This tool uses smtplib and system commands to send you emails about Nintendo Switch friend activity, gathering data from well-known Switch API tool samuelthomas2774/nxapi.
This script depends on PyYAML and smtplib. Other imports should be installed by default.
This script relies on being able to send commands through the operating system to a Node.js tool called nxapi. This tool is on GitHub: samuelthomas2774/nxapi.
nxapi is based on Node.js, so you will need to install it.
For Windows:
winget install OpenJS.NodeJSFor Ubuntu:
sudo apt install nodejsIf you aren't on Windows or Ubuntu, go to https://nodejs.org to install Node.js.
npm should have been installed when Node.js was installed, so you can install nxapi with this command:
npm install -g nxapiThe -g flag is required because by default only global npm packages are in the PATH.
Run nxapi nso auth and it will tell you how to authenticate with your Nintendo Account.
The script calls from a configuration file located at <home folder>/.littlebitstudios/switchfriendwatch/configuration.yaml. Simply copy the .littlebitstudios folder from the repository to your home folder.
This is the structure of the file:
aliases: # optional: add aliases here in the format of <NSA ID>: <alias>
b023adfefd82147a: LittleBit670 # example
email:
debugmode: false # if running in the command line, smtplib will print debug info if this is true
enabled: true # if false, no emails will be sent
pass: # put smtp password here
port: 465 # smtp port, usually 465 or 587
sendfrom: # put from email here
sendtest: 'off' # set to 'normal' or 'watched' to send a test email on next run, must be reset to off otherwise it will keep sending test emails
server: # smtp server
user: # smtp username, usually the same as the from email
watched: # this field is optional
- LittleBit # example of nickname
- b023adfefd82147a # example of NSA ID
# above is the list of watched friends; you can add watches by nickname or NSA ID
# NSA IDs can be obtained using the command "nxapi nso friends" or with the nxapi desktop app
windowsmode: false # this must be true for Windows users; not needed for MacOS or Linux
watchedonly: true # if true, only watched friends will trigger a notification; the watched list is required if this is trueTo run the script once you have created the configuration file, just run python3 <path to file> like any other Python script.
The script is designed to be automated (using cron on Linux or possibly Task Scheduler on Windows), where it runs every so often to see if the status of your friend list has changed. If people go online, then it will send you an email about it assuming that email is enabled in the configuration.
I recommend running this on a Linux machine that stays on 24/7, such as a home server. This can also be run on your main computer under Windows/Mac/Linux, but notifications would stop if you shut down your computer.
If you want a beginner's home server, maybe look into a Linux-based single-board computer like the Raspberry Pi or a barebones x86 computer like a NUC. Commercial home server products such as the ZimaBoard, ZimaCube, or Umbrel Home rely heavily on Docker containers and I don't know if I could containerize this script since it relies on two different scripting frameworks (Node.js and Python).
The Nintendo Switch gaming system and Nintendo Accounts are owned by Nintendo Co. Ltd. and its regional subsidiaries.
nxapi is a tool created by @samuelthomas2774, licensed under the GNU AGPL 3.0.
Because this script depends on an AGPL-licensed tool, it is also licensed under the GNU AGPL 3.0. (see the LICENSE file or the link to the AGPL above)