How to Install TrendRadar: A Complete Guide for Local, Docker, and MCP Server Setup

You can install TrendRadar via three methods: one-click local installers for Windows/macOS/Linux using uv, Docker Compose for containerized deployment, or manual Python setup with the FastMCP server.

TrendRadar is a Python-based news aggregation and AI analysis tool that requires careful environment setup to run its crawler, web UI, and MCP server components. This guide covers every installation method with exact commands from the sansan0/TrendRadar repository.

Prerequisites for Installing TrendRadar

Before running any installer, verify your system meets these requirements.

Operating System	Required Tools
Windows	Python 3.10+ (from python.org), uv (auto-installed if missing)
macOS / Linux	Python 3.10+, uv (auto-installed if missing)
Docker	Docker Engine + Docker Compose (or Docker Desktop)

The uv package manager is critical for TrendRadar installation. Both setup-windows.bat and setup-mac.sh will attempt automatic installation if uv is not found on your system.

Method 1: Local Installation on Windows

The Windows installer provides one-click setup with automatic dependency resolution.

Step 1: Clone and Launch

git clone https://github.com/sansan0/TrendRadar.git
cd TrendRadar

Double-click setup-windows.bat or run from Command Prompt:

setup-windows.bat

Step 2: What the Script Does

The setup-windows.bat script in the repository root performs these validation steps:

• Verifies execution in project root by checking for pyproject.toml
• Detects Python ≥ 3.10 and reports the version
• Installs uv automatically via PowerShell or pip if missing
• Runs uv sync to create virtual environment and install dependencies
• Validates config/config.yaml exists or creates it from example

Step 3: Start the MCP Server

After installation, the script outputs the MCP configuration for Cherry Studio:

uv run python -m mcp_server.server

This starts the FastMCP server on 127.0.0.1:3333 by default.

Method 2: Local Installation on macOS and Linux

Unix systems use an equivalent Bash installer with identical functionality.

Run the Installer

chmod +x setup-mac.sh
./setup-mac.sh

The setup-mac.sh script mirrors the Windows logic:

• Detects or installs uv via the official installer script
• Executes uv sync for dependency management
• Checks config/config.yaml and prompts to copy the example if needed

Start the Server

uv run python -m mcp_server.server

The MCP command output for Cherry Studio is identical to Windows.

Method 3: Docker Installation (Recommended for Servers)

Docker provides the most reliable TrendRadar installation for production deployments and NAS environments.

Step 1: Prepare Configuration

Create a config/ directory and copy the example configuration:

mkdir -p config output
cp config/config.example.yaml config/config.yaml

# Edit config.yaml with your notification secrets

Step 2: Pull and Start

cd docker
docker compose up -d

The docker/docker-compose.yml in the repository:

• Mounts ../config → /app/config (read-only)
• Mounts ../output → /app/output for persistent storage
• Exposes web UI on 127.0.0.1:${WEBSERVER_PORT:-8080}
• Runs the MCP server in a separate trendradar-mcp service on port 3333

View Logs

docker compose logs -f

Post-Installation: Configure Notification Secrets

TrendRadar requires environment variables for all notification channels. These match GitHub Actions secrets format.

Required variables (from README-EN.md in the repository):

Service	Variable Names
WeWork	WEWORK_WEBHOOK_URL, WEWORK_MSG_TYPE
Feishu	FEISHU_WEBHOOK_URL
Slack	SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL
ntfy	NTFY_SERVER_URL, NTFY_TOPIC, NTFY_TOKEN
Bark	BARK_URL
Email	EMAIL_* variables for SMTP configuration

Add these via GitHub repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions, or create a .env file for Docker Compose.

Verify Your TrendRadar Installation

Run the built-in version check to confirm proper installation:

python -m trendradar --check-version

This command from trendradar/__main__.py contacts the upstream version endpoint, compares with local __version__, and validates config.yaml and timeline.yaml versions.

Expected output on success:

✅ 已是最新
✅ config.yaml: 1.0.0 ✅
✅ timeline.yaml: 1.0.0 ✅

Troubleshooting Common Installation Issues

Issue	Solution
uv not found	Run the installer script again; it attempts automatic installation
config.yaml missing	Copy from config/config.example.yaml and fill in your secrets
Port 3333 already in use	Stop existing MCP server or modify the port in configuration
Docker volume permission errors	Ensure output/ directory exists and is writable by UID 1000

Summary

• Local installation uses setup-windows.bat or setup-mac.sh to automate Python environment setup with uv
• Docker deployment provides the most reliable production installation via docker compose up -d in the docker/ directory
• MCP server starts with uv run python -m mcp_server.server on all platforms
• Configuration requires copying config/config.example.yaml and adding notification secrets as environment variables
• Verification uses python -m trendradar --check-version to confirm successful installation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to install TrendRadar?

The fastest method is running the one-click installer for your operating system: setup-windows.bat for Windows or setup-mac.sh for macOS and Linux. Both scripts automatically install the uv package manager, create a virtual environment, and install all dependencies.

Does TrendRadar require Python to be pre-installed?

Yes, Python 3.10 or higher must be installed before running the installers. The scripts will verify your Python version and fail with a clear message if the requirement is not met. Download Python from python.org if needed.

How do I install TrendRadar on a NAS or headless server?

Use the Docker installation method. The docker/docker-compose.yml file is designed for server deployments, mounting configuration and output directories as persistent volumes. This avoids Python environment management entirely and runs reliably on ARM64 and AMD64 architectures.

What environment variables does TrendRadar need after installation?

TrendRadar requires webhook URLs and API tokens for your chosen notification channels. Common variables include WEWORK_WEBHOOK_URL for WeWork, FEISHU_WEBHOOK_URL for Feishu, SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL for Slack, and EMAIL_* variables for SMTP. The full list is documented in README-EN.md.

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