Manual Installation¶
For users who want full control over the installation process or don't use Python package managers, manual installation provides platform-specific installers with complete system integration.
Platform-Specific Installation¶
Prerequisites¶
- macOS 10.14+ (Mojave or later)
- Internet connection
- Terminal access
Installation Steps¶
Prerequisites¶
- Windows 10 or later
- PowerShell 5.1 or later
- Internet connection
Installation Steps¶
# 1. Clone the repository (or download ZIP)
git clone https://github.com/pem725/NeuronAutomator.git
cd NeuronAutomator
# 2. Set execution policy (run PowerShell as Administrator)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
# 3. Run the installer
.\installers\install_windows.ps1
What the Installer Does¶
The manual installer provides complete system integration:
Downloads & Installs¶
- Python 3.9+ (if not present)
- Google Chrome (if not present)
- Package managers (APT, Homebrew, Chocolatey)
- System dependencies (git, curl, etc.)
Sets Up Environment¶
- Virtual environment with required Python packages
- Configuration directory (
~/.config/neuron-automation/) - Log directories with proper permissions
- Data directories for SQLite databases
Configures Scheduling¶
- Linux: systemd service and timer files
- macOS: launchd plist configuration
- Windows: Task Scheduler entries
Installs Commands¶
- neuron-automation: Main automation command
- blacklist-rewind: Time rewind tool
- System PATH: Commands available globally
Installation Verification¶
After installation, verify everything works:
# Check version
neuron-automation --version
# Test the automation
neuron-automation
# Check scheduled automation status
# Linux:
systemctl --user status neuron-automation.timer
# macOS:
launchctl list | grep neuron-automation
# Windows:
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "*neuron*"
Manual Configuration¶
The installer creates default configurations, but you can customize:
Configuration File Location¶
- Linux/macOS:
~/.config/neuron-automation/config.py - Windows:
%USERPROFILE%\.config\neuron-automation\config.py
Key Settings to Review¶
# Scheduling (change automation times)
AUTOMATION_TIMES = ["05:30", "06:00", "06:30", "07:00"]
# Days to run (0=Monday, 6=Sunday)
ENABLED_DAYS = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4] # Weekdays only
# Browser options
CHROME_OPTIONS = [
"--no-sandbox",
"--disable-dev-shm-usage"
]
Post-Installation Tasks¶
1. Test Browser Integration¶
2. Configure Link Management¶
# View initial statistics (will be empty)
neuron-automation --stats
# Check blacklist configuration
cat ~/.config/neuron-automation/config.py | grep BLACKLIST
3. Set Up Monitoring¶
# View logs
tail -f ~/.config/neuron-automation/logs/neuron_automation.log
# Check service status regularly
# Linux: systemctl --user status neuron-automation.timer
# macOS: launchctl list | grep neuron
# Windows: Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.TaskName -like "*neuron*"}
Advanced Manual Setup¶
Custom Installation Directory¶
If you need to install in a custom location:
# Set custom directory
export NEURON_INSTALL_DIR="/opt/neuron-automation"
# Run installer with custom path
./installers/install_linux.sh --install-dir "$NEURON_INSTALL_DIR"
Offline Installation¶
For systems without internet access:
-
Download dependencies on connected machine:
-
Transfer files to target machine
-
Install offline:
Enterprise Deployment¶
For deploying across multiple systems:
# Create deployment package
./installers/create_deployment_package.sh
# Deploy to multiple hosts
for host in server1 server2 server3; do
scp deployment-package.tar.gz $host:/tmp/
ssh $host "cd /tmp && tar -xf deployment-package.tar.gz && ./install.sh"
done
Troubleshooting¶
Permission Issues¶
# Fix file permissions
chmod -R 755 ~/.config/neuron-automation/
chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.config/neuron-automation/
# Fix executable permissions
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/neuron-automation
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/blacklist-rewind
Service Registration Issues¶
Dependency Issues¶
# Check Python installation
python3 --version
which python3
# Check Chrome installation
google-chrome --version
which google-chrome
# Reinstall Python packages
~/.config/neuron-automation/venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt --force-reinstall
Uninstalling¶
To completely remove the manual installation:
# Stop and disable services
systemctl --user stop neuron-automation.timer
systemctl --user disable neuron-automation.timer
# Remove files
rm -rf ~/.config/neuron-automation
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/neuron-automation
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/blacklist-rewind
sudo rm ~/.config/systemd/user/neuron-automation.*
# Reload systemd
systemctl --user daemon-reload
Next: Configure your installation to customize behavior and scheduling.
Neuron Daily Newsletter Automation¶
Why This Exists: Reading the Neuron Daily newsletter is a great way to start the day, but manually clicking through all the article links takes time. This automation opens everything at once, so you can spend your morning reading instead of clicking. Built collaboratively with Claude AI to solve a real daily workflow need.
If this saves you time too, give it a ⭐ and let us know how it works for you!
Cross-platform automation system that automatically opens the latest Neuron Daily newsletter with all article links in separate tabs every weekday morning.
Supported Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows