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# YouTube Chat Listener (Version 2) - Project Progress Log
This document chronicles the key steps, findings, and decisions made during the development and research phases of the YouTube Chat Listener (Version 2) project.
## Initial State
* Existing `youtube_chat_terminal` project used YouTube Data API v3 polling.
* Concerns about API quota exhaustion led to the conception of `youtube-chat-webhook-v2`.
## Research Phase - Initial Plan (gRPC Misconception)
* **Goal:** Find a quota-friendly, compliant solution.
* **Initial Hypothesis:** `liveChatMessages.streamList` (gRPC) was believed to be the ideal solution.
* **Action:** A detailed "Deep Research Plan" was outlined in `README.md` and `DEVELOPMENT_PLAN.md`.
* **Finding:** Subsequent research (via `google_web_search`) revealed that `liveChatMessages.streamList` (gRPC) is **not publicly available** for the YouTube Data API v3. This was a critical correction to the initial understanding.
## Research Phase - Revised Plan (Focus on Sustainability & `pytchat`)
* **Goal:** Identify a sustainable, quota-friendly, compliant, open-source, Linux-compatible method for real-time YouTube Live Chat, explicitly ruling out API quota increases.
* **Revised Strategy:** Shifted focus to:
* Deep dive into YouTube's web client communication.
* Re-exploration of YouTube Data API v3 (creative use).
* Community solutions and open-source projects.
* Re-evaluation of third-party services.
* **Action:** `README.md` and `DEVELOPMENT_PLAN.md` were updated to reflect this revised plan.
## Experimental Implementation - `pytchat` Exploration
* **Objective:** Experiment with `pytchat` as a direct (but risky) solution for zero-quota live chat fetching.
* **Action:** Installed `pytchat` and created `pytchat_listener.py` for basic chat fetching and display.
* **Status:** `pytchat_listener.py` is working as expected.
* **Internal Mechanism Analysis of `pytchat`:**
* **Endpoint:** `POST https://www.youtube.com/youtubei/v1/live_chat/get_live_chat` (internal, undocumented API).
* **Authentication/Session:** Relies on mimicking browser headers (`User-Agent`), `visitorData` (extracted from previous responses), dynamically generated `clientVersion`, and `httpx.Client`'s automatic cookie handling.
* **Continuation Token:** Complex, encoded parameter generated using custom Protocol Buffers-like encoding and timestamps.
* **Channel ID Discovery:** Performs lightweight scraping of YouTube's `embed` or `m.youtube.com` pages using regex.
* **Implications:** Highly fragile (subject to breaking), **critical compliance risk** (violates YouTube's Terms of Service).
* **Action:** `DEVELOPMENT_PLAN.md` was updated with these findings.
## Next Steps
* Proceed with "Integration with `rich` Display" as outlined in `DEVELOPMENT_PLAN.md`.
* Continue with other phases of the revised research plan, keeping the compliance and fragility risks of `pytchat` in mind.