A Zero-Cost Cloud Cron Job That Checks Into WorkBuddy and Pings Your WeChat

Preface

An automation solution that doesn't depend on a local computer, doesn't require buying your own server, and runs on time every day. Includes complete code, configuration steps, and 6 real-world troubleshooting records.

1. Overall Architecture

┌─────────────────┐
│  Gitee Go Timer  │  (Triggers daily)
└────────┬────────┘
         ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│   Pull Private Repo  │  (checkin.py + config.json)
└────────┬────────┘
         ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│     Execute Script      │ 
└────────┬────────┘
         ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│  ServerChan → WeChat   │  (Notifies personal WeChat)
└─────────────────┘

Core Advantages:

Does not depend on a local computer; runs in the cloud
Real-time WeChat notifications; check-in results are clear at a glance
Extremely low maintenance cost (just update once before the token expires)

2. Preparation

2.1 Obtain accessToken

After logging into the WorkBuddy client, the login state is saved locally:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/CodeBuddyExtension/Data/Public/auth/workbuddy-desktop.info

Open this file, and you will see something like:

{
  "account": { "nickname": "Your Nickname", ... },
  "auth": { "accessToken": "eyJhbGc...", "expiresIn": ... }
}

auth.accessToken is the token we need (this is the legitimate credential of your own account, involving no cracking).

⚠️ Security Tip: The accessToken is your login state. Absolutely do not commit it to a public repository. The solution below uses a private repository + config file to store it.

2.2 Register ServerChan (WeChat Notification)

Open sct.ftqq.com → Scan the QR code with WeChat to log in → See the SendKey on the page (a string of alphanumeric characters).

Effect: Calling the ServerChan interface can push messages to your WeChat (follow the "方糖" official account to receive them).

3. Check-in Script

Complete script checkin.py (pure Python standard library, zero dependencies):

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
WorkBuddy Daily Check-in Script
Supports local and cloud execution
"""
import json
import os
import sys
import urllib.request
import urllib.error
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime

# ─── Configuration ───────────────────────────────────────────────
API_BASE = "https://copilot.tencent.com"
CHECKIN_STATUS_URL = f"{API_BASE}/billing/meter/checkin-status"
DAILY_CHECKIN_URL = f"{API_BASE}/billing/meter/daily-checkin"
SERVERCHAN_URL = "https://sctapi.ftqq.com/{sendkey}.send"
REQUEST_TIMEOUT = 15

# Local auth file (macOS)
_LOCAL_AUTH_FILE = (
    Path.home()
    / "Library/Application Support/CodeBuddyExtension"
    / "Data/Public/auth/workbuddy-desktop.info"
)
# Cloud config file
_CLOUD_CONFIG_FILE = Path(__file__).parent / "config.json"


def log(msg: str):
    print(f"[{datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')}] {msg}", flush=True)


# ─── Token Reading ─────────────────────────────────────────
def load_access_token() -> tuple[str | None, str]:
    """Read token, priority: config.json > local auth > environment variable"""
    # 1. Cloud config.json
    if _CLOUD_CONFIG_FILE.exists():
        try:
            data = json.loads(_CLOUD_CONFIG_FILE.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
            token = data.get("access_token", "").strip()
            name = data.get("account_name", "Cloud Account")
            if token:
                log(f"   Using cloud config.json token (Account: {name})")
                return token, name
        except Exception as e:
            log(f"⚠️  Failed to read config.json: {e}")

    # 2. Environment variable
    token = os.environ.get("WORKBUDDY_ACCESS_TOKEN", "").strip()
    if token:
        name = os.environ.get("WORKBUDDY_ACCOUNT_NAME", "Env Account")
        log(f"   Using environment variable token (Account: {name})")
        return token, name

    # 3. Local auth file
    if not _LOCAL_AUTH_FILE.exists():
        log("❌ No token source found, please configure config.json or environment variable")
        return None, ""
    try:
        data = json.loads(_LOCAL_AUTH_FILE.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
        token = data.get("auth", {}).get("accessToken", "").strip()
        name = data.get("account", {}).get("nickname", "Local Account")
        if not token:
            log("❌ accessToken not found in auth file")
            return None, ""
        log(f"   Using local auth file token (Account: {name})")
        return token, name
    except Exception as e:
        log(f"❌ Failed to read auth file: {e}")
        return None, ""


# ─── API Calls ───────────────────────────────────────────
def _request(url: str, token: str) -> dict | None:
    req = urllib.request.Request(
        url,
        headers={
            "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
            "Content-Type": "application/json",
            "User-Agent": "WorkBuddy-Checkin/1.0",
        },
    )
    try:
        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=REQUEST_TIMEOUT) as resp:
            return json.loads(resp.read().decode("utf-8"))
    except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
        log(f"   HTTP {e.code}: {e.reason}")
        return None
    except Exception as e:
        log(f"   Request failed: {e}")
        return None


def get_checkin_status(token: str) -> dict | None:
    return _request(CHECKIN_STATUS_URL, token)


def claim_daily_checkin(token: str) -> dict | None:
    return _request(DAILY_CHECKIN_URL, token)


# ─── ServerChan Notification ─────────────────────────────────────
def send_wechat_notification(title: str, content: str, sendkey: str) -> bool:
    """Push message to WeChat"""
    if not sendkey:
        return False
    url = SERVERCHAN_URL.format(sendkey=sendkey)
    payload = urllib.parse.urlencode({"title": title, "desp": content}).encode()
    req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=payload, method="POST")
    try:
        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=REQUEST_TIMEOUT) as resp:
            result = json.loads(resp.read().decode("utf-8"))
            if result.get("code") == 0:
                log(f"   ✅ WeChat notification sent")
                return True
            log(f"   ⚠️  WeChat notification failed: {result.get('message')}")
            return False
    except Exception as e:
        log(f"   ⚠️  WeChat notification exception: {e}")
        return False


# ─── Main Check-in Flow ─────────────────────────────────────────
def checkin() -> bool:
    log("=" * 56)
    log(f"  WorkBuddy Daily Check-in — {datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')}")
    log("=" * 56)

    sendkey = os.environ.get("SERVERCHAN_SENDKEY", "")
    if _CLOUD_CONFIG_FILE.exists():
        try:
            sendkey = sendkey or json.loads(
                _CLOUD_CONFIG_FILE.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
            ).get("serverchan_sendkey", "")
        except Exception:
            pass

    log("Step 1/3: Getting accessToken...")
    token, account_name = load_access_token()
    if not token:
        log("❌ Cannot get accessToken, check-in terminated.")
        send_wechat_notification(
            "❌ WorkBuddy Check-in Failed", f"Account: {account_name}\naccessToken not found", sendkey
        )
        return False

    log("\nStep 2/3: Querying check-in status...")
    status_data = get_checkin_status(token)

    if status_data and status_data.get("today_checked_in", False):
        log("\nℹ️  Already checked in today, no need to repeat.")
        send_wechat_notification(
            "✅ WorkBuddy Already Checked In Today", f"Account: {account_name}\nTime: {datetime.now()}", sendkey
        )
        return True

    log("\nStep 3/3: Claiming check-in points...")
    result = claim_daily_checkin(token)
    if result:
        points = result.get("points", result.get("reward_points", ""))
        log(f"\n✅ Check-in successful! Points earned: {points}")
        send_wechat_notification(
            "✅ WorkBuddy Check-in Successful",
            f"Account: {account_name}\nPoints earned: +{points}\nTime: {datetime.now()}",
            sendkey,
        )
        return True

    log("\n❌ Check-in failed")
    send_wechat_notification(
        "❌ WorkBuddy Check-in Failed", f"Account: {account_name}\nPlease check if token has expired", sendkey
    )
    return False


if __name__ == "__main__":
    sys.exit(0 if checkin() else 1)

Configuration File `config.json`

{
  "access_token": "your_accessToken",
  "account_name": "your_nickname",
  "serverchan_sendkey": "your_SendKey"
}

4. Local Testing

# Method 1: Using environment variables
export WORKBUDDY_ACCESS_TOKEN="your_token"
export WORKBUDDY_ACCOUNT_NAME="your_nickname"
export SERVERCHAN_SENDKEY="your_SendKey"
python3 checkin.py

# Method 2: Using config.json (recommended)
# Place config.json in the same directory, then directly run python3 checkin.py

Expected Output:

[2026-08-03 14:00:00] ========================================================
[2026-08-03 14:00:00]   WorkBuddy Daily Check-in — 2026-08-03 14:00:00
[2026-08-03 14:00:00] ========================================================
[2026-08-03 14:00:00] Step 1/3: Getting accessToken...
[2026-08-03 14:00:00]    Using cloud config.json token (Account: Mr. X)
...
[2026-08-03 14:00:00] ✅ Check-in successful! Points earned: 100
[2026-08-03 14:00:00]    ✅ WeChat notification sent

Open WeChat, and the "方糖" official account will immediately receive the push notification.

5. Cloud Deployment (Gitee Go)

5.1 Create a Private Repository

Log in to gitee.com → New Repository → Select Private (Important! Tokens cannot be public) → Name it workbuddy-checkin.

5.2 Push Code

cd workbuddy-checkin
git init
git remote add origin https://gitee.com/your_username/workbuddy-checkin.git
git add .
git commit -m "init: WorkBuddy Daily Check-in"
git push -u origin main

5.3 Configure Pipeline

Enter the repository → Pipelines (Gitee Go) → New Pipeline:

Basic Info: Set the name to WorkBuddy Daily Check-in
Process Orchestration:
- Delete the default "Host Deployment" step
- In the Python Build step, set the build command to: python3 checkin.py
- Select Python version 3.11
Advanced Settings → Scheduled Trigger:

Field	Value
Second	`0`
Minute	`5`
Hour	`9`
Day	`*`
Month	`*`
Week	`?`
Year	`*`

This expression = triggers daily at 09:05 Beijing time

5.4 Testing

Go back to the pipeline list → Click "Execute Now" → Check the log output + whether WeChat receives the notification.

Once it runs successfully in the cloud, the whole setup is fully automatic:

Gitee Go runs automatically every day at 09:05
After running, the check-in script automatically calls ServerChan
You receive a notification on WeChat
Does not depend on whether your local computer is on or off

6. Solution Comparison

Solution	Pros	Cons
WorkBuddy Automation	Simplest configuration	Depends on local computer; high risk of missed check-ins
macOS launchd	Locally stable, can utilize PowerNap	Still depends on computer wake-up
Gitee Go + ServerChan ⭐	Doesn't depend on computer, WeChat notifications	Requires a private repository
Tencent Cloud Function	Most accurate scheduling	Complex configuration, small cost
GitHub Actions	International, comprehensive docs	Slow access domestically

My final choice: Gitee Go + ServerChan, fast domestic access, simple maintenance, timely notifications.

7. Final Words

The core idea is essentially upgrading "local automation" to "cloud automation":

Any small task that needs periodic execution can follow this pattern
Tokens / API Keys are managed using a private repository + config file
Notifications use a "zero-cost" channel like ServerChan

Hope this helps. Feel free to discuss in the comments if you have questions 👇

Comments

Top 1 of 2 from juejin.cn, machine-translated. The original thread is authoritative.

Zin_Liao

I thought it was about Feishu check-in.

夏天要喝冰可乐

If you want to do it, you probably can. Let AI reverse-engineer and analyze it, then call the API, generate a skill, and turn it into an automation script.