Python RSS-2-IRC bot

This is a simple bot which fetches RSS feeds and posts them to an IRC channel. By default, it is configured to connect to the 2600net IRC network (irc.2600.net).

Requirements

• python3
• pip3
• venv (Available by default in Python 3.3+)

Features

• Saves feeds and news items in a sqlite database
• Fetches every feed in a separate thread
• Posts new news items to an IRC channel
• Sends information via private messages
• Dynamic feed management directly from IRC
• Admin authorization system for sensitive commands
• SSL/TLS connection support (Modern Python 3.12+ compatible)
• Full utf-8 support
• Nick login support
• Delayed post during conversation
• Keywords in news title filtering support
• Customizable post colors
• Automatic join to channel on kick
• Free, no-auth URL shortening (via is.gd)

Bot's commands:

Help:
    Send all commands as a private message to the bot.

    Public Commands (Available to everyone):
    - !help         Prints this help
    - !list         Prints all feeds
    - !stats        Prints some statistics
    - !last         Prints the last 10 entries
    - !lastfeed <id> Prints the last 10 entries from a specific feed

    Admin Commands (Requires nick to be in AUTHORIZED_NICKS):
    - !addfeed <Name>|<URL>|<Frequency> Add a new RSS feed dynamically
    - !rmfeed <feedid>                  Delete an RSS feed by its ID
    - !restart                          Safely reboots the bot process

# Setup 

Clone this repository and change into the directory. Create a new virtualenv and activate it:

python3 -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate

Proceed with the installation of all dependencies:

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Copy the sample files:

cp config.py.sample config.py cp feeds.sql.sample feeds.sql

Edit `config.py` to fit your needs and IRC settings. All feeds from `feeds.sql` will be imported on the first start.

You might want to update all feeds before connecting to the IRC server to prevent spamming the channel (and optionally a ban from your IRC server). Either set `update_before_connecting = True` in the `config.py` or run the update script before starting the bot:

python3 feedupdater.py

To start the bot, run:

python3 main.py

    or in background:

python3 main.py 2>&1 > newsbot.log &

If you want to run this as a systemd service, you can use the `rss2irc.service` file after adjusting the paths in there.

# Adding feeds
To add a new feed, edit the `feeds.sql` and import it to your sqlite database:

sqlite3 feeds.db < feeds.sql

And restart the bot.

# License

See [LICENSE](./LICENSE.md) for more information.