Chicago ATProto Meetup Activities#

Quick hands-on activities to get started with the AT Protocol and Bluesky API.

Setup (5 minutes)#

1. Create a Bluesky account at https://bsky.app
2. Generate an app password: Settings → App Passwords → Add
3. Install Bun (if needed): curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
4. Clone this repo and install dependencies:

   git clone <this-repo>
   cd atproto-meetup
   bun install
   

5. Create .env file with your credentials:

   BSKY_USERNAME=your-handle.bsky.social
   BSKY_PASSWORD=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
   

Activities#

Activity 1a: Hello World (5 minutes)#

bun activities/01a-hello-world.js

Posts a simple message to Bluesky.

Activity 1b: Emoji Art Generator (10 minutes)#

bun activities/01b-emoji-art.js

Creates a random emoji art grid and posts it.

Activity 2: Rich Text with Links & Hashtags (10 minutes)#

bun activities/02-rich-text.js

Demonstrates auto-detection of links and hashtags in posts.

Activity 3: Real-time Firehose with Jetstream (15 minutes)#

bun activities/03-feed-generator.js

Connect to Bluesky's Jetstream service to see real-time posts with #ATProtoChicago. Uses simple JSON instead of complex binary formats!

Activity 4: Local Post Filter (15 minutes)#

bun activities/05-post-filter.js

Build a local feed algorithm that filters your timeline for Chicago/ATProto posts.

Activity 5: Profile Updater (10 minutes)#

bun activities/04-profile-updater.js

Updates your profile description with a timestamp.

Starter Template#

Use starter-template.js to build your own ideas:

bun starter-template.js

Tips#

• All scripts use Bun's built-in TypeScript support
• The AT Protocol API docs: https://atproto.com
• View your posts at: https://bsky.app/profile/YOUR-HANDLE
• Use #ATProtoChicago to find other meetup participants!

Common Issues#

• "Invalid identifier or password": Make sure you're using an app password, not your main password
• Rate limits: The API has rate limits, wait a minute if you hit them
• Module not found: Run the scripts from the repo root directory
• WebSocket errors: The firehose can be flaky, just restart if it disconnects

What's Next?#

• Build a full feed generator: https://github.com/bluesky-social/feed-generator
• Explore the AT Protocol specs: https://atproto.com/specs
• Join the Bluesky developer community: https://github.com/bluesky-social/atproto/discussions