🚀 LeetCode Accountability System

A serverless Python-based system that enforces daily LeetCode consistency by automatically tracking submissions and sending reminder emails if you skip a day.

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🎯 The Problem

Initially, this system was built as a local background script that:

• Ran continuously using a while True loop
• Checked LeetCode activity at fixed intervals
• Sent reminder emails if no submission was made

❌ Limitations of the Local Approach

• Required the user's laptop to stay ON 24/7
• Consumed unnecessary system resources
• Stopped working if the terminal was closed
• Not practical for real-world usage

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⚡ The Solution (Architecture Upgrade)

The system was redesigned using a serverless cron-based architecture powered by GitHub Actions.

🔥 Key Idea:

Instead of running continuously, the system:

Executes only when needed, on cloud infrastructure.

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🧠 How It Works Now

1. GitHub Actions triggers the workflow every N hours (cron job)

2. A fresh virtual machine (ubuntu-latest) is created

3. The repository is cloned and dependencies are installed

4. The Python script runs:

   • Fetches LeetCode submissions
   • Checks if a problem was solved today (UTC)
   • Sends email if inactive

5. The machine is destroyed after execution

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🔄 Execution Model

Old Model (Local Daemon):

while True:
    check()
    sleep()

New Model (Serverless Cron):

Every N hours:
    spin up machine → run script → shut down

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🔐 Secure Configuration

Sensitive data is handled using GitHub Secrets:

• SENDER_EMAIL
• APP_PASSWORD
• LEETCODE_USERNAME
• TARGET_EMAIL

No credentials are stored in the repository or hardcoded.

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⚙️ Tech Stack

• Language: Python 3
• API Handling: requests (LeetCode GraphQL API)
• Email Service: smtplib via Gmail SMTP
• Automation: GitHub Actions (cron-based execution)
• Environment Management: python-dotenv

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📦 Setup Instructions

1. Clone Repository & Setup Environment

python -m venv venv

# Windows
venv\Scripts\activate

# Mac/Linux
source venv/bin/activate

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2. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

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3. Configure Secrets (IMPORTANT)

Since this project runs on GitHub Actions:

1. Go to your repository → Settings
2. Navigate to: Secrets and variables → Actions
3. Add the following secrets:

SENDER_EMAIL=your_email@gmail.com
APP_PASSWORD=your_16_character_app_password
LEETCODE_USERNAME=your_username
TARGET_EMAIL=your_email@gmail.com

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4. Workflow Configuration

The automation is defined in:

.github/workflows/leetcode_tracker.yml

Example schedule:

- cron: '0 */2 * * *'  # Runs every 2 hours

You can also trigger it manually using:

workflow_dispatch

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🧪 Example Behavior

Scenario	Outcome
Submission made today	✅ No email sent
No submission	📧 Reminder sent
Still inactive	🔁 Repeated checks via cron

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🚧 Future Improvements

• Multi-user support (database integration)
• SMS notifications (via APIs like Twilio)
• Web dashboard for tracking streaks
• SaaS version with user authentication

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🧨 Why This Exists

Motivation is unreliable. Systems are not.

This project removes friction and excuses by:

automating discipline through external enforcement

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📌 One-Line Summary

A serverless system that uses cron-based cloud execution to track LeetCode activity and enforce daily consistency via automated reminders.

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BY- T.VAISHNAV 😃👾