fix(bluesky): make Bluesky opt-in with app password auth

searchPosts endpoint now returns 403 for unauthenticated requests.
Add session auth via createSession, gate on BSKY_HANDLE + BSKY_APP_PASSWORD
env vars. When unconfigured, Bluesky is completely invisible (no error).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

SKILL.md

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ metadata:
         - APIFY_API_TOKEN
         - AUTH_TOKEN
         - CT0
+        - BSKY_HANDLE
+        - BSKY_APP_PASSWORD
       bins:
         - node
         - python3
@@ -46,7 +48,7 @@ metadata:
 
 # last30days v2.9.5: Research Any Topic from the Last 30 Days
 
-> **Permissions overview:** Reads public web/platform data and optionally saves research briefings to `~/Documents/Last30Days/`. X/Twitter search uses optional user-provided tokens (AUTH_TOKEN/CT0 env vars) — no browser session access. All credential usage and data writes are documented in the [Security & Permissions](#security--permissions) section.
+> **Permissions overview:** Reads public web/platform data and optionally saves research briefings to `~/Documents/Last30Days/`. X/Twitter search uses optional user-provided tokens (AUTH_TOKEN/CT0 env vars). Bluesky search uses optional app password (BSKY_HANDLE/BSKY_APP_PASSWORD env vars - create at bsky.app/settings/app-passwords). All credential usage and data writes are documented in the [Security & Permissions](#security--permissions) section.
 
 Research ANY topic across Reddit, X, Bluesky, YouTube, TikTok, Hacker News, Polymarket, and the web. Surface what people are actually discussing, recommending, betting on, and debating right now.
 

docs/plans/2026-03-09-fix-bluesky-auth-opt-in-plan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+---
+title: "fix: Make Bluesky opt-in with auth (searchPosts now requires authentication)"
+type: fix
+status: completed
+date: 2026-03-09
+---
+
+# fix: Make Bluesky opt-in with auth (searchPosts now requires authentication)
+
+## Problem
+
+Bluesky's `app.bsky.feed.searchPosts` endpoint now returns **403 Forbidden** for unauthenticated requests. This broke today (2026-03-09), likely related to the CEO transition. The `searchActors` endpoint still works without auth, but `searchPosts` does not.
+
+We built Bluesky as an always-on source (like HN and Polymarket) because the AT Protocol public API was documented as free. That's no longer true for post search.
+
+**Current behavior:** Bluesky silently returns 0 results (403 caught, empty list returned). No stats line appears, no error shown. Users don't know it exists.
+
+**Desired behavior:** Bluesky is opt-in via env vars. When not configured, completely invisible (no error, no stats line, no mention). When configured with auth, it works as before.
+
+## Approach
+
+Follow the same pattern as X/Twitter auth: env vars for credentials, availability check gates dispatch.
+
+AT Protocol auth flow:
+1. User creates an App Password at `bsky.app/settings/app-passwords`
+2. User sets `BSKY_HANDLE` and `BSKY_APP_PASSWORD` env vars
+3. `bluesky.py` calls `com.atproto.server.createSession` to get a bearer token
+4. Subsequent `searchPosts` calls include `Authorization: Bearer {token}`
+
+## Files to Change
+
+| File | Change | Lines (est.) |
+|------|--------|-------------|
+| `scripts/lib/bluesky.py` | Add `_create_session()` auth, pass bearer token to search | ~25 |
+| `scripts/lib/env.py` | Update `is_bluesky_available()` to check env vars; add env var loading | ~10 |
+| `scripts/last30days.py` | Gate `do_bluesky` on `is_bluesky_available(config)`; update diag dicts | ~8 |
+| `tests/test_bluesky.py` | Add auth session tests, update existing tests | ~15 |
+| `SKILL.md` | Document `BSKY_HANDLE` / `BSKY_APP_PASSWORD` env vars in setup section | ~5 |
+
+## Implementation Steps
+
+### 1. `scripts/lib/env.py`
+
+- Add `BSKY_HANDLE` and `BSKY_APP_PASSWORD` to the env var loading in `get_config()`
+- Update `is_bluesky_available()`:
+  ```python
+  def is_bluesky_available(config: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
+      return bool(config.get('BSKY_HANDLE') and config.get('BSKY_APP_PASSWORD'))
+  ```
+
+### 2. `scripts/lib/bluesky.py`
+
+- Add `_create_session(handle, app_password)` that POSTs to `https://bsky.social/xrpc/com.atproto.server.createSession`
+- Cache the access token for the lifetime of the search (module-level or passed through)
+- Update `search_bluesky()` to accept config dict, extract creds, create session, add `Authorization: Bearer {token}` header
+- On auth failure, return `{"posts": [], "error": "Bluesky auth failed"}` (don't raise)
+
+### 3. `scripts/last30days.py`
+
+- Change `do_bluesky` default from `True` to checking `is_bluesky_available(config)`:
+  ```python
+  has_bluesky = env.is_bluesky_available(config)
+  ```
+- Gate the `bluesky_future` submit on `has_bluesky` (already gated on `do_bluesky`, just wire it)
+- Update both diagnostic dicts: `"bluesky": True` -> `"bluesky": has_bluesky`
+- Pass `config` to `_search_bluesky()` so it can extract auth creds
+
+### 4. `tests/test_bluesky.py`
+
+- Test `_create_session` with mocked HTTP response
+- Test `search_bluesky` with auth header injection
+- Existing parse/normalize tests don't change (they don't hit the network)
+
+### 5. `SKILL.md`
+
+- Add Bluesky to the optional env vars section (near AUTH_TOKEN/CT0):
+  ```
+  BSKY_HANDLE=your-handle.bsky.social
+  BSKY_APP_PASSWORD=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
+  ```
+- Keep Bluesky in source lists but note "(requires app password)" in setup
+
+## What NOT to Change
+
+- `render.py` - already handles empty bluesky gracefully (hides stats line when 0 items)
+- `schema.py`, `normalize.py`, `score.py`, `dedupe.py` - no changes needed, they work on items already
+- No error display when unconfigured - completely silent, same as how TikTok/Instagram behave when SCRAPECREATORS_API_KEY is missing
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- [x] `is_bluesky_available()` returns False when env vars not set
+- [x] No Bluesky stats line, no error, no mention when unconfigured
+- [x] With valid `BSKY_HANDLE` + `BSKY_APP_PASSWORD`, posts are returned
+- [x] Auth failure returns empty results gracefully (no crash)
+- [x] SKILL.md documents the env vars
+- [x] All existing Bluesky tests still pass
+- [x] New auth tests added
+- [ ] `bash scripts/sync.sh` deploys successfully
+
+## Sources
+
+- AT Protocol auth: `POST https://bsky.social/xrpc/com.atproto.server.createSession` with `{identifier, password}`
+- App passwords: `bsky.app/settings/app-passwords`
+- Existing pattern: X auth with AUTH_TOKEN/CT0 in `env.py:256-257`
+- Existing pattern: TikTok/Instagram opt-in via `is_tiktok_available()` in `env.py:499`

scripts/last30days.py

@@ -519,6 +519,7 @@ def _search_bluesky(
     from_date: str,
     to_date: str,
     depth: str,
+    config: dict = None,
 ) -> tuple:
     """Search Bluesky via AT Protocol (runs in thread).
 
@@ -529,7 +530,7 @@ def _search_bluesky(
 
     try:
         response = bluesky.search_bluesky(
-            topic, from_date, to_date, depth=depth,
+            topic, from_date, to_date, depth=depth, config=config,
         )
     except Exception as e:
         return [], f"{type(e).__name__}: {e}"
@@ -1062,7 +1063,7 @@ def run_research(
 
         if do_bluesky:
             bluesky_future = executor.submit(
-                _search_bluesky, topic, from_date, to_date, depth
+                _search_bluesky, topic, from_date, to_date, depth, config
             )
 
         if do_polymarket:
@@ -1497,6 +1498,9 @@ def main():
     # Auto-detect Xiaohongshu HTTP API (requires service + login)
     has_xiaohongshu = env.is_xiaohongshu_available(config)
 
+    # Auto-detect Bluesky (requires BSKY_HANDLE + BSKY_APP_PASSWORD)
+    has_bluesky = env.is_bluesky_available(config)
+
     # --diagnose: show source availability and exit
     if args.diagnose:
         web_source = env.get_web_search_source(config)
@@ -1514,7 +1518,7 @@ def main():
             "xiaohongshu": has_xiaohongshu,
             "xiaohongshu_api_base": env.get_xiaohongshu_api_base(config),
             "hackernews": True,
-            "bluesky": True,
+            "bluesky": has_bluesky,
             "polymarket": True,
             "web_search_backend": web_source,
             "parallel_ai": bool(config.get("PARALLEL_API_KEY")),
@@ -1630,7 +1634,7 @@ def main():
 
     # Apply --search flag: restrict sources to the specified subset
     search_do_hackernews = True
-    search_do_bluesky = True
+    search_do_bluesky = has_bluesky
     search_do_polymarket = True
     search_run_youtube = has_ytdlp
     search_run_tiktok = has_tiktok
@@ -1641,7 +1645,7 @@ def main():
         has_reddit = "reddit" in search_sources
         has_x = "x" in search_sources
         search_do_hackernews = "hn" in search_sources
-        search_do_bluesky = "bluesky" in search_sources or "bsky" in search_sources
+        search_do_bluesky = ("bluesky" in search_sources or "bsky" in search_sources) and has_bluesky
         search_do_polymarket = "polymarket" in search_sources
         search_run_youtube = "youtube" in search_sources and has_ytdlp
         search_run_tiktok = "tiktok" in search_sources and has_tiktok

scripts/lib/bluesky.py

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-"""Bluesky search via AT Protocol (free, no auth required).
+"""Bluesky search via AT Protocol (requires app password).
 
-Uses public.api.bsky.app for post discovery.
-No API key needed - just HTTP calls via stdlib urllib.
+Uses bsky.social for auth and public.api.bsky.app for post search.
+Requires BSKY_HANDLE and BSKY_APP_PASSWORD env vars.
 """
 
 import math
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from . import http
 
+BSKY_SESSION_URL = "https://bsky.social/xrpc/com.atproto.server.createSession"
 BSKY_SEARCH_URL = "https://public.api.bsky.app/xrpc/app.bsky.feed.searchPosts"
 
 DEPTH_CONFIG = {
@@ -20,6 +21,9 @@ DEPTH_CONFIG = {
     "deep": 60,
 }
 
+# Module-level token cache (valid for the lifetime of a single research run)
+_cached_token: Optional[str] = None
+
 
 def _log(msg: str):
     """Log to stderr (only in TTY mode to avoid cluttering Claude Code output)."""
@@ -28,6 +32,39 @@ def _log(msg: str):
         sys.stderr.flush()
 
 
+def _create_session(handle: str, app_password: str) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Create an AT Protocol session and return the access token.
+
+    Args:
+        handle: Bluesky handle (e.g. user.bsky.social)
+        app_password: App password from bsky.app/settings/app-passwords
+
+    Returns:
+        Access JWT string, or None on failure.
+    """
+    global _cached_token
+    if _cached_token:
+        return _cached_token
+
+    try:
+        response = http.request(
+            "POST",
+            BSKY_SESSION_URL,
+            json_data={"identifier": handle, "password": app_password},
+            timeout=15,
+        )
+        token = response.get("accessJwt")
+        if token:
+            _cached_token = token
+            _log("Session created successfully")
+            return token
+        _log("No accessJwt in session response")
+        return None
+    except Exception as e:
+        _log(f"Session creation failed: {e}")
+        return None
+
+
 def _extract_core_subject(topic: str) -> str:
     """Extract core subject from verbose query for Bluesky search."""
     text = topic.lower().strip()
@@ -73,18 +110,32 @@ def search_bluesky(
     from_date: str,
     to_date: str,
     depth: str = "default",
+    config: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
 ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """Search Bluesky via AT Protocol public API.
+    """Search Bluesky via AT Protocol API.
 
     Args:
         topic: Search topic
         from_date: Start date (YYYY-MM-DD)
         to_date: End date (YYYY-MM-DD)
         depth: 'quick', 'default', or 'deep'
+        config: Config dict with BSKY_HANDLE and BSKY_APP_PASSWORD
 
     Returns:
         Dict with 'posts' list from AT Protocol response.
     """
+    config = config or {}
+    handle = config.get("BSKY_HANDLE", "")
+    app_password = config.get("BSKY_APP_PASSWORD", "")
+
+    if not handle or not app_password:
+        return {"posts": [], "error": "Bluesky credentials not configured"}
+
+    # Authenticate
+    token = _create_session(handle, app_password)
+    if not token:
+        return {"posts": [], "error": "Bluesky auth failed"}
+
     count = DEPTH_CONFIG.get(depth, DEPTH_CONFIG["default"])
     core_topic = _extract_core_subject(topic)
 
@@ -99,7 +150,11 @@ def search_bluesky(
     url = f"{BSKY_SEARCH_URL}?{urlencode(params)}"
 
     try:
-        response = http.request("GET", url, timeout=30)
+        response = http.request(
+            "GET", url,
+            headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+            timeout=30,
+        )
     except http.HTTPError as e:
         _log(f"Search failed: {e}")
         return {"posts": [], "error": str(e)}

scripts/lib/env.py

@@ -255,6 +255,8 @@ def get_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
         ('APIFY_API_TOKEN', None),
         ('AUTH_TOKEN', None),
         ('CT0', None),
+        ('BSKY_HANDLE', None),
+        ('BSKY_APP_PASSWORD', None),
     ]
 
     for key, default in keys:
@@ -480,12 +482,12 @@ def is_hackernews_available() -> bool:
     return True
 
 
-def is_bluesky_available() -> bool:
+def is_bluesky_available(config: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
     """Check if Bluesky source is available.
 
-    Always returns True - AT Protocol search is free, no key needed.
+    Requires BSKY_HANDLE and BSKY_APP_PASSWORD (app password from bsky.app/settings).
     """
-    return True
+    return bool(config.get('BSKY_HANDLE') and config.get('BSKY_APP_PASSWORD'))
 
 
 def is_polymarket_available() -> bool:

tests/test_bluesky.py

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import sys
 import unittest
 from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
 
 sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).parent.parent / "scripts"))
 from lib import bluesky
@@ -99,5 +100,79 @@ class TestDepthConfig(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertGreater(deep, quick)
 
 
+class TestCreateSession(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        bluesky._cached_token = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        bluesky._cached_token = None
+
+    @patch("lib.bluesky.http.request")
+    def test_returns_token(self, mock_request):
+        mock_request.return_value = {"accessJwt": "tok123", "refreshJwt": "ref456"}
+        token = bluesky._create_session("user.bsky.social", "app-pw")
+        self.assertEqual(token, "tok123")
+        mock_request.assert_called_once()
+
+    @patch("lib.bluesky.http.request")
+    def test_caches_token(self, mock_request):
+        mock_request.return_value = {"accessJwt": "tok123", "refreshJwt": "ref456"}
+        bluesky._create_session("user.bsky.social", "app-pw")
+        bluesky._create_session("user.bsky.social", "app-pw")
+        mock_request.assert_called_once()  # Only one HTTP call
+
+    @patch("lib.bluesky.http.request")
+    def test_returns_none_on_failure(self, mock_request):
+        mock_request.side_effect = Exception("connection refused")
+        token = bluesky._create_session("user.bsky.social", "app-pw")
+        self.assertIsNone(token)
+
+    @patch("lib.bluesky.http.request")
+    def test_returns_none_on_missing_jwt(self, mock_request):
+        mock_request.return_value = {"did": "did:plc:abc"}
+        token = bluesky._create_session("user.bsky.social", "app-pw")
+        self.assertIsNone(token)
+
+
+class TestSearchBlueskyAuth(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        bluesky._cached_token = None
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        bluesky._cached_token = None
+
+    def test_no_config_returns_error(self):
+        result = bluesky.search_bluesky("test", "2026-01-01", "2026-03-09")
+        self.assertEqual(result["posts"], [])
+        self.assertIn("not configured", result["error"])
+
+    def test_empty_config_returns_error(self):
+        result = bluesky.search_bluesky("test", "2026-01-01", "2026-03-09", config={})
+        self.assertEqual(result["posts"], [])
+        self.assertIn("not configured", result["error"])
+
+    @patch("lib.bluesky.http.request")
+    def test_auth_failure_returns_error(self, mock_request):
+        mock_request.side_effect = Exception("401 Unauthorized")
+        config = {"BSKY_HANDLE": "user.bsky.social", "BSKY_APP_PASSWORD": "pw"}
+        result = bluesky.search_bluesky("test", "2026-01-01", "2026-03-09", config=config)
+        self.assertEqual(result["posts"], [])
+        self.assertIn("auth failed", result["error"])
+
+    @patch("lib.bluesky.http.request")
+    def test_successful_search_passes_bearer(self, mock_request):
+        # First call: createSession, second call: searchPosts
+        mock_request.side_effect = [
+            {"accessJwt": "tok123", "refreshJwt": "ref456"},
+            {"posts": [{"uri": "at://did/app.bsky.feed.post/abc", "author": {"handle": "u1"}, "record": {"text": "hi"}}]},
+        ]
+        config = {"BSKY_HANDLE": "user.bsky.social", "BSKY_APP_PASSWORD": "pw"}
+        result = bluesky.search_bluesky("test", "2026-01-01", "2026-03-09", config=config)
+        self.assertEqual(len(result["posts"]), 1)
+        # Verify the search call included the Bearer token
+        search_call = mock_request.call_args_list[1]
+        self.assertEqual(search_call.kwargs.get("headers", {}), {"Authorization": "Bearer tok123"})
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()