Setup & First Run¶
Run the setup wizard¶
Already installed? Run the setup command below for your installation and follow the prompts. Otherwise, start with Installation.
Setup asks who to monitor, your Steam Web API key, how often to check and which alerts and output files you want. You can review your answers before saving. Regular settings go in steam_monitor.conf and private values go in .env. Keep .env private.
Press Enter to accept a default or Ctrl+C to cancel. Cancelling before saving leaves your files untouched. Cancelling after saving keeps the saved settings. For changes to an existing setup, see Configuration File.
After saving, follow the offered Doctor checks and monitoring steps.
A target is the Steam profile you want to monitor. Enter a Steam64 ID, Steam3 identifier, vanity name or full profile URL. The wizard asks for your Steam Web API key. See Steam Web API key for how to get one.
The polling prompts accept plain seconds or the s, m, h and d units. They show both the seconds and a readable form of the default.
With a saved target, running Steam Monitor without a target starts monitoring that profile. If no target is saved, an interactive no-argument run offers setup.
Before you start¶
You need three things before the first monitoring run:
- A Steam target. A Steam64 ID, Steam3 identifier, vanity name or complete community profile URL all work.
- A Steam Web API key. See Steam Web API key.
- The monitored account must publish its game details. See User Privacy Settings.
Steam Web API key¶
You can get the Steam Web API key here: http://steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey
Provide the STEAM_API_KEY secret using one of the following methods:
- Answer the questions in
--setup, which validates and saves it for you (recommended) - Save and validate it through a hidden prompt with
--set-steam-api-key - Set it as an environment variable, for example
export STEAM_API_KEY=... - Add it to a .env file as
STEAM_API_KEY=...for persistent use - Pass it at runtime with
-u/--steam-api-key
The hidden prompt validates the key with Steam before saving it to .env:
For a custom private settings file:
A key passed with -u / --steam-api-key may remain visible in shell history or process listings.
Fallback:
- Hard-code it in the code or config file
If you store the STEAM_API_KEY in a dotenv file you can update its value and send a SIGHUP signal to the process to reload the file with the new API key without restarting the tool. More info in Storing Secrets and Signal Controls (macOS/Linux/Unix).
User Privacy Settings¶
In order to monitor Steam user activity, proper privacy settings need to be enabled on the monitored user account.
The user should go to Steam Privacy Settings.
The value in My Profile → Game details should be set to Friends Only or Public.
Not sure which command you need?¶
| I want to... | Run this |
|---|---|
| Set up Steam Monitor for the first time | Use the setup command for your installation above |
| Start monitoring with existing credentials | steam_monitor <steam_target>, which accepts a Steam64 ID, Steam3 identifier, vanity name or profile URL |
Start the profile saved in TARGET_STEAM_ID |
steam_monitor --config-file steam_monitor.conf |
| Check the API key, connectivity and one target | steam_monitor --doctor <steam_target> |
Most securely enter or replace STEAM_API_KEY |
Run steam_monitor --set-steam-api-key and enter the key at the hidden prompt |
| Save an SMTP password for email alerts | Run steam_monitor --set-smtp-password |
| Send a test email | Run steam_monitor --send-test-email |
| Set up webhook alerts | Run the setup wizard and choose webhook alerts |
| Save a new webhook URL | Run steam_monitor --set-webhook-url |
| Send a test webhook | Run steam_monitor --send-test-webhook |
| Show detailed profile information and exit | steam_monitor <steam_target> -i |
| Also list friends and recent achievements | steam_monitor <steam_target> -i --list-friends --achievements |
| Resolve a community URL to a Steam64 ID | steam_monitor -r COMMUNITY_URL |
| Write every change to a CSV file | steam_monitor <steam_target> -b changes.csv |
| List every supported command-line flag | steam_monitor --help |
Run Individual Commands¶
The examples below use PyPI. For a manual script, replace steam_monitor with python3 steam_monitor.py on macOS or Linux. Use python steam_monitor.py on Windows and run it from the directory holding the script or give its full path. See Command Format by Installation Method.
Throughout this page <steam_target> means a Steam64 ID, Steam3 identifier, vanity name or complete community profile URL.
Save the Steam Web API key¶
To configure credentials without the wizard, --set-steam-api-key is the recommended and most secure entry method. It reads the key through a hidden prompt, so the value does not appear on screen or in the command line. It validates the key with Steam before updating only STEAM_API_KEY. If validation fails, it does not change the .env file.
Use --env-file PATH to select another .env file. The -u and --steam-api-key options still work, but their values may appear in shell history or process listings.
Save notification credentials¶
The SMTP password is entered through a hidden prompt, checked against the mail server and saved as SMTP_PASSWORD in .env:
A webhook URL is the private address used to deliver notifications. Treat it like a password because anyone who has it may be able to post through it. Follow the webhook setup steps then save the link:
The link is entered through a hidden prompt and saved as WEBHOOK_URL in .env. This command only saves the link. It does not turn on webhook alerts or send a message. See Webhook Settings to choose your alerts then run steam_monitor --send-test-webhook to test them.
Start monitoring¶
The first example uses a positional target. The second uses a saved TARGET_STEAM_ID:
For a manual script:
To check the setup before the first run, without writing anything:
See Doctor Preflight for what it reports.
To see all supported command-line arguments and flags:
Next Step¶
Run Doctor before an unattended run to confirm the API key, connectivity and notification settings.
With the API key saved and a first run working, continue to Configuration for the target profile, SMTP, webhooks and secrets. See Usage for command formats, monitoring, listing commands, notifications and output files.