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Crier: Cross-Post Your Content Everywhere

3 min read Updated:
python cli automation opensource

I’ve published crier to PyPI - a command-line tool for cross-posting content to multiple platforms simultaneously.

Like a town crier announcing news across the land, crier broadcasts your content to dev.to, Hashnode, Medium, Ghost, WordPress, Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, Telegram, Discord, and more.

Quick Start

pip install crier
cd your-blog
crier init

The init command walks you through setup: detecting content directories, configuring platforms with API keys.

The Workflow

  1. Your markdown posts with YAML front matter are the source of truth
  2. .crier/registry.yaml tracks what’s published where
  3. crier audit shows what’s missing or changed
  4. crier publish publishes content
# See what needs publishing
crier audit

# Publish to multiple platforms
crier publish post.md --to devto --to bluesky --to mastodon

# Bulk publish everything missing
crier audit --publish --yes

LLM-Powered Auto-Rewrite

The star feature: short-form platforms like Bluesky (300 chars) and Mastodon (500 chars) need custom summaries. Crier generates these automatically using any OpenAI-compatible LLM:

# Auto-generate short-form content
crier publish post.md --to bluesky --to mastodon --auto-rewrite

# Bulk publish with auto-rewrite
crier audit --publish --auto-rewrite --yes

Simplest setup: If you have OPENAI_API_KEY set, it just works (defaults to gpt-4o-mini).

Or use local models:

# ~/.config/crier/config.yaml
llm:
  base_url: http://localhost:11434/v1  # Ollama
  model: llama3

The LLM generates platform-appropriate summaries that fit within character limits, with automatic retry if output is too long.

Supported Platforms

PlatformTypeNotes
dev.toBlogFull article support
HashnodeBlogFull article support
MediumBlogPublish/import mode
GhostBlogFull article support
WordPressBlogSelf-hosted or .com
ButtondownNewsletterEmail subscribers
BlueskySocialPosts with link cards
MastodonSocialToots with hashtags
ThreadsSocialShort posts
LinkedInSocialProfessional network
Twitter/XSocialCopy-paste mode
TelegramChannelBot posts
DiscordChannelWebhook embeds

Bulk Operations with Filters

The audit command supports powerful filtering for targeted bulk operations:

# API platforms only (skip manual/import)
crier audit --publish --yes --only-api

# Long-form only (skip short-form social)
crier audit --publish --yes --long-form

# Random sample of 5 articles
crier audit --publish --yes --sample 5

# Filter by path and date
crier audit content/post --since 1m --only-api --publish --yes

# Combine filters
crier audit content/post --since 1w --only-api --long-form --sample 10 --publish --yes
FilterDescription
[PATH]Only scan specific directory
--sinceOnly content from this date (1d, 1w, 1m, or YYYY-MM-DD)
--only-apiSkip manual/import platforms
--long-formSkip short-form social platforms
--sample NRandom sample of N items
--auto-rewriteGenerate short-form content with LLM

Profiles

Group platforms into reusable profiles:

# ~/.config/crier/config.yaml
profiles:
  blogs: [devto, hashnode, medium]
  social: [bluesky, mastodon]
  everything: [blogs, social]  # Profiles can reference other profiles

Then use: crier publish post.md --profile everything

Claude Code Integration

Crier is designed to work with Claude Code. Install the skill:

crier skill install

Then just ask naturally:

  • “Cross-post my latest article to all platforms”
  • “What articles haven’t been published to Bluesky?”
  • “Publish this post to Mastodon with a good announcement”

Claude automatically follows the workflow: audit, select, publish (with rewrites for short-form platforms).

Configuration

Global config (~/.config/crier/config.yaml): API keys, profiles, LLM settings

platforms:
  devto:
    api_key: your_key_here
  bluesky:
    api_key: "handle.bsky.social:app-password"
  twitter:
    api_key: manual  # Copy-paste mode

llm:
  api_key: sk-...  # Or set OPENAI_API_KEY env var

Local config (.crier/config.yaml): Project settings

content_paths:
  - content
site_base_url: https://yoursite.com
default_profile: everything

CLI Reference

# Setup
crier init                              # Interactive setup
crier config show                       # View configuration
crier doctor                            # Verify API keys

# Publishing
crier publish FILE --to PLATFORM        # Publish to platform(s)
crier publish FILE --auto-rewrite       # With LLM-generated short-form
crier audit                             # See what needs publishing
crier audit --publish --yes             # Bulk publish all missing
crier audit --publish --auto-rewrite    # Bulk publish with LLM rewrites

# Management
crier list PLATFORM                     # List your articles
crier status [FILE]                     # Show publication status

# Claude Code
crier skill install                     # Install the skill

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