How to Configure RedditVideoMakerBot API Keys: Complete Setup Guide

RedditVideoMakerBot reads all API credentials from a TOML configuration file (config.toml) that is validated at startup and loaded into a global settings.config dictionary.

The open-source RedditVideoMakerBot requires API keys for both Reddit access and text-to-speech services to automatically generate videos from subreddit threads. According to the elebumm/RedditVideoMakerBot source code, the bot uses a template-based configuration system that prompts for missing values during initialization.

Where RedditVideoMakerBot Stores API Keys

The bot maintains a default template at utils/.config.template.toml that defines all required keys. When you first run the application, main.py invokes settings.check_toml() to copy this template into a user-specific config.toml file and validate each entry.

In main.py lines 93-95, the startup sequence loads the configuration:

directory = Path().absolute()
config = settings.check_toml(
    f"{directory}/utils/.config.template.toml", f"{directory}/config.toml"
)

The heavy lifting occurs in utils/settings.py, where the check_toml function parses the template with the toml library, walks every key, and writes the final user-filled data back to config.toml. The resulting dictionary is stored in the module-level variable settings.config and imported by every other component.

Required Reddit API Credentials

RedditVideoMakerBot authenticates with Reddit using the PRAW library. You must provide the following five values under the [reddit.creds] section:

• client_id – Your Reddit script app ID
• client_secret – Your Reddit script app secret
• username – Your Reddit username
• password – Your Reddit password (or password plus 2FA code)
• 2fa – Boolean flag, set to true if you use two-factor authentication

These values are consumed in reddit/subreddit.py lines 36-43 when the Reddit client is instantiated:

reddit = praw.Reddit(
    client_id=settings.config["reddit"]["creds"]["client_id"],
    client_secret=settings.config["reddit"]["creds"]["client_secret"],
    user_agent="Accessing Reddit threads",
    username=username,
    passkey=passkey,
    check_for_async=False,
)

Required Text-to-Speech API Keys

Depending on your chosen TTS (text-to-speech) provider, you must supply additional API keys in the [settings.tts] section of config.toml.

ElevenLabs Configuration

To use ElevenLabs voices, provide the elevenlabs_api_key value. The TTS/elevenlabs.py module reads this key during initialization (lines 26-33):

if settings.config["settings"]["tts"]["elevenlabs_api_key"]:
    api_key = settings.config["settings"]["tts"]["elevenlabs_api_key"]
else:
    raise ValueError("You didn't set an Elevenlabs API key! …")
self.client = ElevenLabs(api_key=api_key)

OpenAI Configuration

For OpenAI TTS services, set the openai_api_key field. The constructor in TTS/openai_tts.py lines 22-27 validates this key:

self.api_key = settings.config["settings"]["tts"].get("openai_api_key")
if not self.api_key:
    raise ValueError("No OpenAI API key provided …")

TikTok Session ID

When using TikTok TTS, the bot requires a tiktok_sessionid cookie value rather than a traditional API key. This is defined in the template at line 55.

Step-by-Step Configuration Process

1. Copy the template on first run:

   cp utils/.config.template.toml config.toml

2. Edit config.toml with your preferred text editor, replacing placeholder values:

   [reddit.creds]
   client_id = "YOUR_REDDIT_CLIENT_ID"
   client_secret = "YOUR_REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET"
   username = "YOUR_REDDIT_USERNAME"
   password = "YOUR_REDDIT_PASSWORD"
   2fa = false
   
   [settings.tts]
   voice_choice = "elevenlabs"
   elevenlabs_api_key = "YOUR_ELEVENLABS_KEY"
   openai_api_key = "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY"
   tiktok_sessionid = "YOUR_TIKTOK_SESSION_ID"

3. Run the bot. If required fields are empty or malformed, the settings.check_toml function will prompt you interactively for the missing values.

4. Security note: Never commit config.toml to a public repository. The project's .gitignore already excludes this file.

How API Keys Flow Through the Application

The configuration pipeline follows this strict sequence:

1. Startup: main.py calls settings.check_toml to load the user file into settings.config
2. Reddit module: Pulls credentials from settings.config to create the praw.Reddit client in reddit/subreddit.py
3. TTS modules: Each engine (TTS/elevenlabs.py, TTS/openai_tts.py) reads its respective key when run() or initialize() is invoked
4. Video creation: The pipeline uses the authenticated Reddit client and generated audio without accessing keys directly

Debugging and Verification Snippets

Use this minimal snippet to verify that your keys loaded correctly:

from utils import settings

settings.check_toml(
    "utils/.config.template.toml", "config.toml"
)

print("Reddit client ID:", settings.config["reddit"]["creds"]["client_id"])
print("ElevenLabs API key:", settings.config["settings"]["tts"]["elevenlabs_api_key"])
print("OpenAI API key:", settings.config["settings"]["tts"]["openai_api_key"])

To verify Reddit authentication specifically:

from reddit.subreddit import get_subreddit_threads

thread = get_subreddit_threads(None)
print("Fetched thread title:", thread["thread_title"])

Summary

• RedditVideoMakerBot uses a TOML-based configuration system centered on config.toml
• The entry point in main.py validates configuration against utils/.config.template.toml using settings.check_toml()
• Reddit authentication requires five credential fields consumed by reddit/subreddit.py
• TTS services require service-specific keys (ElevenLabs, OpenAI, or TikTok session ID) read by their respective modules in TTS/
• Runtime validation prompts for missing keys, but pre-populating config.toml prevents interactive interruptions

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does RedditVideoMakerBot store API keys?

RedditVideoMakerBot stores API keys in a TOML file named config.toml in the project root. This file is generated from the template at utils/.config.template.toml when the bot first starts, and its contents are loaded into the global settings.config dictionary for use across all modules.

What Reddit API credentials are required for RedditVideoMakerBot?

You must supply client_id, client_secret, username, password, and a boolean 2fa flag in the [reddit.creds] section. These credentials are used by reddit/subreddit.py to instantiate a PRAW Reddit client that fetches subreddit threads.

How do I add ElevenLabs or OpenAI API keys to RedditVideoMakerBot?

Add the elevenlabs_api_key or openai_api_key values to the [settings.tts] section of config.toml. The ElevenLabs engine in TTS/elevenlabs.py and the OpenAI engine in TTS/openai_tts.py automatically read these values from settings.config during initialization.

Why does RedditVideoMakerBot prompt me for API keys at runtime?

The settings.check_toml() function in utils/settings.py validates every required key when main.py starts. If any required field is missing or malformed, the bot prompts you interactively to prevent startup failures. Pre-configuring all values in config.toml eliminates these interactive prompts.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}