CamelCamelCamel Alerts

Monitor CamelCamelCamel price drop alerts via RSS and send Telegram notifications when items go on sale. Use when setting up automatic price tracking for Amazon products with CamelCamelCamel price alerts.

Security Scan

The skill's code and instructions mostly match the stated purpose (monitor an RSS feed and print alerts) but there are inconsistencies and missing dependency declarations that could cause incorrect behavior or unexpected data flow—review before installing.

Purpose & Capability

The skill's name/description (monitor CamelCamelCamel RSS and notify via Telegram) aligns with the included scripts: fetch_rss.py fetches/parses the RSS and notify.sh formats alerts. However the manifest declares no required binaries or env vars while the runtime relies on python3, jq, cron, and a Clawdbot 'message' mechanism (not declared). This mismatch is unexpected but not necessarily malicious.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md and SETUP.md have slightly different example cron commands: the SETUP.md pipeline pipes fetch_rss.py output through `jq '.alerts'` into notify.sh (expected), but the simpler Quick Start cron example in SKILL.md runs fetch_rss.py alone (no notify.sh). notify.sh expects a JSON array on stdin and uses `jq`; it emits lines like 'ALERT|title|message|link' and assumes an outer process will deliver those via Clawdbot. The scripts only touch /tmp/camelcamelcamel/cache.json for caching and the provided feed URL, and do not read other system files or env vars—so scope is narrow—but the reliance on external piping and an implicit 'message' tool is under-specified and grants the outer system responsibility for final delivery.

Install Mechanism

Instruction-only with small scripts; no installer or remote downloads. No files are written by an installer. This is the lower-risk pattern for installation.

Credentials

No credentials or environment variables are requested in the manifest, which is proportional to the stated purpose. However the skill assumes Clawdbot/host already has Telegram configured (token stored elsewhere) and that utilities like `jq` and `python3` exist. Also, notify.sh prints message lines expecting an external delivery mechanism rather than directly using a Telegram token—this is reasonable but should be understood by the user.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always: true, does not modify other skills, and only uses a local cache in /tmp/camelcamelcamel/cache.json. It does not request elevated privileges or persistent system-wide changes.

What to consider before installing

This skill appears to implement its stated purpose, but review a few things before installing: - Dependencies: The package declares no required binaries, but runtime needs: python3, jq, cron, and a working Clawdbot/host message delivery tool (Telegram must already be configured in Clawdbot). Ensure those are installed and available in PATH. - Cron examples mismatch: The Quick Start example in SKILL.md runs only fetch_rss.py; the SETUP.md example pipes the output through `jq '.alerts'` into scripts/notify.sh. Use the SETUP.md pipeline so notify.sh receives the JSON array it expects. - Cache reliability: fetch_rss.py uses Python's built-in hash() on strings to create cache keys. Python's str hash is randomized per process and can change between runs, which will likely cause duplicate notifications. Consider modifying the script to use a stable hash (e.g., hashlib.sha256) if you want reliable deduplication. - Data flow and delivery: notify.sh does not itself call Telegram’s API; it outputs formatted lines ('ALERT|...') and assumes the caller will route them to Clawdbot's messaging tool. Confirm how your environment picks up those lines and delivers messages, and verify that the message delivery tool stores tokens securely. - Input sanitation: The scripts include feed-provided titles/descriptions directly in messages. While expected for notifications, be aware that feed content could include unexpected characters or formatting. If you host this on a shared system, avoid using another user’s feed URL. - Permissions & cache location: The cache is stored under /tmp. If you need persistence across reboots, move it to a persistent directory and ensure appropriate file permissions. If you accept the above (install jq/python3, fix the hash function if desired, and wire up message delivery securely), the skill is functionally coherent. If you do not want to trust implicit delivery tooling or want reliable deduplication, request or implement the code changes before enabling automatic cron runs.

Automatically monitor your CamelCamelCamel RSS feed for Amazon price drops and get notified on Telegram.

Quick Start

1. Get your RSS feed URL from CamelCamelCamel:

   • Go to https://camelcamelcamel.com/ and set up price alerts
   • Get your personal RSS feed URL (format: https://camelcamelcamel.com/alerts/YOUR_UNIQUE_ID.xml)

2. Create a cron job with YOUR feed URL (not someone else's!):

cron add \
  --job '{
    "name": "camelcamelcamel-monitor",
    "schedule": "0 */12 * * *",
    "task": "Monitor CamelCamelCamel price alerts",
    "command": "python3 /path/to/scripts/fetch_rss.py https://camelcamelcamel.com/alerts/YOUR_UNIQUE_ID.xml"
  }'

Important: Replace YOUR_UNIQUE_ID with your own feed ID from step 1. Each person needs their own feed URL!

3. Clawdbot will:
   • Fetch your feed every 4 hours
   • Detect new price alerts
   • Send you Telegram notifications

How It Works

The skill uses two components:

scripts/fetch_rss.py

• Fetches your CamelCamelCamel RSS feed
• Parses price alert items
• Compares against local cache to find new alerts
• Outputs JSON with new items detected
• Caches item hashes to avoid duplicate notifications

Cron Integration

• Runs on a schedule you define
• Triggers fetch_rss.py
• Can be configured to run hourly, every 4 hours, daily, etc.

Setup & Configuration

See SETUP.md for:

• How to get your CamelCamelCamel RSS feed URL
• Step-by-step cron configuration
• Customizing check frequency
• Cache management
• Troubleshooting

Alert Cache

The script maintains a cache at /tmp/camelcamelcamel/cache.json to track which alerts have been notified. This prevents duplicate notifications.

Clear the cache to re-test notifications:

rm /tmp/camelcamelcamel/cache.json

Notification Format

When a new price drop is detected, you'll receive a Telegram message like:

🛒 *Price Alert*

*PRODUCT NAME - $XX.XX (Down from $YY.YY)*

Current price: $XX.XX
Historical low: $ZZ.ZZ
Last checked: [timestamp]

View on Amazon: [link]

Customization

Check Frequency

Adjust the cron schedule (6th parameter in the schedule field):

• 0 * * * * → every hour
• 0 */4 * * * → every 4 hours (default)
• 0 */6 * * * → every 6 hours
• 0 0 * * * → daily

Message Format

Edit scripts/notify.sh to customize the Telegram message layout and emoji.

Technical Details

• Language: Python 3 (built-in libraries only)
• Cache: JSON file at /tmp/camelcamelcamel/cache.json
• Feed Format: Standard RSS/XML
• Dependencies: None beyond Python standard library
• Timeout: 10 seconds per feed fetch

Troubleshooting

If you're not receiving notifications:

1. Verify the feed URL works in your browser
2. Check the cron job exists: cron list
3. Test manually:

   python3 scripts/fetch_rss.py <YOUR_FEED_URL> /tmp/camelcamelcamel
   

4. Clear the cache to reset:

   rm /tmp/camelcamelcamel/cache.json
   

5. Check Telegram is configured in Clawdbot

See SETUP.md for more details.