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Website Authentication

This guide explains how to configure authentication for paywalled news websites in Kiosque.

Overview

Many news websites require a subscription to access full articles. Kiosque supports authentication for 20+ paywalled sites, allowing you to extract articles if you have a valid subscription.

Configuration File

All authentication credentials are stored in ~/.config/kiosque/kiosque.conf using INI format.

Finding Your Config File

# View configuration file location
python -c "from kiosque.core.config import configuration_file; print(configuration_file)"

Default locations:

  • Linux: ~/.config/kiosque/kiosque.conf
  • macOS: ~/.config/kiosque/kiosque.conf
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\kiosque\kiosque.conf

Authentication Methods

1. Username/Password (Most Common)

Most websites use standard login forms:

[https://www.lemonde.fr/]
username = your.email@example.com
password = your_password

Supported sites:

  • Le Monde
  • Le Monde Diplomatique
  • Courrier International
  • Les Échos
  • Mediapart
  • And many more (see Supported Sites)

Some sites use anti-bot protection that prevents automated login. For these, extract cookies from your browser:

[https://www.nytimes.com/]
cookie_nyt_s = your_cookie_value_here

See: NYT Cookie Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

3. API Tokens (Integrations)

For bookmark management integrations:

[raindrop.io]
token = your_raindrop_api_token

[github]
token = ghp_your_github_personal_access_token

See:

Complete Example

Here's a full configuration with multiple sites:

# French news sites
[https://www.lemonde.fr/]
username = your.email@example.com
password = your_password

[https://www.lefigaro.fr/]
username = your.email@example.com
password = your_password

# English news sites
[https://www.nytimes.com/]
cookie_nyt_s = very_long_cookie_value_here

[https://www.ft.com/]
username = your.email@example.com
password = your_password

# Integrations (optional)
[raindrop.io]
token = test_token_abc123

[github]
token = ghp_abc123def456

Testing Authentication

Test your credentials with verbose logging to see the login flow:

# Test with verbose output
kiosque -v https://www.lemonde.fr/article output.md

# You should see:
# INFO: Attempting login to https://www.lemonde.fr/
# INFO: Login successful
# INFO: Extracting article...

Troubleshooting

Login fails with 403/401 errors

  1. Check credentials - Verify username/password are correct
  2. Test in browser - Ensure you can log in manually at the website
  3. Check subscription - Verify your subscription is active
  4. Verbose mode - Run with -v flag to see detailed login flow
kiosque -vv https://www.lemonde.fr/article test.md

NYT cookies typically last 3-6 months. When expired:

  1. Log in to nytimes.com in your browser
  2. Extract a new cookie value
  3. Update your config file

See NYT Cookie Setup for details.

Geo-blocking issues

Some sites are only accessible from specific regions:

  • Courrier International - France/Europe only
  • Les Échos - France/Europe only

Solution: Use a proxy or VPN. See Troubleshooting for proxy configuration.

CAPTCHA protection

Some sites use CAPTCHA to prevent automated access. Solutions:

  1. Cookie-based auth - Extract cookies after manual login (like NYT)
  2. Manual CAPTCHA - Some sites may require occasional manual login
  3. Report issue - Open a GitHub issue if a previously working site breaks

Security Best Practices

Protect Your Credentials

  • File permissions - Config file should be readable only by you: 
    chmod 600 ~/.config/kiosque/kiosque.conf
  • Never commit - .gitignore includes kiosque.conf by default
  • Separate passwords - Consider using unique passwords for each site
  • Password managers - Store credentials securely

What Gets Sent

When you use Kiosque with authentication:

  1. Login request - Credentials sent via HTTPS to the website's login endpoint
  2. Session cookies - Stored temporarily in memory
  3. Article requests - Made with authenticated session
  4. No tracking - Kiosque doesn't send data anywhere except the target website

Kiosque uses the same HTTPS connections as your web browser.

Advanced Configuration

Aliases

Create shortcuts for frequently accessed sites:

[https://www.lemonde.fr/]
username = your@email.com
password = your_password
alias = lm, monde

Use with:

kiosque lm  # Downloads latest issue

Proxies

Route traffic through a proxy (for geo-blocked sites):

[proxy]
url = socks5://localhost:1080

Supported formats: socks5://, socks4://, http://, https://

See Troubleshooting for proxy setup.

Getting Help

If you have issues with authentication:

  1. Check the Troubleshooting Guide
  2. Search GitHub Issues
  3. Open a new issue with:
  4. Website name
  5. Error messages (with -v verbose flag)
  6. Steps you've tried

See Also