Automating Twitch Announcements Using Cron and Home Assistant

 

Recently, I integrated Twitch's API to automate sending announcements to my channel's chat. The goal was to set up a system where an hourly log, updated by Home Assistant's Sun integration, triggers a script that sends the last log entry as an announcement in my Twitch channel chat.

Setting Up the Twitch API

To begin, I created a Twitch application, which provided me with a Client ID and Client Secret. These are essential for making authenticated requests to the Twitch API. After creating the app, I needed to gain an Access Token with the appropriate scopes that would allow me to post chat messages.

Initially, I ran into an issue with the requested scope. After consulting Twitch's documentation, I learned that the correct scope for managing announcements had changed from channel:manage:announcements to moderator:manage:announcements. However, after further consideration, I decided to use the user:write:chat and user:bot scopes to simplify the integration.

Getting the Access Token

Using the Twitch OAuth flow, I generated an authorisation URL that included the necessary scopes. Once authorised, I exchanged the authorisation code for an access token using a simple curl command.

The access token allowed my script to communicate with Twitch’s API. Additionally, I retrieved my Broadcaster ID and Sender ID—important parameters for sending chat messages.

Automating Announcements

With the access token and IDs in hand, I wrote a bash script that:

• Reads the latest log entry from a file (SunElevation.txt), which Home Assistant updates hourly.
• Sends that entry as an announcement to my Twitch chat using Twitch’s chat API.

I configured the script to run hourly via cron, ensuring my channel stays updated with automated messages based on the Sun elevation data collected by Home Assistant.

Overcoming Common Issues

Throughout the setup, I encountered a few key hurdles:

1. Authorisation Scope Mismatch: Initially, the scope for sending announcements was incorrect, but switching to user:write:chat and user:bot solved the issue.
2. OAuth Flow and Redirect URI: I manually managed the OAuth flow, copying the authorisation code from the browser and exchanging it for the access token via the command line. Though the process works, I’ll explore automating this step in the future.
3. Cron Job Automation: The final piece was setting up cron to run the announcement script hourly. With the SunElevation.txt being updated regularly, this ensures the announcements are always in sync with the current state of the sun.

Conclusion

This setup provides a seamless way to automate Twitch announcements based on data from Home Assistant. The ability to send messages via the Twitch API opens up countless possibilities for engaging viewers in a dynamic, automated way. Whether it’s updating viewers on the weather, system statuses, or other key data points, this method can be easily adapted to suit various needs.

Shout out to my good friend, best mod and overall tech wizard Peaeyeennkay, for helping me navigate the quagmire that is development documentation.

Please go check him out over at https://mastodon.social/@PeaEyeEnnKay

Stay tuned as I continue to refine and enhance this setup!