Tweepy Documentation

Contents:

Getting started

Introduction

If you are new to Tweepy, this is the place to begin. The goal of this tutorial is to get you set-up and rolling with Tweepy. We won’t go into too much detail here, just some important basics.

Hello Tweepy

import tweepy

auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(consumer_key, consumer_secret)
auth.set_access_token(access_token, access_token_secret)

api = tweepy.API(auth)

public_tweets = api.home_timeline()
for tweet in public_tweets:
    print(tweet.text)

This example will download your home timeline tweets and print each one of their texts to the console. Twitter requires all requests to use OAuth for authentication. The Authentication Tutorial goes into more details about authentication.

API

The API class provides access to the entire twitter RESTful API methods. Each method can accept various parameters and return responses. For more information about these methods please refer to API Reference.

Models

When we invoke an API method most of the time returned back to us will be a Tweepy model class instance. This will contain the data returned from Twitter which we can then use inside our application. For example the following code returns to us an User model:

# Get the User object for twitter...
user = api.get_user('twitter')

Models contain the data and some helper methods which we can then use:

print(user.screen_name)
print(user.followers_count)
for friend in user.friends():
   print(friend.screen_name)

For more information about models please see ModelsReference.

Authentication Tutorial

Introduction

Tweepy supports both OAuth 1a (application-user) and OAuth 2 (application-only) authentication. Authentication is handled by the tweepy.AuthHandler class.

OAuth 1a Authentication

Tweepy tries to make OAuth 1a as painless as possible for you. To begin the process we need to register our client application with Twitter. Create a new application and once you are done you should have your consumer token and secret. Keep these two handy, you’ll need them.

The next step is creating an OAuthHandler instance. Into this we pass our consumer token and secret which was given to us in the previous paragraph:

auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(consumer_token, consumer_secret)

If you have a web application and are using a callback URL that needs to be supplied dynamically you would pass it in like so:

auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(consumer_token, consumer_secret,
callback_url)

If the callback URL will not be changing, it is best to just configure it statically on twitter.com when setting up your application’s profile.

Unlike basic auth, we must do the OAuth 1a “dance” before we can start using the API. We must complete the following steps:

  1. Get a request token from twitter
  2. Redirect user to twitter.com to authorize our application
  3. If using a callback, twitter will redirect the user to us. Otherwise the user must manually supply us with the verifier code.
  4. Exchange the authorized request token for an access token.

So let’s fetch our request token to begin the dance:

try:
    redirect_url = auth.get_authorization_url()
except tweepy.TweepError:
    print('Error! Failed to get request token.')

This call requests the token from twitter and returns to us the authorization URL where the user must be redirect to authorize us. Now if this is a desktop application we can just hang onto our OAuthHandler instance until the user returns back. In a web application we will be using a callback request. So we must store the request token in the session since we will need it inside the callback URL request. Here is a pseudo example of storing the request token in a session:

session.set('request_token', auth.request_token['oauth_token'])

So now we can redirect the user to the URL returned to us earlier from the get_authorization_url() method.

If this is a desktop application (or any application not using callbacks) we must query the user for the “verifier code” that twitter will supply them after they authorize us. Inside a web application this verifier value will be supplied in the callback request from twitter as a GET query parameter in the URL.

# Example using callback (web app)
verifier = request.GET.get('oauth_verifier')

# Example w/o callback (desktop)
verifier = raw_input('Verifier:')

The final step is exchanging the request token for an access token. The access token is the “key” for opening the Twitter API treasure box. To fetch this token we do the following:

# Let's say this is a web app, so we need to re-build the auth handler
# first...
auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(consumer_key, consumer_secret)
token = session.get('request_token')
session.delete('request_token')
auth.request_token = { 'oauth_token' : token,
                         'oauth_token_secret' : verifier }

try:
    auth.get_access_token(verifier)
except tweepy.TweepError:
    print('Error! Failed to get access token.')

It is a good idea to save the access token for later use. You do not need to re-fetch it each time. Twitter currently does not expire the tokens, so the only time it would ever go invalid is if the user revokes our application access. To store the access token depends on your application. Basically you need to store 2 string values: key and secret:

auth.access_token
auth.access_token_secret

You can throw these into a database, file, or where ever you store your data. To re-build an OAuthHandler from this stored access token you would do this:

auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(consumer_key, consumer_secret)
auth.set_access_token(key, secret)

So now that we have our OAuthHandler equipped with an access token, we are ready for business:

api = tweepy.API(auth)
api.update_status('tweepy + oauth!')

OAuth 2 Authentication

Tweepy also supports OAuth 2 authentication. OAuth 2 is a method of authentication where an application makes API requests without the user context. Use this method if you just need read-only access to public information.

Like OAuth 1a, we first register our client application and acquire a consumer token and secret.

Then we create an AppAuthHandler instance, passing in our consumer token and secret:

auth = tweepy.AppAuthHandler(consumer_token, consumer_secret)

With the bearer token received, we are now ready for business:

api = tweepy.API(auth)
for tweet in tweepy.Cursor(api.search, q='tweepy').items(10):
    print(tweet.text)

Code Snippets

Introduction

Here are some code snippets to help you out with using Tweepy. Feel free to contribute your own snippets or improve the ones here!

OAuth

auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler("consumer_key", "consumer_secret")

# Redirect user to Twitter to authorize
redirect_user(auth.get_authorization_url())

# Get access token
auth.get_access_token("verifier_value")

# Construct the API instance
api = tweepy.API(auth)

FollowAll

This snippet will follow every follower of the authenticated user.

for follower in tweepy.Cursor(api.followers).items():
    follower.follow()

Handling the rate limit using cursors

Since cursors raise RateLimitErrors in their next() method, handling them can be done by wrapping the cursor in an iterator.

Running this snippet will print all users you follow that themselves follow less than 300 people total - to exclude obvious spambots, for example - and will wait for 15 minutes each time it hits the rate limit.

# In this example, the handler is time.sleep(15 * 60),
# but you can of course handle it in any way you want.

def limit_handled(cursor):
    while True:
        try:
            yield cursor.next()
        except tweepy.RateLimitError:
            time.sleep(15 * 60)

for follower in limit_handled(tweepy.Cursor(api.followers).items()):
    if follower.friends_count < 300:
        print(follower.screen_name)

Cursor Tutorial

This tutorial describes details on pagination with Cursor objects.

Introduction

We use pagination a lot in Twitter API development. Iterating through timelines, user lists, direct messages, etc. In order to perform pagination, we must supply a page/cursor parameter with each of our requests. The problem here is this requires a lot of boiler plate code just to manage the pagination loop. To help make pagination easier and require less code, Tweepy has the Cursor object.

Old way vs Cursor way

First let’s demonstrate iterating the statuses in the authenticated user’s timeline. Here is how we would do it the “old way” before the Cursor object was introduced:

page = 1
while True:
    statuses = api.user_timeline(page=page)
    if statuses:
        for status in statuses:
            # process status here
            process_status(status)
    else:
        # All done
        break
    page += 1  # next page

As you can see, we must manage the “page” parameter manually in our pagination loop. Now here is the version of the code using the Cursor object:

for status in tweepy.Cursor(api.user_timeline).items():
    # process status here
    process_status(status)

Now that looks much better! Cursor handles all the pagination work for us behind the scenes, so our code can now focus entirely on processing the results.

Passing parameters into the API method

What if you need to pass in parameters to the API method?

api.user_timeline(id="twitter")

Since we pass Cursor the callable, we can not pass the parameters directly into the method. Instead we pass the parameters into the Cursor constructor method:

tweepy.Cursor(api.user_timeline, id="twitter")

Now Cursor will pass the parameter into the method for us whenever it makes a request.

Items or Pages

So far we have just demonstrated pagination iterating per item. What if instead you want to process per page of results? You would use the pages() method:

for page in tweepy.Cursor(api.user_timeline).pages():
    # page is a list of statuses
    process_page(page)

Limits

What if you only want n items or pages returned? You pass into the items() or pages() methods the limit you want to impose.

# Only iterate through the first 200 statuses
for status in tweepy.Cursor(api.user_timeline).items(200):
    process_status(status)

# Only iterate through the first 3 pages
for page in tweepy.Cursor(api.user_timeline).pages(3):
    process_page(page)

Include Tweets > 140 Characters

Since twitter increased the maximum number of characters allowed in a tweet from 140 to 280, you may notice that tweets greater than 140 characters are truncated with …

If you want your results to include the full text of the long tweets, make these simple changes:

  • add the argument tweet_mode='extended' to your Cursor object call
  • change your usage of .text to .full_text
# example code
tweets = tweepy.Cursor(api.search, tweet_mode='extended')
for tweet in tweets:
    content = tweet.full_text

Streaming With Tweepy

Tweepy makes it easier to use the twitter streaming api by handling authentication, connection, creating and destroying the session, reading incoming messages, and partially routing messages.

This page aims to help you get started using Twitter streams with Tweepy by offering a first walk through. Some features of Tweepy streaming are not covered here. See streaming.py in the Tweepy source code.

API authorization is required to access Twitter streams. Follow the Authentication Tutorial if you need help with authentication.

Summary

The Twitter streaming API is used to download twitter messages in real time. It is useful for obtaining a high volume of tweets, or for creating a live feed using a site stream or user stream. See the Twitter Streaming API Documentation.

The streaming api is quite different from the REST api because the REST api is used to pull data from twitter but the streaming api pushes messages to a persistent session. This allows the streaming api to download more data in real time than could be done using the REST API.

In Tweepy, an instance of tweepy.Stream establishes a streaming session and routes messages to StreamListener instance. The on_data method of a stream listener receives all messages and calls functions according to the message type. The default StreamListener can classify most common twitter messages and routes them to appropriately named methods, but these methods are only stubs.

Therefore using the streaming api has three steps.

  1. Create a class inheriting from StreamListener
  2. Using that class create a Stream object
  3. Connect to the Twitter API using the Stream.

Step 1: Creating a StreamListener

This simple stream listener prints status text. The on_data method of Tweepy’s StreamListener conveniently passes data from statuses to the on_status method. Create class MyStreamListener inheriting from StreamListener and overriding on_status.:

import tweepy
#override tweepy.StreamListener to add logic to on_status
class MyStreamListener(tweepy.StreamListener):

    def on_status(self, status):
        print(status.text)

Step 2: Creating a Stream

We need an api to stream. See Authentication Tutorial to learn how to get an api object. Once we have an api and a status listener we can create our stream object.:

myStreamListener = MyStreamListener()
myStream = tweepy.Stream(auth = api.auth, listener=myStreamListener)

Step 3: Starting a Stream

A number of twitter streams are available through Tweepy. Most cases will use filter, the user_stream, or the sitestream. For more information on the capabilities and limitations of the different streams see Twitter Streaming API Documentation.

In this example we will use filter to stream all tweets containing the word python. The track parameter is an array of search terms to stream.

myStream.filter(track=['python'])

This example shows how to use filter to stream tweets by a specific user. The follow parameter is an array of IDs.

myStream.filter(follow=["2211149702"])

An easy way to find a single ID is to use one of the many conversion websites: search for ‘what is my twitter ID’.

A Few More Pointers

Async Streaming

Streams do not terminate unless the connection is closed, blocking the thread. Tweepy offers a convenient is_async parameter on filter so the stream will run on a new thread. For example

myStream.filter(track=['python'], is_async=True)

Handling Errors

When using Twitter’s streaming API one must be careful of the dangers of rate limiting. If clients exceed a limited number of attempts to connect to the streaming API in a window of time, they will receive error 420. The amount of time a client has to wait after receiving error 420 will increase exponentially each time they make a failed attempt.

Tweepy’s Stream Listener passes error codes to an on_error stub. The default implementation returns False for all codes, but we can override it to allow Tweepy to reconnect for some or all codes, using the backoff strategies recommended in the Twitter Streaming API Connecting Documentation.

class MyStreamListener(tweepy.StreamListener):

    def on_error(self, status_code):
        if status_code == 420:
            #returning False in on_error disconnects the stream
            return False

        # returning non-False reconnects the stream, with backoff.

For more information on error codes from the Twitter API see Twitter Response Codes Documentation.

API Reference

This page contains some basic documentation for the Tweepy module.

tweepy.api — Twitter API wrapper

class API([auth_handler=None][, host='api.twitter.com'][, search_host='search.twitter.com'][, cache=None][, api_root='/1'][, search_root=''][, retry_count=0][, retry_delay=0][, retry_errors=None][, timeout=60][, parser=ModelParser][, compression=False][, wait_on_rate_limit=False][, wait_on_rate_limit_notify=False][, proxy=None])

This class provides a wrapper for the API as provided by Twitter. The functions provided in this class are listed below.

Parameters:
  • auth_handler – authentication handler to be used
  • host – general API host
  • search_host – search API host
  • cache – cache backend to use
  • api_root – general API path root
  • search_root – search API path root
  • retry_count – default number of retries to attempt when error occurs
  • retry_delay – number of seconds to wait between retries
  • retry_errors – which HTTP status codes to retry
  • timeout – The maximum amount of time to wait for a response from Twitter
  • parser – The object to use for parsing the response from Twitter
  • compression – Whether or not to use GZIP compression for requests
  • wait_on_rate_limit – Whether or not to automatically wait for rate limits to replenish
  • wait_on_rate_limit_notify – Whether or not to print a notification when Tweepy is waiting for rate limits to replenish
  • proxy – The full url to an HTTPS proxy to use for connecting to Twitter.

Timeline methods

API.home_timeline([since_id][, max_id][, count][, page])

Returns the 20 most recent statuses, including retweets, posted by the authenticating user and that user’s friends. This is the equivalent of /timeline/home on the Web.

Parameters:
  • since_id – Returns only statuses with an ID greater than (that is, more recent than) the specified ID.
  • max_id – Returns only statuses with an ID less than (that is, older than) or equal to the specified ID.
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve.
  • page – Specifies the page of results to retrieve. Note: there are pagination limits.
Return type:

list of Status objects

API.statuses_lookup(id_[, include_entities][, trim_user][, map_])

Returns full Tweet objects for up to 100 tweets per request, specified by the id parameter.

Parameters:
  • id – A list of Tweet IDs to lookup, up to 100
  • include_entities – A boolean indicating whether or not to include entities in the returned tweets. Defaults to False.
  • trim_user – A boolean indicating if user IDs should be provided, instead of full user information. Defaults to False.
  • map – A boolean indicating whether or not to include tweets that cannot be shown. Defaults to False.
Return type:

list of Status objects

API.user_timeline([id/user_id/screen_name][, since_id][, max_id][, count][, page])

Returns the 20 most recent statuses posted from the authenticating user or the user specified. It’s also possible to request another user’s timeline via the id parameter.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • since_id – Returns only statuses with an ID greater than (that is, more recent than) the specified ID.
  • max_id – Returns only statuses with an ID less than (that is, older than) or equal to the specified ID.
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve.
  • page – Specifies the page of results to retrieve. Note: there are pagination limits.
Return type:

list of Status objects

API.retweets_of_me([since_id][, max_id][, count][, page])

Returns the 20 most recent tweets of the authenticated user that have been retweeted by others.

Parameters:
  • since_id – Returns only statuses with an ID greater than (that is, more recent than) the specified ID.
  • max_id – Returns only statuses with an ID less than (that is, older than) or equal to the specified ID.
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve.
  • page – Specifies the page of results to retrieve. Note: there are pagination limits.
Return type:

list of Status objects

API.mentions_timeline([since_id][, max_id][, count])

Returns the 20 most recent mentions, including retweets.

Parameters:
  • since_id – Returns only statuses with an ID greater than (that is, more recent than) the specified ID.
  • max_id – Returns only statuses with an ID less than (that is, older than) or equal to the specified ID.
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve.
Return type:

list of Status objects

Status methods

API.get_status(id)

Returns a single status specified by the ID parameter.

Parameters:id – The numerical ID of the status.
Tweet_mode:|Pass in 'extended' to get non truncated tweet text|
Return type:Status object
API.update_status(status[, in_reply_to_status_id][, in_reply_to_status_id_str][, auto_populate_reply_metadata][, lat][, long][, source][, place_id][, display_coordinates][, media_ids])

Update the authenticated user’s status. Statuses that are duplicates or too long will be silently ignored.

Parameters:
  • status – The text of your status update.
  • in_reply_to_status_id – The ID of an existing status that the update is in reply to.
  • in_reply_to_status_id_str – The ID of an existing status that the update is in reply to (as string).
  • auto_populate_reply_metadata – Whether to automatically include the @mentions in the status metadata.
  • lat – The location’s latitude that this tweet refers to.
  • long – The location’s longitude that this tweet refers to.
  • source – Source of the update. Only supported by Identi.ca. Twitter ignores this parameter.
  • place_id – Twitter ID of location which is listed in the Tweet if geolocation is enabled for the user.
  • display_coordinates – Whether or not to put a pin on the exact coordinates a Tweet has been sent from.
  • media_ids – A list of media_ids to associate with the Tweet.
Return type:

Status object

API.update_with_media(filename[, status][, in_reply_to_status_id][, auto_populate_reply_metadata][, lat][, long][, source][, place_id][, file])

Deprecated: Use API.media_upload() instead. Update the authenticated user’s status. Statuses that are duplicates or too long will be silently ignored.

Parameters:
  • filename – The filename of the image to upload. This will automatically be opened unless file is specified
  • status – The text of your status update.
  • in_reply_to_status_id – The ID of an existing status that the update is in reply to.
  • auto_populate_reply_metadata – Whether to automatically include the @mentions in the status metadata.
  • lat – The location’s latitude that this tweet refers to.
  • long – The location’s longitude that this tweet refers to.
  • source – Source of the update. Only supported by Identi.ca. Twitter ignores this parameter.
  • place_id – Twitter ID of location which is listed in the Tweet if geolocation is enabled for the user.
  • file – A file object, which will be used instead of opening filename. filename is still required, for MIME type detection and to use as a form field in the POST data
Return type:

Status object

API.destroy_status(id)

Destroy the status specified by the id parameter. The authenticated user must be the author of the status to destroy.

Parameters:id – The numerical ID of the status.
Return type:Status object
API.retweet(id)

Retweets a tweet. Requires the id of the tweet you are retweeting.

Parameters:id – The numerical ID of the status.
Return type:Status object
API.retweeters(id[, cursor][, stringify_ids])

Returns up to 100 user IDs belonging to users who have retweeted the Tweet specified by the id parameter.

Parameters:
  • id – The numerical ID of the status.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
  • stringify_ids – Have ids returned as strings instead.
Return type:

list of Integers

API.retweets(id[, count])

Returns up to 100 of the first retweets of the given tweet.

Parameters:
  • id – The numerical ID of the status.
  • count – Specifies the number of retweets to retrieve.
Return type:

list of Status objects

API.unretweet(id)

Untweets a retweeted status. Requires the id of the retweet to unretweet.

Parameters:id – The numerical ID of the status.
Return type:Status object

User methods

API.get_user(id/user_id/screen_name)

Returns information about the specified user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
Return type:

User object

API.me()

Returns the authenticated user’s information.

Return type:User object
API.friends([id/user_id/screen_name][, cursor][, skip_status][, include_user_entities])

Returns an user’s friends ordered in which they were added 100 at a time. If no user is specified it defaults to the authenticated user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve.
  • skip_status – When set to either true, t or 1 statuses will not be included in the returned user objects. Defaults to false.
  • include_user_entities – The user object entities node will not be included when set to false. Defaults to true.
Return type:

list of User objects

API.followers([id/screen_name/user_id][, cursor])

Returns a user’s followers ordered in which they were added. If no user is specified by id/screen name, it defaults to the authenticated user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve.
  • skip_status – When set to either true, t or 1 statuses will not be included in the returned user objects. Defaults to false.
  • include_user_entities – The user object entities node will not be included when set to false. Defaults to true.
Return type:

list of User objects

API.search_users(q[, count][, page])

Run a search for users similar to Find People button on Twitter.com; the same results returned by people search on Twitter.com will be returned by using this API (about being listed in the People Search). It is only possible to retrieve the first 1000 matches from this API.

Parameters:
  • q – The query to run against people search.
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve. May not be greater than 20.
  • page – Specifies the page of results to retrieve. Note: there are pagination limits.
Return type:

list of User objects

Direct Message Methods

API.get_direct_message([id][, full_text])

Returns a specific direct message.

Parameters:
  • id|id|
  • full_text – A boolean indicating whether or not the full text of a message should be returned. If False the message text returned will be truncated to 140 chars. Defaults to False.
Return type:

DirectMessage object

API.list_direct_messages([count][, cursor])

Returns all Direct Message events (both sent and received) within the last 30 days. Sorted in reverse-chronological order.

Parameters:
  • count – Specifies the number of statuses to retrieve.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:

list of DirectMessage objects

API.send_direct_message(recipient_id, text[, quick_reply_type][, attachment_type][, attachment_media_id])

Sends a new direct message to the specified user from the authenticating user.

Parameters:
  • recipient_id – The ID of the user who should receive the direct message.
  • text – The text of your Direct Message. Max length of 10,000 characters.
  • quick_reply_type

    The Quick Reply type to present to the user:

    • options - Array of Options objects (20 max).
    • text_input - Text Input object.
    • location - Location object.
  • attachment_type – The attachment type. Can be media or location.
  • attachment_media_id – A media id to associate with the message. A Direct Message may only reference a single media_id.
Return type:

DirectMessage object

API.destroy_direct_message(id)

Deletes the direct message specified in the required ID parameter. The authenticating user must be the recipient of the specified direct message. Direct Messages are only removed from the interface of the user context provided. Other members of the conversation can still access the Direct Messages.

Parameters:id – The id of the Direct Message that should be deleted.
Return type:None

Friendship Methods

API.create_friendship(id/screen_name/user_id[, follow])

Create a new friendship with the specified user (aka follow).

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • follow – Enable notifications for the target user in addition to becoming friends.
Return type:

User object

API.destroy_friendship(id/screen_name/user_id)

Destroy a friendship with the specified user (aka unfollow).

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
Return type:

User object

API.show_friendship(source_id/source_screen_name, target_id/target_screen_name)

Returns detailed information about the relationship between two users.

Parameters:
  • source_id – The user_id of the subject user.
  • source_screen_name – The screen_name of the subject user.
  • target_id – The user_id of the target user.
  • target_screen_name – The screen_name of the target user.
Return type:

Friendship object

API.friends_ids(id/screen_name/user_id[, cursor])

Returns an array containing the IDs of users being followed by the specified user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:

list of Integers

API.followers_ids(id/screen_name/user_id)

Returns an array containing the IDs of users following the specified user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:

list of Integers

Account Methods

API.verify_credentials()

Verify the supplied user credentials are valid.

Return type:User object if credentials are valid, otherwise False
API.rate_limit_status()

Returns the remaining number of API requests available to the requesting user before the API limit is reached for the current hour. Calls to rate_limit_status do not count against the rate limit. If authentication credentials are provided, the rate limit status for the authenticating user is returned. Otherwise, the rate limit status for the requester’s IP address is returned.

Return type:JSON object
API.update_profile_image(filename)

Update the authenticating user’s profile image. Valid formats: GIF, JPG, or PNG

Parameters:filename – local path to image file to upload. Not a remote URL!
Return type:User object
API.update_profile_background_image(filename)

Update authenticating user’s background image. Valid formats: GIF, JPG, or PNG

Parameters:filename – local path to image file to upload. Not a remote URL!
Return type:User object
API.update_profile([name][, url][, location][, description])

Sets values that users are able to set under the “Account” tab of their settings page.

Parameters:
  • name – Maximum of 20 characters
  • url – Maximum of 100 characters. Will be prepended with “http://” if not present
  • location – Maximum of 30 characters
  • description – Maximum of 160 characters
Return type:

User object

Favorite Methods

API.favorites([id][, page])

Returns the favorite statuses for the authenticating user or user specified by the ID parameter.

Parameters:
  • id – The ID or screen name of the user to request favorites
  • page – Specifies the page of results to retrieve. Note: there are pagination limits.
Return type:

list of Status objects

API.create_favorite(id)

Favorites the status specified in the ID parameter as the authenticating user.

Parameters:id – The numerical ID of the status.
Return type:Status object
API.destroy_favorite(id)

Un-favorites the status specified in the ID parameter as the authenticating user.

Parameters:id – The numerical ID of the status.
Return type:Status object

Block Methods

API.create_block(id/screen_name/user_id)

Blocks the user specified in the ID parameter as the authenticating user. Destroys a friendship to the blocked user if it exists.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
Return type:

User object

API.destroy_block(id/screen_name/user_id)

Un-blocks the user specified in the ID parameter for the authenticating user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
Return type:

User object

API.blocks([page])

Returns an array of user objects that the authenticating user is blocking.

Parameters:page – Specifies the page of results to retrieve. Note: there are pagination limits.
Return type:list of User objects
API.blocks_ids([cursor])

Returns an array of numeric user ids the authenticating user is blocking.

Parameters:cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:list of Integers

Mute Methods

API.create_mute(id/screen_name/user_id)

Mutes the user specified in the ID parameter for the authenticating user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
Return type:

User object

API.destroy_mute(id/screen_name/user_id)

Un-mutes the user specified in the ID parameter for the authenticating user.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
Return type:

User object

API.mutes([cursor][, include_entities][, skip_status])

Returns an array of user objects the authenticating user has muted.

Parameters:
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
  • include_entities – The entities node will not be included when set to false. Defaults to true.
  • skip_status – When set to either true, t or 1 statuses will not be included in the returned user objects. Defaults to false.
Return type:

list of User objects

API.mutes_ids([cursor])

Returns an array of numeric user ids the authenticating user has muted.

Parameters:cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:list of Integers

Spam Reporting Methods

API.report_spam(id/screen_name/user_id[, perform_block])

The user specified in the id is blocked by the authenticated user and reported as a spammer.

Parameters:
  • id – Specifies the ID or screen name of the user.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • perform_block – A boolean indicating if the reported account should be blocked. Defaults to True.
Return type:

User object

Saved Searches Methods

API.saved_searches()

Returns the authenticated user’s saved search queries.

Return type:list of SavedSearch objects

Retrieve the data for a saved search owned by the authenticating user specified by the given id.

Parameters:id – The id of the saved search to be retrieved.
Return type:SavedSearch object

Creates a saved search for the authenticated user.

Parameters:query – The query of the search the user would like to save.
Return type:SavedSearch object

Destroys a saved search for the authenticated user. The search specified by id must be owned by the authenticating user.

Parameters:id – The id of the saved search to be deleted.
Return type:SavedSearch object

Help Methods

API.search(q[, geocode][, lang][, locale][, result_type][, count][, until][, since_id][, max_id][, include_entities])

Returns tweets that match a specified query.

Parameters:
  • q – the search query string of 500 characters maximum, including operators. Queries may additionally be limited by complexity.
  • geocode – Returns tweets by users located within a given radius of the given latitude/longitude. The location is preferentially taking from the Geotagging API, but will fall back to their Twitter profile. The parameter value is specified by “latitide,longitude,radius”, where radius units must be specified as either “mi” (miles) or “km” (kilometers). Note that you cannot use the near operator via the API to geocode arbitrary locations; however you can use this geocode parameter to search near geocodes directly. A maximum of 1,000 distinct “sub-regions” will be considered when using the radius modifier.
  • lang – Restricts tweets to the given language, given by an ISO 639-1 code. Language detection is best-effort.
  • locale – Specify the language of the query you are sending (only ja is currently effective). This is intended for language-specific consumers and the default should work in the majority of cases.
  • result_type

    Specifies what type of search results you would prefer to receive. The current default is “mixed.” Valid values include:

    • mixed : include both popular and real time results in the response
    • recent : return only the most recent results in the response
    • popular : return only the most popular results in the response
  • count – The number of tweets to return per page, up to a maximum of 100. Defaults to 15.
  • until – Returns tweets created before the given date. Date should be formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. Keep in mind that the search index has a 7-day limit. In other words, no tweets will be found for a date older than one week.
  • since_id – Returns only statuses with an ID greater than (that is, more recent than) the specified ID. There are limits to the number of Tweets which can be accessed through the API. If the limit of Tweets has occured since the since_id, the since_id will be forced to the oldest ID available.
  • max_id – Returns only statuses with an ID less than (that is, older than) or equal to the specified ID.
  • include_entities – The entities node will not be included when set to false. Defaults to true.
Return type:

list of SearchResults objects

List Methods

API.create_list(name[, mode][, description])

Creates a new list for the authenticated user. Note that you can create up to 1000 lists per account.

Parameters:
  • name – The name of the new list.
  • mode – Whether your list is public or private. Values can be public or private. Lists are public by default if no mode is specified.
  • description – The description of the list you are creating.
Return type:

List object

API.destroy_list([owner_screen_name/owner_id, ]list_id/slug)

Deletes the specified list. The authenticated user must own the list to be able to destroy it.

Parameters:
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
Return type:

List object

API.update_list(list_id/slug[, name][, mode][, description][, owner_screen_name/owner_id])

Updates the specified list. The authenticated user must own the list to be able to update it.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • name – The name for the list.
  • mode – Whether your list is public or private. Values can be public or private. Lists are public by default if no mode is specified.
  • description – The description to give the list.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
Return type:

List object

API.lists_all([cursor])

List the lists of the specified user. Private lists will be included if the authenticated users is the same as the user who’s lists are being returned.

Parameters:cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:list of List objects
API.lists_memberships([cursor])

List the lists the specified user has been added to.

Parameters:cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:list of List objects
API.lists_subscriptions([cursor])

List the lists the specified user follows.

Parameters:cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:list of List objects
API.list_timeline(owner, slug[, since_id][, max_id][, count][, page])

Show tweet timeline for members of the specified list.

Parameters:
  • owner – the screen name of the owner of the list
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • since_id – Returns only statuses with an ID greater than (that is, more recent than) the specified ID.
  • max_id – Returns only statuses with an ID less than (that is, older than) or equal to the specified ID.
  • count – Number of results per a page
  • page – Specifies the page of results to retrieve. Note: there are pagination limits.
Return type:

list of Status objects

API.get_list(list_id/slug[, owner_id/owner_screen_name])

Returns the specified list. Private lists will only be shown if the authenticated user owns the specified list.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
Return type:

List object

API.add_list_member(list_id/slug, screen_name/user_id[, owner_id/owner_screen_name])

Add a member to a list. The authenticated user must own the list to be able to add members to it. Lists are limited to 5,000 members.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
Return type:

List object

API.add_list_members(list_id/slug, screen_name/user_id[, owner_id/owner_screen_name])

Add up to 100 members to a list. The authenticated user must own the list to be able to add members to it. Lists are limited to 5,000 members.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • screen_name – A comma separated list of screen names, up to 100 are allowed in a single request
  • user_id – A comma separated list of user IDs, up to 100 are allowed in a single request
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
Return type:

List object

API.remove_list_member(slug, id)

Removes the specified member from the list. The authenticated user must be the list’s owner to remove members from the list.

Parameters:
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • id – the ID of the user to remove as a member
Return type:

List object

API.remove_list_members(list_id/slug, screen_name/user_id[, owner_id/owner_screen_name])

Remove up to 100 members from a list. The authenticated user must own the list to be able to remove members from it. Lists are limited to 5,000 members.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • screen_name – A comma separated list of screen names, up to 100 are allowed in a single request
  • user_id – A comma separated list of user IDs, up to 100 are allowed in a single request
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
Return type:

List object

API.list_members(list_id/slug[, owner_id/owner_screen_name][, cursor])

Returns the members of the specified list.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:

list of User objects

API.show_list_member(list_id/slug, screen_name/user_id[, owner_id/owner_screen_name])

Check if the specified user is a member of the specified list.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
Return type:

User object if user is a member of list

API.subscribe_list(owner, slug)

Make the authenticated user follow the specified list.

Parameters:
  • owner – the screen name of the owner of the list
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
Return type:

List object

API.unsubscribe_list(owner, slug)

Unsubscribes the authenticated user form the specified list.

Parameters:
  • owner – the screen name of the owner of the list
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
Return type:

List object

API.list_subscribers(owner, slug[, cursor])

Returns the subscribers of the specified list.

Parameters:
  • owner – the screen name of the owner of the list
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • cursor – Breaks the results into pages. Provide a value of -1 to begin paging. Provide values as returned to in the response body’s next_cursor and previous_cursor attributes to page back and forth in the list.
Return type:

list of User objects

API.show_list_subscriber(list_id/slug, screen_name/user_id[, owner_id/owner_screen_name])

Check if the specified user is a subscriber of the specified list.

Parameters:
  • list_id – The numerical id of the list.
  • slug – You can identify a list by its slug instead of its numerical id. If you decide to do so, note that you’ll also have to specify the list owner using the owner_id or owner_screen_name parameters.
  • screen_name – Specifies the screen name of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid screen name is also a user ID.
  • user_id – Specifies the ID of the user. Helpful for disambiguating when a valid user ID is also a valid screen name.
  • owner_id – The user ID of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
  • owner_screen_name – The screen name of the user who owns the list being requested by a slug.
Return type:

User object if user is subscribed to list

Geo Methods

API.reverse_geocode([lat][, long][, accuracy][, granularity][, max_results])

Given a latitude and longitude, looks for places (cities and neighbourhoods) whose IDs can be specified in a call to update_status() to appear as the name of the location. This call provides a detailed response about the location in question; the nearby_places() function should be preferred for getting a list of places nearby without great detail.

Parameters:
  • lat – The location’s latitude.
  • long – The location’s longitude.
  • accuracy – Specify the “region” in which to search, such as a number (then this is a radius in meters, but it can also take a string that is suffixed with ft to specify feet). If this is not passed in, then it is assumed to be 0m
  • granularity – Assumed to be `neighborhood’ by default; can also be `city’.
  • max_results – A hint as to the maximum number of results to return. This is only a guideline, which may not be adhered to.
API.reverse_geocode([lat][, long][, ip][, accuracy][, granularity][, max_results])

Given a latitude and longitude, looks for nearby places (cities and neighbourhoods) whose IDs can be specified in a call to update_status() to appear as the name of the location. This call provides a detailed response about the location in question; the nearby_places() function should be preferred for getting a list of places nearby without great detail.

Parameters:
  • lat – The location’s latitude.
  • long – The location’s longitude.
  • ip – The location’s IP address. Twitter will attempt to geolocate using the IP address.
  • accuracy – Specify the “region” in which to search, such as a number (then this is a radius in meters, but it can also take a string that is suffixed with ft to specify feet). If this is not passed in, then it is assumed to be 0m
  • granularity – Assumed to be `neighborhood’ by default; can also be `city’.
  • max_results – A hint as to the maximum number of results to return. This is only a guideline, which may not be adhered to.
API.geo_id(id)

Given id of a place, provide more details about that place.

Parameters:id – Valid Twitter ID of a location.

Utility methods

API.configuration()

Returns the current configuration used by Twitter including twitter.com slugs which are not usernames, maximum photo resolutions, and t.co shortened URL length. It is recommended applications request this endpoint when they are loaded, but no more than once a day.

Media methods

API.media_upload()

Uploads images to twitter and returns a media_id.

Parameters:
  • media – The raw binary file content being uploaded. Cannot be used with media_data.
  • media_data – The base64-encoded file content being uploaded. Cannot be used with media.
  • additional_owners – A comma-separated list of user IDs to set as additional owners allowed to use the returned media_id in Tweets or Cards. Up to 100 additional owners may be specified.

tweepy.error — Exceptions

The exceptions are available in the tweepy module directly, which means tweepy.error itself does not need to be imported. For example, tweepy.error.TweepError is available as tweepy.TweepError.

exception TweepError

The main exception Tweepy uses. Is raised for a number of things.

When a TweepError is raised due to an error Twitter responded with, the error code (as described in the API documentation) can be accessed at TweepError.response.text. Note, however, that TweepErrors also may be raised with other things as message (for example plain error reason strings).

exception RateLimitError

Is raised when an API method fails due to hitting Twitter’s rate limit. Makes for easy handling of the rate limit specifically.

Inherits from TweepError, so except TweepError will catch a RateLimitError too.

Indices and tables