I built xmaster because I wanted my AI agents to handle X for me; find interesting posts in my niche, draft replies in my voice, track what's working, and make the whole experience less of a chore. Not for spamming or automation theatre; just a more convenient way to stay engaged when you'd rather be building things.
A single Rust binary with two search backends (X API v2 + xAI/Grok), structured JSON output for agents, and pre-flight intelligence that catches bad posts before they go out.
Why xmaster
Most X tools make you pick between the official API and scraping. xmaster gives you both; plus the bits nobody else builds.
- Two search backends — X API v2 for structured queries. xAI/Grok for "find me interesting posts about longevity from today." Use whichever fits.
- Agent-friendly — JSON output, semantic exit codes, machine-readable
agent-infowith measurement coverage (measurable/proxy/blind signals) and workflow handoffs. Auto-JSON when piped. - Action-centric pre-flight — Estimates 9 proxy signals aligned with the 2026 X algorithm (reply, quote, profile_click, follow_author, share_via_dm, dwell, media_expand, negative_risk) and scores per goal (replies, quotes, shares, follows, impressions). Context-aware for replies, quotes, and media posts.
- Engagement intelligence — Adaptive opportunity scoring for reply targets based on reciprocity, ROI, size fit, and topicality. Reply style classification (question, data point, counterpoint, anecdote, humor) with outcome tracking.
- Reply bypass — X blocks programmatic replies to strangers. xmaster handles it automatically via web session fallback. You just run
replyand it works. - Writing style — Save how you write. Your agent drafts in your voice, not generic AI slop.
- Single binary — ~8MB Rust binary, fast startup. No Python, no Node, no Docker.
Install
One-liner (macOS / Linux):
|
Homebrew:
Cargo (crates.io):
Cargo (from source):
Quick Start
# 1. Get your X API keys from https://developer.x.com
# You need: API Key, API Secret, Access Token, Access Token Secret
# 2. Configure credentials
# 3. (Optional) Add xAI key for AI-powered search
# 4. Verify setup
# 5. (Optional) Enable reply fallback — auto-captures cookies from your browser
# 6. (Optional) Set your writing style — agents will write in your voice
# 7. (Optional) Enable X Premium features (25k char limit instead of 280)
# 8. Post
Commands
Posting & Engagement
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
post |
Post (text, media, reply, quote, poll) | xmaster post "Hello world" |
reply |
Reply to a post (auto-bypasses API restrictions) | xmaster reply 1234567890 "Great point" |
thread |
Post a multi-tweet thread | xmaster thread "First" "Second" "Third" |
delete |
Delete a post | xmaster delete 1234567890 |
like |
Like a tweet (ID or URL) | xmaster like 1234567890 |
unlike |
Unlike a tweet | xmaster unlike 1234567890 |
retweet |
Retweet a tweet | xmaster retweet 1234567890 |
unretweet |
Undo a retweet | xmaster unretweet 1234567890 |
bookmark |
Bookmark a tweet | xmaster bookmark 1234567890 |
unbookmark |
Remove a bookmark | xmaster unbookmark 1234567890 |
Social Graph
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
follow |
Follow a user | xmaster follow elonmusk |
unfollow |
Unfollow a user | xmaster unfollow elonmusk |
followers |
List a user's followers | xmaster followers elonmusk -c 50 |
following |
List who a user follows | xmaster following elonmusk -c 50 |
Reading Posts
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
read |
Full post lookup (text, author, date, metrics, media) | xmaster read 1234567890 |
replies |
Get all replies/comments on a post | xmaster replies 1234567890 -c 30 |
metrics |
Detailed engagement metrics | xmaster metrics 1234567890 |
timeline |
View home or user timeline | xmaster timeline --user elonmusk --since 24h --sort impressions |
mentions |
View your mentions | xmaster mentions -c 20 |
user |
Get user profile info | xmaster user elonmusk |
me |
Get your own profile info | xmaster me |
followers |
List your followers | xmaster followers longevityboris -c 100 |
following |
List who you follow | xmaster following longevityboris |
The read command returns everything about a post in one call: author, full text, date, likes, retweets, replies, impressions, bookmarks, and media URLs. Accepts tweet IDs or full x.com URLs.
Bookmark Intelligence
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
bookmarks list |
List recent bookmarks | xmaster bookmarks list -c 20 |
bookmarks sync |
Archive bookmarks locally (survives tweet deletion) | xmaster bookmarks sync -c 200 |
bookmarks search |
Search archived bookmarks | xmaster bookmarks search "longevity" |
bookmarks export |
Export as markdown | xmaster bookmarks export -o bookmarks.md |
bookmarks digest |
Weekly bookmark summary | xmaster bookmarks digest -d 7 |
bookmarks stats |
Bookmark statistics | xmaster bookmarks stats |
The sync command archives bookmark content locally in SQLite. Even if the original tweet gets deleted, your local copy survives. Local search is instant, and the digest helps you actually read what you save. Sync regularly to keep your archive fresh.
Engagement Intelligence
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
engage recommend |
Find high-ROI reply targets in your niche | xmaster engage recommend --topic "longevity biotech" -c 10 |
engage feed |
Fresh posts from big accounts to reply to now | xmaster engage feed "AI agents" --min-followers 5000 |
engage watchlist add |
Track an account without following | xmaster engage watchlist add elonmusk --topic "tech" |
engage watchlist list |
List watched accounts | xmaster engage watchlist list |
Replies are estimated ~20x a like and DM shares ~25x (2026 algorithm estimates). engage recommend uses an opportunity scorer that ranks targets by reciprocity, reply ROI, size fit (adaptive to your follower count), topicality, and freshness. engage feed finds fresh posts to reply to, scored by opportunity — not just recency. Reply styles are classified (question, data point, counterpoint, anecdote, humor) and tracked for outcome analysis.
Search
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
search |
Search tweets (X API v2) | xmaster search "rust lang" --mode recent |
search-ai |
AI-powered search (xAI/Grok) | xmaster search-ai "latest AI news" |
trending |
Get trending topics (xAI) | xmaster trending --region US |
Direct Messages
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
dm send |
Send a DM | xmaster dm send alice "Hey!" |
dm inbox |
View DM inbox | xmaster dm inbox -c 20 |
dm thread |
View a DM conversation | xmaster dm thread CONV_ID |
Scheduling
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
schedule add |
Schedule a post for later | xmaster schedule add "text" --at "2026-03-24 09:00" |
schedule add --at auto |
Auto-pick best posting time | xmaster schedule add "text" --at auto |
schedule list |
List scheduled posts | xmaster schedule list --status pending |
schedule cancel |
Cancel a scheduled post | xmaster schedule cancel sched_abc123 |
schedule reschedule |
Change post time | xmaster schedule reschedule sched_abc --at "2026-03-25 10:00" |
schedule fire |
Execute due posts (cron) | xmaster schedule fire |
schedule setup |
Install launchd auto-scheduler | xmaster schedule setup |
Posts are stored locally in SQLite — no X Ads API needed, pure local scheduling. The launchd daemon fires every 5 minutes on macOS. Use --at auto to let xmaster pick the best posting time from your engagement history. Missed schedules are handled with a 5-minute grace period.
Pre-Flight Intelligence
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
analyze |
Score a post before publishing | xmaster analyze "your text" --goal replies |
suggest best-time |
Best posting time from history | xmaster suggest best-time |
suggest next-post |
Cannibalization guard | xmaster suggest next-post |
report daily |
Daily performance digest | xmaster report daily |
report weekly |
Weekly performance digest | xmaster report weekly |
track run |
Snapshot recent post metrics | xmaster track run |
track followers |
Track follower changes (new/lost) | xmaster track followers |
track growth |
Follower growth history | xmaster track growth -d 30 |
engage recommend |
Find high-ROI reply targets | xmaster engage recommend --topic "AI" -c 10 |
inspire |
Browse discovered posts library | xmaster inspire --topic "longevity" --min-likes 50 |
Discovered Posts Library
Every search, timeline view, and post read automatically caches posts into a local SQLite library — zero extra API calls. Over time, this builds a personal collection of posts from your niche.
Lists
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
lists create |
Create a list | xmaster lists create "AI Builders" |
lists add |
Add user to a list | xmaster lists add LIST_ID username |
lists timeline |
View a list's timeline | xmaster lists timeline LIST_ID |
lists mine |
View your lists | xmaster lists mine |
Moderation
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
block |
Block a user | xmaster block spammer123 |
unblock |
Unblock a user | xmaster unblock username |
mute |
Mute a user | xmaster mute username |
unmute |
Unmute a user | xmaster unmute username |
hide-reply |
Hide a reply to your post | xmaster hide-reply 1234567890 |
unhide-reply |
Unhide a reply | xmaster unhide-reply 1234567890 |
System
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
config show |
Show config (keys masked) | xmaster config show |
config get |
Get a single config value | xmaster config get style.voice |
config set |
Set a config value | xmaster config set keys.api_key KEY |
config check |
Validate credentials | xmaster config check |
config web-login |
Auto-capture browser cookies (reply fallback) | xmaster config web-login |
config auth |
OAuth 2.0 PKCE (for bookmarks) | xmaster config auth |
agent-info |
Machine-readable capabilities + algorithm weights | xmaster agent-info |
rate-limits |
Check API quota status | xmaster rate-limits |
update |
Self-update from GitHub releases | xmaster update |
star |
Open GitHub repo to star it | xmaster star |
Global Flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--json |
Force JSON output (auto-enabled when piped) |
Post Options
# Reply to a tweet
# Quote tweet
# Attach media (up to 4 files)
# Create a poll (24h default)
# Poll with custom duration (minutes)
# Tweet ID or URL both work for engagement commands
Search Options
# X API v2 search with mode
# AI-powered search with date filters
# Trending topics
For AI Agents
xmaster is built for AI agents from day one. Every command supports --json and structured error codes.
JSON Output
# Force JSON output
# Auto-JSON when piped
|
Success envelope:
Error envelope:
Exit Codes
| Code | Meaning | Agent Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Success | Process results |
| 1 | Runtime error | Retry might help |
| 2 | Config error | Fix configuration |
| 3 | Auth missing | Set API key |
| 4 | Rate limited | Back off and retry |
Agent Discovery
# Machine-readable capabilities, algorithm weights, and measurement coverage
Returns: 64 commands, 18 capabilities, 15 algorithm signal weights, measurement coverage (7 measurable, 6 proxy-only, 9 blind), 5 workflow handoffs, and writing style config.
Pre-flight Analysis
# Proxy-signal estimation aligned with 2026 X algorithm
Returns per-signal proxy scores (reply, quote, profile_click, follow_author, share_via_dm, dwell, media_expand, negative_risk) and per-goal scores (replies, quotes, shares, follows, impressions 0-100), plus lint issues and suggestions.
Integration Example (Claude Code Skill)
# In a Claude Code skill, xmaster works seamlessly:
RESULT=
|
# Or for posting:
Configuration
Config file lives at ~/.config/xmaster/config.toml on all platforms.
Override with XMASTER_CONFIG_DIR env var.
Environment Variables
Environment variables override the config file. Prefix XMASTER_ with double underscore __ for nesting:
Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CLI Layer │
│ clap + comfy-table (--json / human) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Command Router + Pre-flight │
│ Analyze, score, cannibalization guard │
├──────────┬──────────────┬───────────────────┤
│ X API v2 │ xAI / Grok │ Web GraphQL │
│(OAuth1.0a│(Bearer token)│ (Cookie auth + │
│ Post,Like│ AI search, │ transaction ID) │
│ RT, DM, │ Trending, │ Reply fallback │
│ Search, │ Semantic │ when API blocks │
│ Timeline)│ search │ replies │
├──────────┴──────────────┴───────────────────┤
│ Rate Limiter │ Intel Store │ Scheduler │
│ (header-based)│ (SQLite) │ (launchd) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Config (figment) │
│ TOML + env vars + browser cookies │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Design Decisions
- OAuth 1.0a signing — X API v2 authentication via
reqwest-oauth1. - Dual search —
searchuses X API v2 (structured, filterable).search-aiuses xAI/Grok (semantic, AI-powered). - Rate-limit aware — Parses
x-rate-limit-*headers and backs off automatically when hitting API quotas. - Auto-JSON detection — Output is JSON when piped, human-readable tables when in a terminal.
- URL or ID — Engagement commands accept both tweet URLs and raw IDs.
- Media uploads — Chunked upload flow with base64 encoding for images and video.
Rate Limits
xmaster respects X API v2 rate limits by parsing response headers and backing off when needed:
| Endpoint | Rate Limit |
|---|---|
| POST /tweets | 200 / 15 min (user) |
| GET /tweets/search | 450 / 15 min (app) |
| POST /likes | 200 / 15 min (user) |
| POST /retweets | 300 / 15 min (user) |
| GET /dm_conversations | 300 / 15 min (user) |
When rate limited, xmaster returns exit code 4 with a structured error including retry guidance.
Updating
Building from Source
# Binary at target/release/xmaster
Works With
- Claude Code — as a native skill or bash tool
- OpenClaw — as a skill (
skills/xmaster) - Any AI agent that can shell out and parse JSON
License
MIT
Built by Boris Djordjevic at 199 Biotechnologies. Building longevity tools, pet health AI, and open source CLIs. Follow along on X.