Authentication API

Overview

The Authentication module provides unified credential management for Global Knowledge Commons services. Currently it supports Wikimedia projects (Wikidata, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons) using bot password authentication, with planned support for OpenStreetMap and other external services.

Current implementations: Wikimedia projects (Wikidata production, test instance, Wikipedia, Commons); OpenStreetMap auth framework
Future implementations: OpenStreetMap API authentication, additional service integrations

Quick Start

from gkc import WikiverseAuth

# Authenticate to Wikidata using bot password
auth = WikiverseAuth(
    username="MyUsername@MyBot",
    password="abc123def456ghi789"
)
auth.login()
print(f"Logged in as: {auth.get_account_name()}")

Classes

AuthenticationError

Bases: Exception

Raised when authentication fails.

Source code in gkc/auth.py

class AuthenticationError(Exception):
    """Raised when authentication fails."""

    pass

AuthBase

Base class for authentication.

Source code in gkc/auth.py

class AuthBase:
    """Base class for authentication."""

    def __init__(self, username: Optional[str] = None, password: Optional[str] = None):
        """
        Initialize authentication.

        Args:
            username: Username for authentication. If not provided, will try to
                     read from environment variable.
            password: Password for authentication. If not provided, will try to
                     read from environment variable.
        """
        self.username = username
        self.password = password

    def is_authenticated(self) -> bool:
        """Check if credentials are available."""
        return bool(self.username and self.password)

__init__(username=None, password=None)

Initialize authentication.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
username	Optional[str]	Username for authentication. If not provided, will try to read from environment variable.	None
password	Optional[str]	Password for authentication. If not provided, will try to read from environment variable.	None

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def __init__(self, username: Optional[str] = None, password: Optional[str] = None):
    """
    Initialize authentication.

    Args:
        username: Username for authentication. If not provided, will try to
                 read from environment variable.
        password: Password for authentication. If not provided, will try to
                 read from environment variable.
    """
    self.username = username
    self.password = password

is_authenticated()

Check if credentials are available.

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def is_authenticated(self) -> bool:
    """Check if credentials are available."""
    return bool(self.username and self.password)

WikiverseAuth

Bases: AuthBase

Authentication for Wikimedia projects (Wikidata, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons).

Designed for bot accounts using bot passwords. The same credentials work across all Wikimedia projects due to Single User Login (SUL).

Supports both default Wikimedia instances and custom MediaWiki installations.

Credentials can be provided in three ways (in order of precedence): 1. Direct parameters 2. Environment variables (WIKIVERSE_USERNAME, WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD, WIKIVERSE_API_URL) 3. Interactive prompt

Example

Authenticate to Wikidata (default)

auth = WikiverseAuth() auth.login()

Direct parameters (bot password format)

auth = WikiverseAuth( ... username="MyUsername@MyBot", ... password="abc123def456ghi789", ... api_url="https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php" ... ) auth.login()

Custom MediaWiki instance

auth = WikiverseAuth( ... username="MyUsername@MyBot", ... password="abc123def456ghi789", ... api_url="https://my-wiki.example.com/w/api.php" ... ) auth.login()

IMPORTANT: Use auth.session for API requests to maintain authentication

token = auth.get_csrf_token() response = auth.session.post(auth.api_url, data={ ... "action": "edit", ... "title": "Test", ... "text": "content", ... "token": token, ... "format": "json" ... })

Source code in gkc/auth.py

class WikiverseAuth(AuthBase):
    """
    Authentication for Wikimedia projects (Wikidata, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons).

    Designed for bot accounts using bot passwords. The same credentials work
    across all Wikimedia projects due to Single User Login (SUL).

    Supports both default Wikimedia instances and custom MediaWiki installations.

    Credentials can be provided in three ways (in order of precedence):
    1. Direct parameters
    2. Environment variables (WIKIVERSE_USERNAME, WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD, WIKIVERSE_API_URL)
    3. Interactive prompt

    Example:
        >>> # Authenticate to Wikidata (default)
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth()
        >>> auth.login()

        >>> # Direct parameters (bot password format)
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(
        ...     username="MyUsername@MyBot",
        ...     password="abc123def456ghi789",
        ...     api_url="https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php"
        ... )
        >>> auth.login()

        >>> # Custom MediaWiki instance
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(
        ...     username="MyUsername@MyBot",
        ...     password="abc123def456ghi789",
        ...     api_url="https://my-wiki.example.com/w/api.php"
        ... )
        >>> auth.login()

        >>> # IMPORTANT: Use auth.session for API requests to maintain authentication
        >>> token = auth.get_csrf_token()
        >>> response = auth.session.post(auth.api_url, data={
        ...     "action": "edit",
        ...     "title": "Test",
        ...     "text": "content",
        ...     "token": token,
        ...     "format": "json"
        ... })
    """

    def __init__(
        self,
        username: Optional[str] = None,
        password: Optional[str] = None,
        api_url: Optional[str] = None,
        interactive: bool = False,
    ):
        """
        Initialize Wikiverse authentication for bot accounts.

        Args:
            username: Bot password username in format "Username@BotName".
                If not provided, reads from WIKIVERSE_USERNAME
                environment variable.
            password: Bot password. If not provided, reads from
                WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD environment variable.
            api_url: MediaWiki API endpoint URL. If not provided, reads from
                    WIKIVERSE_API_URL environment variable, or defaults to Wikidata.
                    Can also use shortcuts: "wikidata", "wikipedia", "commons"
            interactive: If True and credentials are not found, prompt user for input.
        """
        # Try provided parameters first
        username = username or os.environ.get("WIKIVERSE_USERNAME")
        password = password or os.environ.get("WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD")
        api_url = api_url or os.environ.get("WIKIVERSE_API_URL")

        # If credentials still not available and interactive mode is requested
        if interactive and not (username and password):
            print("Bot password credentials not found in environment.")
            username = input(
                "Enter Wikiverse username (format: Username@BotName): "
            ).strip()
            password = getpass.getpass("Enter Wikiverse password: ").strip()
            if not api_url:
                api_url_input = input(
                    "Enter API URL (or 'wikidata', 'wikipedia', 'commons') "
                    "[default: wikidata]: "
                ).strip()
                api_url = api_url_input if api_url_input else "wikidata"

        super().__init__(username, password)

        # Resolve API URL shortcuts to full URLs
        if api_url and api_url.lower() in DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS:
            self.api_url = DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS[api_url.lower()]
        elif api_url:
            self.api_url = api_url
        else:
            # Default to Wikidata
            self.api_url = DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS["wikidata"]

        # Initialize session for authenticated requests
        self.session = requests.Session()
        self.session.headers.update(
            {"User-Agent": "GKC-Python-Client/0.1 (https://github.com/skybristol/gkc)"}
        )
        self._logged_in = False

    def login(self) -> bool:
        """
        Perform login to MediaWiki API using bot password credentials.

        Returns:
            True if login successful, False otherwise.

        Raises:
            AuthenticationError: If login fails with detailed error message.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
            >>> if auth.login():
            ...     print("Successfully logged in!")
        """
        if not self.is_authenticated():
            raise AuthenticationError(
                "Cannot login: credentials not provided. "
                "Please provide username and password."
            )

        try:
            # Step 1: Get login token
            token_params = {
                "action": "query",
                "meta": "tokens",
                "type": "login",
                "format": "json",
            }
            token_response = self.session.get(self.api_url, params=token_params)
            token_response.raise_for_status()
            token_data = token_response.json()

            if "query" not in token_data or "tokens" not in token_data["query"]:
                raise AuthenticationError(
                    f"Failed to get login token from {self.api_url}. "
                    f"Response: {token_data}"
                )

            login_token = token_data["query"]["tokens"]["logintoken"]

            # Step 2: Perform login with credentials and token
            login_params = {
                "action": "login",
                "lgname": self.username,
                "lgpassword": self.password,
                "lgtoken": login_token,
                "format": "json",
            }
            login_response = self.session.post(self.api_url, data=login_params)
            login_response.raise_for_status()
            login_data = login_response.json()

            # Check login result
            if "login" not in login_data:
                raise AuthenticationError(
                    f"Unexpected login response from {self.api_url}. "
                    f"Response: {login_data}"
                )

            result = login_data["login"]["result"]

            if result == "Success":
                self._logged_in = True
                # Verify we have session cookies
                if not self.session.cookies:
                    raise AuthenticationError(
                        "Login reported success but no session cookies were set. "
                        "This may indicate a network or API configuration issue."
                    )
                return True
            else:
                # Provide detailed error message
                reason = login_data["login"].get("reason", "Unknown reason")
                raise AuthenticationError(
                    f"Login failed with result '{result}'. Reason: {reason}. "
                    f"Check your bot password credentials and permissions."
                )

        except requests.RequestException as e:
            raise AuthenticationError(
                f"Network error during login to {self.api_url}: {str(e)}"
            )

    def is_logged_in(self) -> bool:
        """
        Check if currently logged in to MediaWiki API.

        Returns:
            True if logged in, False otherwise.
        """
        return self._logged_in

    def logout(self) -> None:
        """
        Logout from MediaWiki API and clear session.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
            >>> auth.login()
            >>> # ... do some work ...
            >>> auth.logout()
        """
        if self._logged_in:
            try:
                # Get CSRF token for logout
                token_params = {
                    "action": "query",
                    "meta": "tokens",
                    "type": "csrf",
                    "format": "json",
                }
                token_response = self.session.get(self.api_url, params=token_params)
                token_data = token_response.json()
                csrf_token = token_data["query"]["tokens"]["csrftoken"]

                # Perform logout
                logout_params = {
                    "action": "logout",
                    "token": csrf_token,
                    "format": "json",
                }
                self.session.post(self.api_url, data=logout_params)
            except Exception:
                # Ignore logout errors, just clear session
                pass
            finally:
                self._logged_in = False
                self.session.cookies.clear()

    def get_csrf_token(self) -> str:
        """
        Get a CSRF token for making edits.

        IMPORTANT: The token must be used with auth.session for requests.
        The token alone is not sufficient - you need the authenticated session cookies.

        Returns:
            CSRF token string.

        Raises:
            AuthenticationError: If not logged in or token retrieval fails.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
            >>> auth.login()
            >>> token = auth.get_csrf_token()
            >>> # Use token with auth.session (not a new requests call)
            >>> response = auth.session.post(auth.api_url, data={
            ...     "action": "edit",
            ...     "title": "Page",
            ...     "text": "content",
            ...     "token": token,
            ...     "format": "json"
            ... })
        """
        if not self.is_logged_in():
            raise AuthenticationError(
                "Not logged in. Call login() first before getting CSRF token."
            )

        try:
            token_params = {
                "action": "query",
                "meta": "tokens",
                "type": "csrf",
                "format": "json",
            }
            # Use POST to ensure cookies are properly handled
            response = self.session.post(self.api_url, data=token_params)
            response.raise_for_status()
            data = response.json()

            if "query" in data and "tokens" in data["query"]:
                csrf_token: str = data["query"]["tokens"]["csrftoken"]
                return csrf_token
            else:
                raise AuthenticationError(f"Failed to get CSRF token. Response: {data}")

        except requests.RequestException as e:
            raise AuthenticationError(f"Network error getting CSRF token: {str(e)}")

    def __repr__(self) -> str:
        status = (
            "logged in"
            if self._logged_in
            else ("authenticated" if self.is_authenticated() else "not authenticated")
        )
        return (
            f"WikiverseAuth(username={self.username!r}, "
            f"api_url={self.api_url!r}, {status})"
        )

    def get_bot_name(self) -> Optional[str]:
        """
        Extract bot name from username.

        Returns:
            Bot name if username is in bot password format, None otherwise.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot")
            >>> auth.get_bot_name()
            'MyBot'
        """
        if self.username and "@" in self.username:
            return self.username.split("@", 1)[1]
        return None

    def get_account_name(self) -> Optional[str]:
        """
        Extract account name from username.

        Returns:
            Account name if username is in bot password format, None otherwise.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot")
            >>> auth.get_account_name()
            'Alice'
        """
        if self.username and "@" in self.username:
            return self.username.split("@", 1)[0]
        return None

    def should_mark_bot_edits(self) -> bool:
        """Return whether edits should default to bot-tagged.

        Plain meaning: If credentials are in bot-password username format
        (Account@BotName), default write operations to bot mode.
        """

        return bool(self.username and "@" in self.username)

    def test_authentication(self) -> dict:
        """
        Test authentication and return diagnostic information.

        Returns:
            Dictionary with authentication status, session details, and token info.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
            >>> auth.login()
            >>> info = auth.test_authentication()
            >>> print(info)
        """
        info = {
            "credentials_provided": self.is_authenticated(),
            "logged_in": self.is_logged_in(),
            "api_url": self.api_url,
            "username": self.username,
            "bot_name": self.get_bot_name(),
            "session_cookies": list(self.session.cookies.keys()),
            "csrf_token_retrieved": False,
            "csrf_token_preview": None,
            "error": None,
        }

        if self.is_logged_in():
            try:
                token = self.get_csrf_token()
                info["csrf_token_retrieved"] = True
                preview = token[:20] + "..." if len(token) > 20 else token
                info["csrf_token_preview"] = preview
            except Exception as e:
                info["error"] = str(e)

        return info

    def get_user_rights(self) -> list[str]:
        """Return the list of user rights from the API userinfo endpoint.

        Calls action=query&meta=userinfo&uiprop=rights on the authenticated
        session and returns the raw rights list. Useful for capability
        detection before making API calls with limits that depend on user tier.

        Returns:
            List of right name strings (e.g. ``["apihighlimits", "read", ...]``).

        Raises:
            AuthenticationError: If not logged in or the API request fails.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
            >>> auth.login()
            >>> rights = auth.get_user_rights()
            >>> "apihighlimits" in rights
            True
        """
        if not self.is_logged_in():
            raise AuthenticationError(
                "Not logged in. Call login() first before checking user rights."
            )

        try:
            response = self.session.get(
                self.api_url,
                params={
                    "action": "query",
                    "meta": "userinfo",
                    "uiprop": "rights",
                    "format": "json",
                },
            )
            response.raise_for_status()
            data = response.json()
            rights = data.get("query", {}).get("userinfo", {}).get("rights", [])
            return rights if isinstance(rights, list) else []
        except requests.RequestException as exc:
            raise AuthenticationError(
                f"Network error fetching user rights: {exc}"
            ) from exc

    def has_api_high_limits(self) -> bool:
        """Return True if the authenticated user has the apihighlimits right.

        The ``apihighlimits`` right elevates per-request API caps from 50 to
        500 items for actions such as ``wbgetentities``. Returns False if the
        user is not logged in or if the rights check fails for any reason, so
        callers can safely use this as a capability flag without extra error
        handling.

        Returns:
            True when ``apihighlimits`` is present in the user's rights, False
            otherwise.

        Example:
            >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
            >>> auth.login()
            >>> limit = 500 if auth.has_api_high_limits() else 50
        """
        try:
            return "apihighlimits" in self.get_user_rights()
        except AuthenticationError:
            return False

__init__(username=None, password=None, api_url=None, interactive=False)

Initialize Wikiverse authentication for bot accounts.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
username	Optional[str]	Bot password username in format "Username@BotName". If not provided, reads from WIKIVERSE_USERNAME environment variable.	None
password	Optional[str]	Bot password. If not provided, reads from WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD environment variable.	None
api_url	Optional[str]	MediaWiki API endpoint URL. If not provided, reads from WIKIVERSE_API_URL environment variable, or defaults to Wikidata. Can also use shortcuts: "wikidata", "wikipedia", "commons"	None
interactive	bool	If True and credentials are not found, prompt user for input.	False

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def __init__(
    self,
    username: Optional[str] = None,
    password: Optional[str] = None,
    api_url: Optional[str] = None,
    interactive: bool = False,
):
    """
    Initialize Wikiverse authentication for bot accounts.

    Args:
        username: Bot password username in format "Username@BotName".
            If not provided, reads from WIKIVERSE_USERNAME
            environment variable.
        password: Bot password. If not provided, reads from
            WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD environment variable.
        api_url: MediaWiki API endpoint URL. If not provided, reads from
                WIKIVERSE_API_URL environment variable, or defaults to Wikidata.
                Can also use shortcuts: "wikidata", "wikipedia", "commons"
        interactive: If True and credentials are not found, prompt user for input.
    """
    # Try provided parameters first
    username = username or os.environ.get("WIKIVERSE_USERNAME")
    password = password or os.environ.get("WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD")
    api_url = api_url or os.environ.get("WIKIVERSE_API_URL")

    # If credentials still not available and interactive mode is requested
    if interactive and not (username and password):
        print("Bot password credentials not found in environment.")
        username = input(
            "Enter Wikiverse username (format: Username@BotName): "
        ).strip()
        password = getpass.getpass("Enter Wikiverse password: ").strip()
        if not api_url:
            api_url_input = input(
                "Enter API URL (or 'wikidata', 'wikipedia', 'commons') "
                "[default: wikidata]: "
            ).strip()
            api_url = api_url_input if api_url_input else "wikidata"

    super().__init__(username, password)

    # Resolve API URL shortcuts to full URLs
    if api_url and api_url.lower() in DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS:
        self.api_url = DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS[api_url.lower()]
    elif api_url:
        self.api_url = api_url
    else:
        # Default to Wikidata
        self.api_url = DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS["wikidata"]

    # Initialize session for authenticated requests
    self.session = requests.Session()
    self.session.headers.update(
        {"User-Agent": "GKC-Python-Client/0.1 (https://github.com/skybristol/gkc)"}
    )
    self._logged_in = False

get_account_name()

Extract account name from username.

Returns:

Type	Description
Optional[str]	Account name if username is in bot password format, None otherwise.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot") auth.get_account_name() 'Alice'

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def get_account_name(self) -> Optional[str]:
    """
    Extract account name from username.

    Returns:
        Account name if username is in bot password format, None otherwise.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot")
        >>> auth.get_account_name()
        'Alice'
    """
    if self.username and "@" in self.username:
        return self.username.split("@", 1)[0]
    return None

get_bot_name()

Extract bot name from username.

Returns:

Type	Description
Optional[str]	Bot name if username is in bot password format, None otherwise.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot") auth.get_bot_name() 'MyBot'

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def get_bot_name(self) -> Optional[str]:
    """
    Extract bot name from username.

    Returns:
        Bot name if username is in bot password format, None otherwise.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot")
        >>> auth.get_bot_name()
        'MyBot'
    """
    if self.username and "@" in self.username:
        return self.username.split("@", 1)[1]
    return None

get_csrf_token()

Get a CSRF token for making edits.

IMPORTANT: The token must be used with auth.session for requests. The token alone is not sufficient - you need the authenticated session cookies.

Returns:

Type	Description
str	CSRF token string.

Raises:

Type	Description
AuthenticationError	If not logged in or token retrieval fails.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret") auth.login() token = auth.get_csrf_token()

Use token with auth.session (not a new requests call)

response = auth.session.post(auth.api_url, data={ ... "action": "edit", ... "title": "Page", ... "text": "content", ... "token": token, ... "format": "json" ... })

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def get_csrf_token(self) -> str:
    """
    Get a CSRF token for making edits.

    IMPORTANT: The token must be used with auth.session for requests.
    The token alone is not sufficient - you need the authenticated session cookies.

    Returns:
        CSRF token string.

    Raises:
        AuthenticationError: If not logged in or token retrieval fails.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
        >>> auth.login()
        >>> token = auth.get_csrf_token()
        >>> # Use token with auth.session (not a new requests call)
        >>> response = auth.session.post(auth.api_url, data={
        ...     "action": "edit",
        ...     "title": "Page",
        ...     "text": "content",
        ...     "token": token,
        ...     "format": "json"
        ... })
    """
    if not self.is_logged_in():
        raise AuthenticationError(
            "Not logged in. Call login() first before getting CSRF token."
        )

    try:
        token_params = {
            "action": "query",
            "meta": "tokens",
            "type": "csrf",
            "format": "json",
        }
        # Use POST to ensure cookies are properly handled
        response = self.session.post(self.api_url, data=token_params)
        response.raise_for_status()
        data = response.json()

        if "query" in data and "tokens" in data["query"]:
            csrf_token: str = data["query"]["tokens"]["csrftoken"]
            return csrf_token
        else:
            raise AuthenticationError(f"Failed to get CSRF token. Response: {data}")

    except requests.RequestException as e:
        raise AuthenticationError(f"Network error getting CSRF token: {str(e)}")

get_user_rights()

Return the list of user rights from the API userinfo endpoint.

Calls action=query&meta=userinfo&uiprop=rights on the authenticated session and returns the raw rights list. Useful for capability detection before making API calls with limits that depend on user tier.

Returns:

Type	Description
list[str]	List of right name strings (e.g. ["apihighlimits", "read", ...]).

Raises:

Type	Description
AuthenticationError	If not logged in or the API request fails.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret") auth.login() rights = auth.get_user_rights() "apihighlimits" in rights True

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def get_user_rights(self) -> list[str]:
    """Return the list of user rights from the API userinfo endpoint.

    Calls action=query&meta=userinfo&uiprop=rights on the authenticated
    session and returns the raw rights list. Useful for capability
    detection before making API calls with limits that depend on user tier.

    Returns:
        List of right name strings (e.g. ``["apihighlimits", "read", ...]``).

    Raises:
        AuthenticationError: If not logged in or the API request fails.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
        >>> auth.login()
        >>> rights = auth.get_user_rights()
        >>> "apihighlimits" in rights
        True
    """
    if not self.is_logged_in():
        raise AuthenticationError(
            "Not logged in. Call login() first before checking user rights."
        )

    try:
        response = self.session.get(
            self.api_url,
            params={
                "action": "query",
                "meta": "userinfo",
                "uiprop": "rights",
                "format": "json",
            },
        )
        response.raise_for_status()
        data = response.json()
        rights = data.get("query", {}).get("userinfo", {}).get("rights", [])
        return rights if isinstance(rights, list) else []
    except requests.RequestException as exc:
        raise AuthenticationError(
            f"Network error fetching user rights: {exc}"
        ) from exc

has_api_high_limits()

Return True if the authenticated user has the apihighlimits right.

The apihighlimits right elevates per-request API caps from 50 to 500 items for actions such as wbgetentities. Returns False if the user is not logged in or if the rights check fails for any reason, so callers can safely use this as a capability flag without extra error handling.

Returns:

Type	Description
bool	True when apihighlimits is present in the user's rights, False
bool	otherwise.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret") auth.login() limit = 500 if auth.has_api_high_limits() else 50

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def has_api_high_limits(self) -> bool:
    """Return True if the authenticated user has the apihighlimits right.

    The ``apihighlimits`` right elevates per-request API caps from 50 to
    500 items for actions such as ``wbgetentities``. Returns False if the
    user is not logged in or if the rights check fails for any reason, so
    callers can safely use this as a capability flag without extra error
    handling.

    Returns:
        True when ``apihighlimits`` is present in the user's rights, False
        otherwise.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
        >>> auth.login()
        >>> limit = 500 if auth.has_api_high_limits() else 50
    """
    try:
        return "apihighlimits" in self.get_user_rights()
    except AuthenticationError:
        return False

is_logged_in()

Check if currently logged in to MediaWiki API.

Returns:

Type	Description
bool	True if logged in, False otherwise.

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def is_logged_in(self) -> bool:
    """
    Check if currently logged in to MediaWiki API.

    Returns:
        True if logged in, False otherwise.
    """
    return self._logged_in

login()

Perform login to MediaWiki API using bot password credentials.

Returns:

Type	Description
bool	True if login successful, False otherwise.

Raises:

Type	Description
AuthenticationError	If login fails with detailed error message.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret") if auth.login(): ... print("Successfully logged in!")

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def login(self) -> bool:
    """
    Perform login to MediaWiki API using bot password credentials.

    Returns:
        True if login successful, False otherwise.

    Raises:
        AuthenticationError: If login fails with detailed error message.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
        >>> if auth.login():
        ...     print("Successfully logged in!")
    """
    if not self.is_authenticated():
        raise AuthenticationError(
            "Cannot login: credentials not provided. "
            "Please provide username and password."
        )

    try:
        # Step 1: Get login token
        token_params = {
            "action": "query",
            "meta": "tokens",
            "type": "login",
            "format": "json",
        }
        token_response = self.session.get(self.api_url, params=token_params)
        token_response.raise_for_status()
        token_data = token_response.json()

        if "query" not in token_data or "tokens" not in token_data["query"]:
            raise AuthenticationError(
                f"Failed to get login token from {self.api_url}. "
                f"Response: {token_data}"
            )

        login_token = token_data["query"]["tokens"]["logintoken"]

        # Step 2: Perform login with credentials and token
        login_params = {
            "action": "login",
            "lgname": self.username,
            "lgpassword": self.password,
            "lgtoken": login_token,
            "format": "json",
        }
        login_response = self.session.post(self.api_url, data=login_params)
        login_response.raise_for_status()
        login_data = login_response.json()

        # Check login result
        if "login" not in login_data:
            raise AuthenticationError(
                f"Unexpected login response from {self.api_url}. "
                f"Response: {login_data}"
            )

        result = login_data["login"]["result"]

        if result == "Success":
            self._logged_in = True
            # Verify we have session cookies
            if not self.session.cookies:
                raise AuthenticationError(
                    "Login reported success but no session cookies were set. "
                    "This may indicate a network or API configuration issue."
                )
            return True
        else:
            # Provide detailed error message
            reason = login_data["login"].get("reason", "Unknown reason")
            raise AuthenticationError(
                f"Login failed with result '{result}'. Reason: {reason}. "
                f"Check your bot password credentials and permissions."
            )

    except requests.RequestException as e:
        raise AuthenticationError(
            f"Network error during login to {self.api_url}: {str(e)}"
        )

logout()

Logout from MediaWiki API and clear session.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret") auth.login()

... do some work ...

auth.logout()

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def logout(self) -> None:
    """
    Logout from MediaWiki API and clear session.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
        >>> auth.login()
        >>> # ... do some work ...
        >>> auth.logout()
    """
    if self._logged_in:
        try:
            # Get CSRF token for logout
            token_params = {
                "action": "query",
                "meta": "tokens",
                "type": "csrf",
                "format": "json",
            }
            token_response = self.session.get(self.api_url, params=token_params)
            token_data = token_response.json()
            csrf_token = token_data["query"]["tokens"]["csrftoken"]

            # Perform logout
            logout_params = {
                "action": "logout",
                "token": csrf_token,
                "format": "json",
            }
            self.session.post(self.api_url, data=logout_params)
        except Exception:
            # Ignore logout errors, just clear session
            pass
        finally:
            self._logged_in = False
            self.session.cookies.clear()

should_mark_bot_edits()

Return whether edits should default to bot-tagged.

Plain meaning: If credentials are in bot-password username format (Account@BotName), default write operations to bot mode.

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def should_mark_bot_edits(self) -> bool:
    """Return whether edits should default to bot-tagged.

    Plain meaning: If credentials are in bot-password username format
    (Account@BotName), default write operations to bot mode.
    """

    return bool(self.username and "@" in self.username)

test_authentication()

Test authentication and return diagnostic information.

Returns:

Type	Description
dict	Dictionary with authentication status, session details, and token info.

Example

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret") auth.login() info = auth.test_authentication() print(info)

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def test_authentication(self) -> dict:
    """
    Test authentication and return diagnostic information.

    Returns:
        Dictionary with authentication status, session details, and token info.

    Example:
        >>> auth = WikiverseAuth(username="User@Bot", password="secret")
        >>> auth.login()
        >>> info = auth.test_authentication()
        >>> print(info)
    """
    info = {
        "credentials_provided": self.is_authenticated(),
        "logged_in": self.is_logged_in(),
        "api_url": self.api_url,
        "username": self.username,
        "bot_name": self.get_bot_name(),
        "session_cookies": list(self.session.cookies.keys()),
        "csrf_token_retrieved": False,
        "csrf_token_preview": None,
        "error": None,
    }

    if self.is_logged_in():
        try:
            token = self.get_csrf_token()
            info["csrf_token_retrieved"] = True
            preview = token[:20] + "..." if len(token) > 20 else token
            info["csrf_token_preview"] = preview
        except Exception as e:
            info["error"] = str(e)

    return info

OpenStreetMapAuth

Bases: AuthBase

Authentication for OpenStreetMap.

Credentials can be provided in three ways (in order of precedence): 1. Direct parameters 2. Environment variables (OPENSTREETMAP_USERNAME, OPENSTREETMAP_PASSWORD) 3. Interactive prompt

Example

Using environment variables

auth = OpenStreetMapAuth()

Direct parameters

auth = OpenStreetMapAuth(username="myuser", password="mypass")

Interactive prompt

auth = OpenStreetMapAuth(interactive=True) Enter OpenStreetMap username: myuser Enter OpenStreetMap password: ****

Source code in gkc/auth.py

class OpenStreetMapAuth(AuthBase):
    """
    Authentication for OpenStreetMap.

    Credentials can be provided in three ways (in order of precedence):
    1. Direct parameters
    2. Environment variables (OPENSTREETMAP_USERNAME, OPENSTREETMAP_PASSWORD)
    3. Interactive prompt

    Example:
        >>> # Using environment variables
        >>> auth = OpenStreetMapAuth()

        >>> # Direct parameters
        >>> auth = OpenStreetMapAuth(username="myuser", password="mypass")

        >>> # Interactive prompt
        >>> auth = OpenStreetMapAuth(interactive=True)
        Enter OpenStreetMap username: myuser
        Enter OpenStreetMap password: ****
    """

    def __init__(
        self,
        username: Optional[str] = None,
        password: Optional[str] = None,
        interactive: bool = False,
    ):
        """
        Initialize OpenStreetMap authentication.

        Args:
            username: OpenStreetMap username. If not provided, reads from
                     OPENSTREETMAP_USERNAME environment variable.
            password: OpenStreetMap password. If not provided, reads from
                     OPENSTREETMAP_PASSWORD environment variable.
            interactive: If True and credentials are not found, prompt user for input.
        """
        # Try provided parameters first
        username = username or os.environ.get("OPENSTREETMAP_USERNAME")
        password = password or os.environ.get("OPENSTREETMAP_PASSWORD")

        # If credentials still not available and interactive mode is requested
        if interactive and not (username and password):
            print("OpenStreetMap credentials not found in environment.")
            username = input("Enter OpenStreetMap username: ").strip()
            password = getpass.getpass("Enter OpenStreetMap password: ").strip()

        super().__init__(username, password)

    def __repr__(self) -> str:
        status = "authenticated" if self.is_authenticated() else "not authenticated"
        return f"OpenStreetMapAuth(username={self.username!r}, {status})"

__init__(username=None, password=None, interactive=False)

Initialize OpenStreetMap authentication.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
username	Optional[str]	OpenStreetMap username. If not provided, reads from OPENSTREETMAP_USERNAME environment variable.	None
password	Optional[str]	OpenStreetMap password. If not provided, reads from OPENSTREETMAP_PASSWORD environment variable.	None
interactive	bool	If True and credentials are not found, prompt user for input.	False

Source code in gkc/auth.py

def __init__(
    self,
    username: Optional[str] = None,
    password: Optional[str] = None,
    interactive: bool = False,
):
    """
    Initialize OpenStreetMap authentication.

    Args:
        username: OpenStreetMap username. If not provided, reads from
                 OPENSTREETMAP_USERNAME environment variable.
        password: OpenStreetMap password. If not provided, reads from
                 OPENSTREETMAP_PASSWORD environment variable.
        interactive: If True and credentials are not found, prompt user for input.
    """
    # Try provided parameters first
    username = username or os.environ.get("OPENSTREETMAP_USERNAME")
    password = password or os.environ.get("OPENSTREETMAP_PASSWORD")

    # If credentials still not available and interactive mode is requested
    if interactive and not (username and password):
        print("OpenStreetMap credentials not found in environment.")
        username = input("Enter OpenStreetMap username: ").strip()
        password = getpass.getpass("Enter OpenStreetMap password: ").strip()

    super().__init__(username, password)

Examples

Authenticate to Wikidata using environment variables

This is the recommended approach for production workflows and CI/CD environments:

from gkc import WikiverseAuth

# Set environment variables first:
# export WIKIVERSE_USERNAME="MyUsername@MyBot"
# export WIKIVERSE_PASSWORD="abc123def456ghi789"

auth = WikiverseAuth()
auth.login()
print(f"Successfully logged in to: {auth.api_url}")

Authenticate to test.wikidata.org for testing

Use the new wikidata_test endpoint for development and testing:

from gkc import WikiverseAuth

auth = WikiverseAuth(
    username="TestBot@BotAccount",
    password="test_password_123",
    api_url="wikidata_test"  # Points to test.wikidata.org/w/api.php
)

if auth.login():
    token = auth.get_csrf_token()
    # Use token for test edits
    print(f"Got CSRF token for test edits")

Switch between Wikimedia projects

The same bot password credentials work across all Wikimedia projects thanks to Single User Login (SUL):

from gkc import WikiverseAuth

# Create auth once with default Wikidata endpoint
auth = WikiverseAuth(
    username="MyUsername@MyBot",
    password="abc123def456ghi789"
)
auth.login()

# Later, query Wikipedia instead
auth.api_url = "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php"
# The session is already authenticated for all Wikimedia projects

# Or use shortcuts for common projects
from gkc.auth import DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS
auth.api_url = DEFAULT_WIKIMEDIA_APIS["commons"]  # Wikimedia Commons

Use authentication session for API requests

The authenticated session can be used directly for making API calls:

from gkc import WikiverseAuth

auth = WikiverseAuth(
    username="MyUsername@MyBot",
    password="abc123def456ghi789",
    api_url="wikidata"
)
auth.login()

# Use the authenticated session for queries
response = auth.session.get(auth.api_url, params={
    "action": "query",
    "meta": "userinfo",
    "format": "json"
})

userinfo = response.json()
print(f"Logged in as: {userinfo['query']['userinfo']['name']}")

Extract account and bot names

Parse bot password format to extract components:

from gkc import WikiverseAuth

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot")

# Before login - still able to parse username
account_name = auth.get_account_name()  # "Alice"
bot_name = auth.get_bot_name()          # "MyBot"

print(f"Account: {account_name}, Bot: {bot_name}")

# Credentials can be provided via environment or password prompt
auth.login()
token = auth.get_csrf_token()

Error Handling

Missing credentials

from gkc import WikiverseAuth, AuthenticationError

auth = WikiverseAuth()  # No credentials provided
try:
    auth.login()
except AuthenticationError as e:
    print(f"Login failed: {e}")
    # Output: Login failed: Cannot login: credentials not provided...

Invalid bot password credentials

from gkc import WikiverseAuth, AuthenticationError

auth = WikiverseAuth(
    username="Alice@BadBot",
    password="wrong_password"
)

try:
    auth.login()
except AuthenticationError as e:
    print(f"Authentication error: {e}")
    # Output will describe the specific failure reason

Network errors

from gkc import WikiverseAuth, AuthenticationError

# Invalid API URL
auth = WikiverseAuth(
    username="Alice@MyBot",
    password="secret",
    api_url="https://invalid-wiki-site.example.com/w/api.php"
)

try:
    auth.login()
except AuthenticationError as e:
    print(f"Network error: {e}")
    # Output: Network error during login to https://invalid-wiki-site.example.com/w/api.php: ...

Missing CSRF token (not logged in)

from gkc import WikiverseAuth, AuthenticationError

auth = WikiverseAuth(username="Alice@MyBot", password="secret")
# Forgot to login first!

try:
    token = auth.get_csrf_token()
except AuthenticationError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")
    # Output: Error: Not logged in. Call login() first before getting CSRF token.

Available Endpoints

The auth module includes shortcuts for common Wikimedia instances:

Shortcut	Full URL
wikidata	https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php
wikidata_test	https://test.wikidata.org/w/api.php
wikipedia	https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php
commons	https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/api.php

Custom MediaWiki instances can be used by providing the full API URL.

See Also

• Authentication Guide - Conceptual overview and setup instructions
• SPARQL API - Query Wikidata and other SPARQL endpoints