Daniel Zivkovic
0a5102e193
When yt-dlp is installed but stale (or otherwise unable to fetch transcripts
for any returned videos), runs previously reported YouTube as fully
successful in two user-facing surfaces:
1. Footer (render.py): showed "N videos | M views" with no indication
that zero transcripts were captured. The "with transcripts" segment
was conditionally suppressed when the count was zero - converting
the canonical stale-binary failure mode into a silent absence at
the very surface users read for "did this work?".
2. Quality nudge (quality_nudge.py): classified YouTube as "active"
based purely on yt-dlp installation + absence of a top-level error.
Per-video transcript-fetch ratio was never inspected. A run that
returned N videos with 0 transcripts (canonical stale-binary
failure) was reported as fully active.
The engine itself logs the failure correctly at default stderr level
(`[YouTube] Got transcripts for 0/N videos (N failed)`), but that line
gets buried in 100+ lines of parallel-source progress output and is
contradicted by the success-shaped footer and nudge that follow.
This change makes both conclusion surfaces honest:
* render.py footer always renders "M/N with transcripts" so the ratio
is visible regardless of value. Zero is no longer hidden. Format is
M/N (not bare M) so the denominator is in the message and the user
does not have to cross-reference the "videos" count.
* quality_nudge.py adds a third tier between "active" and "missing":
"degraded". Triggered when yt-dlp is installed AND videos were
returned AND transcript-fetch ratio is below threshold (default 50%,
tunable via DEGRADED_TRANSCRIPT_THRESHOLD env var). Emits an
actionable nudge: "YouTube returned N videos but only M transcripts
captured. The most common cause is a stale yt-dlp binary - YouTube's
caption format changes frequently and old binaries silently fail
every transcript. Update via your package manager: scoop update
yt-dlp (Windows), brew upgrade yt-dlp (macOS), or pip install -U
yt-dlp."
* last30days.py populates youtube_videos_count and
youtube_transcripts_count in the research_results dict it passes to
compute_quality_score, enabling the new degraded check at the call
site.
Threshold rationale: 50% accommodates a few legitimate
caption-disabled videos in a multi-video result, but a stale-binary
run that fails every transcript trips the nudge cleanly.
Score impact: degradation is informational, not score-affecting.
YouTube still counts as "active" in score_pct so users do not see
their score drop for a fixable client-side issue. The nudge directs
them to their own package manager.
Tests:
* tests/test_quality_nudge.py: 6 new TestYouTubeDegraded cases cover
zero-transcripts-flags-degraded, partial-above-threshold-does-not-flag,
zero-videos-does-not-flag (no false positives on absence),
one-of-three-flags-degraded, threshold-tunable-via-config, and
degraded-does-not-affect-score.
* tests/test_render_v3.py: 4 new YoutubeFooterTranscriptRatioTests
cases cover zero-transcripts-with-videos-renders-zero-over-total
(the regression repro), partial-renders-ratio, full-renders-ratio,
and no-videos-suppresses-entire-segment.
All 29 new test cases verified GREEN with the fix and RED without it
(temp-reverted both files separately to confirm each test catches the
specific regression it asserts).
Integration validation: ran the engine against an intentionally stale
yt-dlp 2025.03.31 binary placed first on PATH. Pre-fix the footer
showed `YouTube: 3 videos | 386,815 views` (no transcript signal).
Post-fix the footer shows `YouTube: 3 videos | 386,815 views | 0/3
with transcripts` and stderr emits "Degraded: YouTube" plus the
actionable update-yt-dlp nudge.
Out of scope (deserves its own PR): exposing transcripts_captured in
the EVIDENCE FOR SYNTHESIS block so the synthesizing model can flag
degradation in prose. Larger schema-touching change.
255 lines
9.3 KiB
Python
255 lines
9.3 KiB
Python
"""Post-research quality score and upgrade nudge.
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Computes a quality score based on 5 core sources and builds
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a nudge message describing what the user missed and how to fix it.
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"""
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from typing import List
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# The 5 core sources
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CORE_SOURCES = ["hn", "polymarket", "x", "youtube", "reddit"]
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# Labels for display
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SOURCE_LABELS = {
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"hn": "Hacker News",
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"polymarket": "Polymarket",
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"x": "X/Twitter",
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"youtube": "YouTube",
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"reddit": "Reddit",
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}
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def _is_x_active(config: dict, research_results: dict) -> bool:
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"""Check if X source is active (has credentials AND didn't error)."""
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has_creds = bool(config.get("AUTH_TOKEN") or config.get("XAI_API_KEY"))
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if not has_creds:
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return False
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# If X errored this run, it's configured but broken
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if research_results.get("x_error"):
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return False
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return True
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def _is_youtube_active(config: dict, research_results: dict) -> bool:
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"""Check if YouTube source is active (yt-dlp installed)."""
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try:
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from . import youtube_yt
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has_ytdlp = youtube_yt.is_ytdlp_installed()
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except Exception:
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has_ytdlp = False
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if not has_ytdlp:
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return False
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if research_results.get("youtube_error"):
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return False
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return True
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# Below this transcript-fetch ratio, YouTube is considered "degraded" rather
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# than active. Picked at 50% so a single legitimate caption-disabled video in a
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# multi-video result does not trip the nudge, but a stale-yt-dlp run that fails
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# every transcript does. Tunable via DEGRADED_TRANSCRIPT_THRESHOLD env var if
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# operators need to adjust without code changes.
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DEFAULT_DEGRADED_TRANSCRIPT_THRESHOLD = 0.5
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def _is_youtube_degraded(research_results: dict, threshold: float) -> bool:
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"""YouTube is degraded when videos were returned but the transcript-fetch
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ratio is below threshold. The canonical cause is a stale yt-dlp binary -
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YouTube's caption format changes frequently and old binaries silently fail
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every transcript while the search itself still succeeds.
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"""
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videos = int(research_results.get("youtube_videos_count") or 0)
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transcripts = int(research_results.get("youtube_transcripts_count") or 0)
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if videos <= 0:
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return False
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return (transcripts / videos) < threshold
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def compute_quality_score(config: dict, research_results: dict) -> dict:
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"""Compute research quality score based on 5 core sources.
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Args:
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config: Configuration dict from env.get_config()
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research_results: Dict with keys like x_error, youtube_error,
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reddit_error reflecting what happened this run. Optional keys
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``youtube_videos_count`` and ``youtube_transcripts_count`` enable
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degraded-YouTube detection (transcript-fetch ratio below threshold).
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Returns:
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{
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"score_pct": 40-100,
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"core_active": ["hn", "polymarket", ...],
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"core_missing": ["x", "youtube"],
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"core_errored": [], # configured but errored at top level
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"core_degraded": [], # configured and returned items but quality below threshold
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"nudge_text": "..." or None if 100%
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}
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"""
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core_active: List[str] = []
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core_missing: List[str] = []
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core_errored: List[str] = []
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core_degraded: List[str] = []
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# HN, Polymarket, and Reddit are always active
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core_active.append("hn")
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core_active.append("polymarket")
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core_active.append("reddit")
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# X
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has_x_creds = bool(config.get("AUTH_TOKEN") or config.get("XAI_API_KEY"))
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if _is_x_active(config, research_results):
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core_active.append("x")
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else:
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core_missing.append("x")
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if has_x_creds and research_results.get("x_error"):
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core_errored.append("x")
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# YouTube
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yt_active = _is_youtube_active(config, research_results)
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if yt_active:
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core_active.append("youtube")
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# Active means yt-dlp is installed and search did not error at the top
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# level. But search-success + transcript-failure is the canonical
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# stale-binary failure mode that the footer used to hide. Flag as
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# degraded so the user gets an actionable nudge to update the binary.
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threshold = float(config.get("DEGRADED_TRANSCRIPT_THRESHOLD") or DEFAULT_DEGRADED_TRANSCRIPT_THRESHOLD)
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if _is_youtube_degraded(research_results, threshold):
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core_degraded.append("youtube")
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else:
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core_missing.append("youtube")
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# Check if configured but errored (yt-dlp installed but failed this run)
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try:
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from . import youtube_yt
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has_ytdlp = youtube_yt.is_ytdlp_installed()
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except Exception:
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has_ytdlp = False
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if has_ytdlp and research_results.get("youtube_error"):
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core_errored.append("youtube")
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score_pct = int(len(core_active) / 5 * 100)
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has_sc = bool(config.get("SCRAPECREATORS_API_KEY"))
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active_sources = research_results.get("active_sources") or []
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nudge_text = _build_nudge_text(
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core_missing,
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core_errored,
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core_degraded,
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research_results,
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has_sc=has_sc,
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active_sources=active_sources,
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) if (core_missing or core_degraded) else None
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return {
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"score_pct": score_pct,
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"core_active": core_active,
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"core_missing": core_missing,
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"core_errored": core_errored,
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"core_degraded": core_degraded,
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"nudge_text": nudge_text,
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}
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def _build_nudge_text(
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core_missing: List[str],
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core_errored: List[str],
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core_degraded: List[str] = None,
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research_results: dict = None,
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has_sc: bool = False,
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active_sources: list = None,
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) -> str:
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"""Build human-readable nudge text describing what was missed or degraded.
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Prioritizes free suggestions. Optionally mentions bonus sources
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(TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Pinterest) if ScrapeCreators key is configured.
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"""
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lines: List[str] = []
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core_degraded = core_degraded or []
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research_results = research_results or {}
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# Describe what was missed
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missed_parts: List[str] = []
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for src in core_missing:
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label = SOURCE_LABELS[src]
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if src in core_errored:
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missed_parts.append(f"{label} (errored this run)")
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else:
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missed_parts.append(label)
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active_count = 5 - len(core_missing)
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lines.append(f"Research quality: {active_count}/5 core sources.")
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if missed_parts:
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lines.append(f"Missing: {', '.join(missed_parts)}.")
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if core_degraded:
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degraded_labels = ", ".join(SOURCE_LABELS[s] for s in core_degraded)
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lines.append(f"Degraded: {degraded_labels}.")
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lines.append("")
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# Free suggestions
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free_suggestions: List[str] = []
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if "x" in core_missing:
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if "x" in core_errored:
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free_suggestions.append(
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"X/Twitter errored - log into x.com in your browser, then re-run."
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)
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else:
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free_suggestions.append(
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"X/Twitter: real-time posts with likes and reposts - the fastest "
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"signal for breaking topics. Two options: log into x.com in your "
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"browser and re-run (cookies detected automatically), or add "
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"XAI_API_KEY to your .env (no browser access, get key at api.x.ai)."
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)
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if "youtube" in core_missing:
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if "youtube" in core_errored:
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free_suggestions.append(
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"YouTube errored - update yt-dlp: brew upgrade yt-dlp"
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)
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else:
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free_suggestions.append(
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"YouTube: video transcripts with key moments - often the deepest "
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"explanations on any topic. Install yt-dlp: brew install yt-dlp (free)"
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)
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if "youtube" in core_degraded:
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videos = int(research_results.get("youtube_videos_count") or 0)
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transcripts = int(research_results.get("youtube_transcripts_count") or 0)
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free_suggestions.append(
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f"YouTube returned {videos} videos but only {transcripts} transcripts "
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"captured. The most common cause is a stale yt-dlp binary - YouTube's "
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"caption format changes frequently and old binaries silently fail every "
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"transcript. Update via your package manager: scoop update yt-dlp "
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"(Windows), brew upgrade yt-dlp (macOS), or pip install -U yt-dlp."
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)
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# Mention bonus opt-in sources when SC key is present
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if has_sc:
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bonus_hints = []
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if "threads" not in (active_sources or []):
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bonus_hints.append("Threads")
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if "pinterest" not in (active_sources or []):
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bonus_hints.append("Pinterest")
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if bonus_hints:
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free_suggestions.append(
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f"Your SC key also powers {', '.join(bonus_hints)} and YouTube comments. "
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"Add them to INCLUDE_SOURCES in your .env to enable."
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)
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if free_suggestions:
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lines.append("Free fixes:")
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for s in free_suggestions:
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lines.append(f" - {s}")
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lines.append("")
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# Bonus sources mention (non-blocking)
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if not has_sc:
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lines.append(
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"Bonus: TikTok and Instagram are available with a free "
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"ScrapeCreators key at scrapecreators.com (no affiliation)."
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)
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else:
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lines.append("last30days has no affiliation with any API provider.")
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return "\n".join(lines)
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