Twitter Following Dumper

twitter-following-dumper.js

/**
 * twitter-following-dumper
 * 
 * output format is json { uid: string <user id>, handle: string <handle> }
 * 
 * usage:
 * - open chrome devtools
 * - go to networking tab
 * - go to https://twitter.com/following
 * - scroll to the bottom of the page
 * - right click any request -> "save all as har with content"
 * - place in ./twitter.com.har
 * - run script
 */

const fs = require("fs");
const path = require("path");

const harDump = (() => {
    if (!fs.existsSync(path.join(__dirname, "twitter.com.har"))) {
        console.error("input file ./twitter.com.har not found")
        process.exit(1);
    }
    
    const harDumpRaw = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, "twitter.com.har"));
    
    let harDump = null;
    try {
        harDump = JSON.parse(harDumpRaw);
    } catch (e) {
        console.error("failed to parse har dump")
        process.exit(2);
    }

    return harDump;
})();

const results = [];

for (const harEntry of harDump.log.entries) {
    if (!harEntry.request.url.includes("Following?variables=")) continue;
    if (harEntry.response.content.size === 0) continue;

    const dataSet = JSON.parse(harEntry.response.content.text);

    if (dataSet.data === undefined) continue;

    // iterate over timeline data
    for (const instruction of dataSet.data.user.following_timeline.timeline.instructions) {
        if (instruction.entries === undefined) continue;

        // iterate over entries
        for (const entry of instruction.entries) {
            if (entry.content.itemContent === undefined) continue;

            // extract user id and handle
            const uid = entry.content.itemContent.user.rest_id;
            const handle = entry.content.itemContent.user.legacy.screen_name;

            // entry was already logged
            if (results.find(e => e.uid === uid)) continue;

            results.push({ uid, handle });

            console.log(`found ${handle} (${uid})`);
        }
    }
}

console.log(`dumped ${results.length} entries`)

// create results directory if neccessary
if (!fs.existsSync(path.join(__dirname, "results"))) fs.mkdirSync(path.join(__dirname, "results"))

// write the results
fs.writeFileSync(path.join(__dirname, "results", `twitter-following-${Date.now()}.json`), JSON.stringify(results));