Setup · distribution

Path A · Blotato (day 1) READY

1. Pay: subscribe at my.blotato.com (~$29/mo flat). Copy the API key.
2. Paste it here:
   Save + verify
3. Click: in the Blotato dashboard, Connect your YouTube, TikTok and Instagram accounts (OAuth, "Continue with Google" style).
4. Sync connected accounts
   pulls them into Accounts.

Path B · DIY (independence, in parallel)

YouTube waiting

1. Click: Google Cloud console → project (reuse ragbase is fine) → enable YouTube Data API v3 + YouTube Analytics API → OAuth consent screen: External, publish to Production → Credentials → Create OAuth client, type Desktop app → download JSON.
2. Paste the JSON into .secrets.json → youtube.client_secret_json.
3. Run once on the Mac: python3 -m vidforge.worker.publish.youtube_auth → browser opens → Allow.
4. Validate (audit): submit the YouTube API audit form. Until approved, DIY uploads are locked private. Prefilled answers: vidforge/ONBOARDING.md.

Instagram waiting

1. Click: developers.facebook.com → Create app (Business) → add Instagram Graph API. Stay in Development Mode (enough for our own account).
2. IG account must be Business/Creator and linked to a Facebook Page.
3. Graph Explorer → get a user token with instagram_content_publish, pages_show_list, instagram_basic → exchange for a long-lived token → paste token + ig_user_id into .secrets.json → instagram. Steps: ONBOARDING.md.

TikTok waiting

1. Click: run python3 -m vidforge.worker.publish.tiktok_browser login on the Mac, log in once. Session persists.
2. Optional later: TikTok developer app + audit for the API path.

Accounts to create first (once per channel, ~15 min, human only)

Google account + YouTube channel · Facebook Page + Instagram Business · TikTok account. Brand kit (names, handles, bios, avatar) comes prefilled from the script factory: ask in chat when ready. Platforms require phone SMS at signup: that part cannot and should not be automated.