xdk-python

name: xdk-python description: Use this skill when implementing or debugging Python integrations with the official X XDK, including auth setup, endpoint usage, pagination, and streaming.

XDK Python

Use This Skill When

• The user wants to build or fix Python code that talks to X API v2 via xdk.
• The task includes authentication setup (Bearer token, OAuth 2.0 PKCE, or OAuth 1.0a).
• The task needs pagination or filtered stream handling.
• The user wants to migrate raw HTTP requests to the official SDK.

Canonical Sources

• Overview
• Install
• Quickstart
• Authentication
• Pagination
• Streaming

Baseline Setup

• Runtime: Python 3.8+.
• Install: pip install xdk.
• Import client: from xdk import Client.

Bearer-token quick start:

from xdk import Client

client = Client(bearer_token="YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN")

for page in client.posts.search_recent(query="api", max_results=10):
    if page.data:
        first_post = page.data[0]
        text = first_post.text if hasattr(first_post, "text") else first_post.get("text", "")
        print(text)
        break

Authentication Decision Guide

1. Bearer token (app-only): read-only and app-context endpoints.
2. OAuth 2.0 PKCE: user-authorized access with scopes (recommended for modern user-context flows).
3. OAuth 1.0a: legacy user-context operations when required by endpoint or existing integration.

Use environment variables for all secrets/tokens. Do not hardcode credentials in source files.

Working Pattern

1. Identify endpoint and required permission scope/context.
2. Instantiate one Client with the correct auth mode.
3. Execute API call with explicit parameters (max_results, fields, expansions as needed).
4. Handle paginated iterators until data target is reached.
5. Add retry/backoff strategy for transient failures and rate limits.
6. For streaming, run a long-lived process and define clear shutdown behavior.

Pagination Patterns

Automatic pagination (recommended):

all_posts = []
for page in client.posts.search_recent(query="python", max_results=100):
    if page.data:
        all_posts.extend(page.data)

Manual page token flow (when custom control is needed):

first_page = next(client.posts.search_recent(query="python", max_results=100, pagination_token=None))
next_token = getattr(getattr(first_page, "meta", None), "next_token", None)
if next_token:
    second_page = next(client.posts.search_recent(query="python", max_results=100, pagination_token=next_token))

Streaming Pattern

Before consuming stream results, ensure stream rules are configured for your filter criteria.

from xdk import Client

client = Client(bearer_token="YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN")

for post_response in client.stream.posts():
    payload = post_response.model_dump() if hasattr(post_response, "model_dump") else dict(post_response)
    data = payload.get("data")
    if data:
        print(data.get("text", ""))

Troubleshooting Checklist

• 401: invalid/expired token or wrong auth type for endpoint.
• 403: app permissions/scopes do not cover requested operation.
• 429: rate-limited; back off and retry.
• Empty results: verify query/rules and inspect response meta.

Implementation Notes

• Prefer SDK methods over hand-built HTTP calls for correctness and maintainability.
• Keep endpoint naming exact (client.posts.search_recent, client.stream.posts, etc.).
• Validate code against current docs and changelog when behavior is unexpected.