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Syndication Setup

The Syndication Setup screen allows you to configure accounts for announcing your YouTube videos across multiple social media and communication platforms. Once configured, you can automatically share your video announcements to all enabled platforms with a single action.

Supported Platforms

Platform Auth Method Character Limit Key Features
Mastodon OAuth2 500 chars Federated, any instance, images
Bluesky App Password 300 chars Decentralized, AT Protocol
LinkedIn OAuth2 3000 chars Professional network, rich previews
Telegram Bot Token 4096 chars Markdown formatting, channels
Signal signal-cli Unlimited End-to-end encrypted, groups
ntfy.sh HTTP Token Unlimited Push notifications, click actions
Google Chat Webhook 4096 chars Cards, buttons, workspace integration
WordPress App Password Unlimited Full HTML, featured images, SEO

Accessing Syndication Setup

Navigate to: Main Menu → Options → Syndication Setup

Screen Navigation

Platform List

When you enter Syndication Setup, you'll see all supported platforms with account counts:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           SYNDICATION SETUP             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Select Platform                        │
│  Configure accounts to announce videos  │
│                                         │
│  > 🐘 Mastodon (2 accounts, 1 enabled)  │
│    🦋 Bluesky (1 accounts, 1 enabled)   │
│    💼 LinkedIn (0 accounts)             │
│    ✈️ Telegram (1 accounts, 1 enabled)  │
│    📱 Signal (0 accounts)               │
│    🔔 ntfy.sh (0 accounts)              │
│    💬 Google Chat (0 accounts)          │
│    📝 WordPress (0 accounts)            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ↑/↓: select • enter: manage • q: back │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Account List

Press Enter on a platform to view and manage its accounts:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│        🐘 MASTODON ACCOUNTS             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  > Personal Account [enabled]           │
│    Work Account [disabled]              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  n: add • e: edit • d: delete           │
│  c: connect • t: toggle • esc: back     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Action
N / A Add new account
E Edit selected account
D / Del Delete selected account
C Connect/authenticate account
T Toggle enabled/disabled
Up / Down Navigate accounts
Esc Back to platform list

Platform Setup Guides

Mastodon

Mastodon is a federated social network. You can connect to any Mastodon instance.

Prerequisites

  • A Mastodon account on any instance
  • Ability to create an application on your instance

Step 1: Register an OAuth Application

  1. Log into your Mastodon instance (e.g., mastodon.social, fosstodon.org)
  2. Go to Settings → Development → New Application
  3. Direct URL: https://YOUR_INSTANCE/settings/applications
  4. Fill in the application details:
  5. Application name: Kartoza Screencaster
  6. Application website: https://github.com/kartoza/kartoza-screencaster (optional)
  7. Redirect URI: urn:ietf:wg:oauth:2.0:oob
  8. Scopes: Select the following:
    • read - Read account information
    • write:statuses - Post statuses
    • write:media - Upload media attachments
  9. Click Submit
  10. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret

Step 2: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → Mastodon
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name (e.g., "Personal Mastodon")
  5. Instance URL: Your instance domain (e.g., mastodon.social)
  6. Client ID: Paste from step 1
  7. Client Secret: Paste from step 1
  8. Press Enter to save

Step 3: Authorize the App

  1. Select your account and press C to connect
  2. A browser window will open to your instance's authorization page
  3. Click Authorize to grant permissions
  4. Copy the authorization code displayed
  5. Paste the code in the app when prompted

Connected

Your Mastodon account is now ready for syndication!

Bluesky

Bluesky uses the AT Protocol for decentralized social networking.

Prerequisites

  • A Bluesky account (handle ending in .bsky.social or custom domain)

Step 1: Generate an App Password

  1. Log into bsky.app
  2. Click your avatar → Settings
  3. Navigate to App Passwords (under Advanced)
  4. Click Add App Password
  5. Enter a name: Kartoza Screencaster
  6. Click Create App Password
  7. Copy the password immediately - it won't be shown again!

App Password Security

App passwords provide full access to your account. Store them securely and never share them. You can revoke app passwords at any time from Settings.

Step 2: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → Bluesky
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name (e.g., "My Bluesky")
  5. Handle: Your full handle (e.g., username.bsky.social)
  6. App Password: Paste the app password from step 1
  7. Press Enter to save

Step 3: Verify Connection

  1. Select your account and press C to test the connection
  2. The app will create a session with Bluesky's servers

Session Management

Bluesky sessions are automatically refreshed. You shouldn't need to reconnect unless you revoke the app password.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn requires OAuth2 authentication with a registered application.

Prerequisites

  • A LinkedIn account
  • A LinkedIn Company Page (if posting as organization) or personal profile

Step 1: Create a LinkedIn App

  1. Go to LinkedIn Developer Portal
  2. Click Create App
  3. Fill in the app details:
  4. App name: Kartoza Screencaster
  5. LinkedIn Page: Select your company page (required)
  6. Privacy policy URL: Can use your website
  7. App logo: Upload any square image
  8. Click Create app

Step 2: Configure Products and Permissions

  1. In your app dashboard, go to the Products tab
  2. Request access to:
  3. Share on LinkedIn - Required for posting
  4. Sign In with LinkedIn using OpenID Connect - Required for authentication
  5. Go to the Auth tab
  6. Under OAuth 2.0 settings, add redirect URL: 
    http://localhost:8089/callback
  7. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret

Approval Process

LinkedIn may require manual approval for certain API products. The "Share on LinkedIn" product typically requires a review that can take a few days.

Step 3: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → LinkedIn
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name (e.g., "Company LinkedIn")
  5. Client ID: Paste from developer portal
  6. Client Secret: Paste from developer portal
  7. Press Enter to save

Step 4: Authorize the App

  1. Select your account and press C to connect
  2. A browser window opens to LinkedIn's authorization page
  3. Sign in and click Allow
  4. Copy the authorization code from the redirect URL
  5. Paste the code in the app

Telegram

Telegram uses bot tokens for automated posting to channels and groups.

Prerequisites

  • A Telegram account
  • A channel or group where you want to post
  • Admin rights in the target channel/group

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot

  1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
  2. Start a chat and send /newbot
  3. Follow the prompts:
  4. Enter a name for your bot (e.g., "Video Announcements")
  5. Enter a username ending in bot (e.g., kartoza_videos_bot)
  6. Copy the HTTP API token provided by BotFather

Bot Token Format

123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

Step 2: Get Your Chat ID

For Channels:

  1. Add your bot as an administrator to your channel
  2. Post any message to the channel
  3. Visit: https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getUpdates
  4. Look for "chat":{"id":-100XXXXXXXXXX} - this is your channel ID

For Groups:

  1. Add your bot to your group
  2. Send a message mentioning the bot: @your_bot test
  3. Visit the same URL as above
  4. The group ID will appear (usually starts with -)

For Private Messages:

  1. Start a chat with your bot
  2. Send any message
  3. Check the getUpdates URL for your personal chat ID

Multiple Destinations

You can send to multiple channels/groups by entering comma-separated chat IDs.

Step 3: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → Telegram
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name (e.g., "Announcements Channel")
  5. Bot Token: Paste from BotFather
  6. Chat IDs: Enter one or more chat IDs, comma-separated
    • Example: -1001234567890,-1009876543210
  7. Press Enter to save

Step 4: Test Connection

  1. Select your account and press C to send a test message
  2. Check your Telegram channel/group for the test message

Signal

Signal uses signal-cli for sending encrypted messages.

Prerequisites

  • A phone number for Signal registration
  • signal-cli installed and in your PATH

Step 1: Install signal-cli

# Download the latest release
wget https://github.com/AsamK/signal-cli/releases/download/v0.13.0/signal-cli-0.13.0-Linux.tar.gz

# Extract
tar xf signal-cli-0.13.0-Linux.tar.gz

# Move to PATH
sudo mv signal-cli-0.13.0/bin/signal-cli /usr/local/bin/
sudo mv signal-cli-0.13.0/lib /usr/local/lib/signal-cli

brew install signal-cli

nix-env -iA nixpkgs.signal-cli
# Or in your flake/configuration

Step 2: Register Your Number

# Request verification code via SMS
signal-cli -a +1234567890 register

# Or request via voice call
signal-cli -a +1234567890 register --voice

# Verify with the code you receive
signal-cli -a +1234567890 verify 123456

Number Restrictions

Signal may require CAPTCHA verification. If you see a CAPTCHA error, visit the URL provided and complete verification, then run: 

signal-cli -a +1234567890 register --captcha "signalcaptcha://..."

Step 3: Get Group IDs (Optional)

To send to Signal groups:

# List all groups you're a member of
signal-cli -a +1234567890 listGroups -d

# Output shows group ID in base64 format

Step 4: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → Signal
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name
  5. Signal Number: Your registered number (e.g., +1234567890)
  6. Recipients: Comma-separated phone numbers or group IDs
    • Example: +1987654321,group.XXXXXXXX==
  7. Press Enter to save

ntfy.sh

ntfy.sh provides simple HTTP-based push notifications.

Prerequisites

  • None for public topics
  • A ntfy.sh account for private topics (optional)

Step 1: Choose a Topic

Topics are like channels. Anyone who knows the topic name can subscribe.

Public Topics:

  • Choose a unique, hard-to-guess topic name
  • Example: kartoza-videos-abc123xyz

Private Topics (ntfy.sh account required):

  1. Create an account at ntfy.sh
  2. Go to Account → Access Tokens
  3. Generate a new token
  4. Reserve your topic name in account settings

Self-Hosted ntfy

You can also run your own ntfy server. Just change the Server URL in the account configuration.

Step 2: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → ntfy.sh
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name
  5. Topic: Your topic name (e.g., my-video-announcements)
  6. Server URL: https://ntfy.sh (or your self-hosted URL)
  7. Access Token: Leave empty for public topics, or enter token for private
  8. Press Enter to save

Step 3: Subscribe to Notifications

Tell your audience to subscribe:

  • Web: Visit https://ntfy.sh/YOUR_TOPIC
  • Android: Install ntfy app, add topic
  • iOS: Install ntfy app, add topic
  • Desktop: Use web interface or CLI
# CLI subscription
ntfy subscribe YOUR_TOPIC

Google Chat

Google Chat uses incoming webhooks for posting to spaces.

Prerequisites

  • A Google Workspace account
  • A Google Chat space where you have permissions to add webhooks

Step 1: Create a Webhook

  1. Open Google Chat
  2. Open the space where you want to post
  3. Click the space name at the top → Apps & integrations
  4. Click + Add webhooks
  5. Enter a name: Kartoza Screencaster
  6. Optionally add an avatar URL
  7. Click Save
  8. Copy the webhook URL

Webhook URL Security

Anyone with the webhook URL can post to your space. Keep it confidential and don't commit it to version control.

Step 2: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → Google Chat
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name (e.g., "Team Updates Space")
  5. Webhook URL: Paste the full webhook URL
  6. Press Enter to save

Step 3: Test Connection

  1. Select your account and press C to send a test message
  2. Check your Google Chat space

WordPress

WordPress uses application passwords for REST API authentication.

Prerequisites

  • A WordPress site (self-hosted or WordPress.com Business plan)
  • Administrator or Editor role on the site
  • WordPress 5.6+ (for application passwords)

Step 1: Enable Application Passwords

Application passwords are enabled by default on WordPress 5.6+. If disabled:

  1. Add to your theme's functions.php or a plugin: 
    add_filter('wp_is_application_passwords_available', '__return_true');

Step 2: Generate an Application Password

  1. Log into your WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Go to Users → Profile (or click your username)
  3. Scroll down to Application Passwords
  4. Enter a name: Kartoza Screencaster
  5. Click Add New Application Password
  6. Copy the password immediately - it won't be shown again!

Password Format

The password is displayed with spaces for readability (e.g., XXXX XXXX XXXX). You can enter it with or without spaces - both work.

Step 3: Add Account in App

  1. Navigate to Syndication Setup → WordPress
  2. Press N to add a new account
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Account Name: A friendly name (e.g., "Company Blog")
  5. Site URL: Your WordPress URL (e.g., https://example.com)
  6. Username: Your WordPress username
  7. App Password: Paste the application password
  8. Post Status: draft (review before publishing) or publish (immediate)
  9. Press Enter to save

Step 4: Test Connection

  1. Select your account and press C to verify authentication
  2. The app will attempt to access the WordPress REST API

Post Categories

Posts are created in the default category. You can edit them in WordPress to add categories, tags, and featured images before publishing.

Configuration Storage

All syndication settings are stored locally:

~/.config/kartoza-screencaster/
├── config.json                          # Main config with account settings
├── syndication_token_synd_xxxxx.json    # OAuth tokens (Mastodon, LinkedIn)
└── syndication_session_synd_xxxxx.json  # Bluesky sessions

Credential Security

  • Config files contain sensitive credentials
  • Files are only readable by your user (chmod 600)
  • Never commit these files to version control
  • Back up securely if needed

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Connection failed" for OAuth platforms:

  • Verify Client ID and Secret are correct
  • Check that redirect URI matches exactly
  • Ensure required scopes/products are enabled

"Unauthorized" for Telegram:

  • Verify bot token is correct
  • Ensure bot is admin in the channel
  • Check chat ID format (channels start with -100)

"signal-cli not found":

  • Ensure signal-cli is in your PATH
  • Check with: which signal-cli
  • Verify number is registered: signal-cli -a +NUMBER listGroups

LinkedIn posts not appearing:

  • Check if "Share on LinkedIn" product is approved
  • Verify account has posting permissions
  • Try posting to personal profile first

WordPress authentication failed:

  • Verify site URL is correct (include https://)
  • Check username spelling
  • Regenerate application password if needed
  • Ensure WordPress 5.6+ or application passwords plugin