **required** - The base url of your Mastodon server, without the 'https://'. e.g. `ausglam.space`|
| days_to_keep | Number of days to keep toots e.g. `30`. If not value is provided the default number is 365 |
| keep_pinned | Either `true` or `false` - if `true`, any pinned toots will be kept regardless of age |
| toots_to_keep | A list of toot ids indicating toots to be kept regardless of other settings. The ID of a toot is the last part of its individual URL. e.g. for [https://ausglam.space/@hugh/101294246770105799](https://ausglam.space/@hugh/101294246770105799) the id is `101294246770105799` |
| hashtags_to_keep | A list of hashtags, where any toots with any of these hashtags will be kept regardless of age. Do not include the '#' symbol. Do remember the [rules for hashtags](https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/posting/#hashtags) |
| visibility_to_keep | Toots with any of the visibility settings in this list will be kept regardless of age. Options are: `public`, `unlisted`, `private`, `direct`. |
| archive | A string representing the filepath to your toot archive. If this is provided, for every toot checked, the full toot is archived into individual files named by the toot's `id` in this writeable directory. Note that the default is for **all** toots to be archived, not just those that are being deleted. It is generally best to use an absolute file path - relative paths will not work if you call `ephemetoot` from another directory. |
All values other than `access_token`, `username` and `base_url` are optional, however if you include `toots_to_keep`, `hashtags_to_keep`, or `visibility_to_keep` you must make each a list, even if it is empty:
```yaml
toots_to_keep: # this is not a list, it will throw an error
hashtags_to_keep:
- # this empty list is ok
visibility_to_keep: [ ] # this empty list is also ok
```
If you want to use `ephemetoot` for multiple accounts, separate the config for each user with a single dash (`-`), as shown in the example file.