I recently started using Meta Threads and saw someone complaining that Meta should create a widget for certain stats. I replied, saying it should be possible using the Scriptable app. Long story short, I decided to dive into this rabbit hole and create some widgets for Meta Threads.
I'll be creating two widgets:
- Main widget: Follower counts and profile visitors (today and yesterday)
- Secondary widget: View counts for the latest post
We'll use the Scriptable app, which you can download free from the iOS App Store.
Step 1: Set Up the Meta App
Go to Meta for Developers and create an app. The setup process is mostly straightforward ("next-next-next").
Select "I don’t want to connect a business portfolio yet."
Then choose "Access the Threads API".
Enter your app name and email:
Click "Go to Dashboard".
In dashboard settings, continue with more straightforward steps.
First, select permissions under "Access the Threads API"—specifically threads_basic and threads_manage_insights:
Then click "Test Use Cases", followed by "Finish Customization".
Step 2: Add Roles
Navigate to "App Roles" → "Roles".
Click "Add People", select "Threads Tester", and add yourself:
Open the Threads app with your user account, then navigate to Settings → Account → Website Permissions → Invites and accept the invite:
Step 3: Get an Access Token
Visit Facebook Developer Explorer and select "threads.net", then click "Generate Threads Access Token".
Click "Continue" in the pop-up. Your token will appear in the Access Token field.
Validate your token with the Access Token Debugger to ensure it works correctly.
Step 4: Exchange for a Long-Lived Token
Exchange your short-lived token (expires in 60 minutes) for a long-lived token (valid for two months). Follow instructions from Meta Documentation on Long-Lived Tokens using this command:
curl -s -X GET "https://graph.threads.net/access_token?grant_type=th_exchange_token&client_secret=<THREADS_APP_SECRET>&access_token=<SHORT_LIVED_ACCESS_TOKEN>"
To find your THREADS_APP_SECRET, go to your app's settings (App Settings → Basic) on Facebook Apps Dashboard:
Use this secret in the curl command above. Recheck your new long-lived token with the Access Token Debugger.
Step 5: Save Your Long-Lived Token to iCloud
Our scripts will need to access your token and refresh it too. First, we need to store your token in iCloud, so later our scripts can use it. Run this script just once with Scriptable, and later the main widget script will handle future token refreshes automatically.
Step 6: Building Your Widgets
We'll build two widgets using Scriptable:
- A main widget displaying followers count and profile visitors (today/yesterday).
- A secondary widget showing view counts of your latest post.
Main Widget Endpoints:
- Followers:
https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/me/threads_insights?metric=followers_count&access_token=YOUR_TOKEN - Profile Visitors:
https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/me/threads_insights?metric=views&access_token=YOUR_TOKEN
Full code:
Main Widget Code (Gist)
Secondary Widget Endpoints:
Fetch latest threads: https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/me/threads?fields=id,text,views&access_token=YOUR_TOKEN
Retrieve stats for latest thread:https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/${postId}/insights?metric=likes,replies,views&access_token=YOUR_TOKEN
Full code:
Secondary Widget Code (Gist)
Originally published at Cyberpunk Tools Blog.
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