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Ad Configuration Reference

Complete reference for ad YAML files in kleinanzeigen-bot.

File Format

Each ad is described in a separate JSON or YAML file with the default ad_ prefix (for example, ad_laptop.yaml). You can customize the prefix via the ad_files pattern in config.yaml. Examples below use YAML, but JSON uses the same keys and structure.

Parameter values specified in the ad_defaults section of config.yaml don't need to be specified again in the ad configuration file.

Quick Start

Generate sample ad files using the download command:

# Download all ads from your profile
kleinanzeigen-bot download --ads=all

# Download only new ads (not locally saved yet)
kleinanzeigen-bot download --ads=new

# Download specific ads by ID
kleinanzeigen-bot download --ads=1,2,3

For full JSON schema with IDE autocompletion support, see:

📖 Complete Main Configuration Reference →

Full documentation for config.yaml including all options, timeouts, browser settings, update checks, and ad_defaults.

Configuration Structure

Basic Ad Properties

Description values can be multiline. See https://yaml-multiline.info/ for YAML syntax examples.

# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Second-Hand-Friends/kleinanzeigen-bot/main/schemas/ad.schema.json
active: true
type: OFFER
title: "Your Ad Title"
description: |
  Your ad description here.
  Supports multiple lines.

Description Prefix and Suffix

You can add prefix and suffix text to your ad descriptions in two ways:

In your config.yaml file you can specify a description_prefix and description_suffix under the ad_defaults section:

ad_defaults:
  description_prefix: "Prefix text"
  description_suffix: "Suffix text"

Legacy Format

In your ad configuration file you can specify a description_prefix and description_suffix:

description_prefix: "Prefix text"
description_suffix: "Suffix text"

Precedence

The ad-level setting has precedence over the config.yaml default. If you specify both, the ad-level setting will be used. We recommend using the config.yaml defaults as it is more flexible and easier to manage.

Category

Built-in category name, custom category name from config.yaml, or category ID.

# Built-in category name (see default list at
# https://github.com/Second-Hand-Friends/kleinanzeigen-bot/blob/main/src/kleinanzeigen_bot/resources/categories.yaml)
category: "Elektronik > Notebooks"

# Custom category name (defined in config.yaml)
category: "Verschenken & Tauschen > Tauschen"

# Category ID
category: 161/278

Price and Price Type

price:  # Price in euros; decimals allowed but will be rounded to nearest whole euro on processing
        # (prefer whole euros for predictability)
price_type:  # one of: FIXED, NEGOTIABLE, GIVE_AWAY (default: NEGOTIABLE)

Automatic Price Reduction

When auto_price_reduction.enabled is set to true, the bot lowers the configured price every time the ad is reposted.

Important: Price reductions only apply when using the publish command (which deletes the old ad and creates a new one). Using the update command to modify ad content does NOT trigger price reductions or increment repost_count.

repost_count is tracked for every ad (and persisted inside the corresponding ad_*.yaml) so reductions continue across runs.

min_price is required whenever enabled is true and must be less than or equal to price; this makes an explicit floor (including 0) mandatory. If min_price equals the current price, the bot will log a warning and perform no reduction.

Note: repost_count and price reduction counters are only incremented and persisted after a successful publish. Failed publish attempts do not advance the counters.

auto_price_reduction:
  enabled:  # true or false to enable automatic price reduction on reposts (default: false)
  strategy:  # "PERCENTAGE" or "FIXED" (required when enabled is true)
  amount:    # Reduction amount; interpreted as percent for PERCENTAGE or currency units for FIXED
             # (prefer whole euros for predictability)
  min_price:  # Required when enabled is true; minimum price floor
              # (use 0 for no lower bound, prefer whole euros for predictability)
  delay_reposts:  # Number of reposts to wait before first reduction (default: 0)
  delay_days:     # Number of days to wait after publication before reductions (default: 0)

Note: All prices are rounded to whole euros after each reduction step.

PERCENTAGE Strategy Example

price: 150
price_type: FIXED
auto_price_reduction:
  enabled: true
  strategy: PERCENTAGE
  amount: 10
  min_price: 90
  delay_reposts: 0
  delay_days: 0

This posts the ad at 150 € the first time, then 135 € (10%), 122 € (10%), 110 € (10%), 99 € (10%), and stops decreasing at 90 €.

Note: The bot applies commercial rounding (ROUND_HALF_UP) to full euros after each reduction step. For example, 121.5 rounds to 122, and 109.8 rounds to 110. This step-wise rounding affects the final price progression, especially for percentage-based reductions.

FIXED Strategy Example

price: 150
price_type: FIXED
auto_price_reduction:
  enabled: true
  strategy: FIXED
  amount: 15
  min_price: 90
  delay_reposts: 0
  delay_days: 0

This posts the ad at 150 € the first time, then 135 € (15 €), 120 € (15 €), 105 € (15 €), and stops decreasing at 90 €.

Note on delay_days Behavior

The delay_days parameter counts complete 24-hour periods (whole days) since the ad was published. For example, if delay_days: 7 and the ad was published 6 days and 23 hours ago, the reduction will not yet apply. This ensures predictable behavior and avoids partial-day ambiguity.

Set auto_price_reduction.enabled: false (or omit the entire auto_price_reduction section) to keep the existing behavior—prices stay fixed and repost_count only acts as tracked metadata for future changes.

You can configure auto_price_reduction once under ad_defaults in config.yaml. The min_price can be set there or overridden per ad file as needed.

Special Attributes

Special attributes are category-specific key/value pairs. Use the download command to inspect existing ads in your category and reuse the keys you see under special_attributes.

special_attributes:
  # Example for rental properties
  # haus_mieten.zimmer_d: "3"  # Number of rooms

Shipping Configuration

shipping_type:  # one of: PICKUP, SHIPPING, NOT_APPLICABLE (default: SHIPPING)
shipping_costs:  # e.g. 2.95 (for individual postage, keep shipping_type SHIPPING and leave shipping_options empty)

# Specify shipping options / packages
# It is possible to select multiple packages, but only from one size (S, M, L)!
# Possible package types for size S:
#   - DHL_2
#   - Hermes_Päckchen
#   - Hermes_S
# Possible package types for size M:
#   - DHL_5
#   - Hermes_M
# Possible package types for size L:
#   - DHL_10
#   - DHL_20
#   - DHL_31,5
#   - Hermes_L
shipping_options: []

# Example (size S only):
# shipping_options:
#   - DHL_2
#   - Hermes_Päckchen

sell_directly:  # true or false, requires shipping_type SHIPPING to take effect (default: false)

Shipping types:

  • PICKUP - Buyer picks up the item
  • SHIPPING - Item is shipped (requires shipping costs or options)
  • NOT_APPLICABLE - Shipping not applicable for this item

Sell Directly: When sell_directly: true, buyers can purchase the item directly through the platform without contacting the seller first. This feature only works when shipping_type: SHIPPING.

Images

List of wildcard patterns to select images. If relative paths are specified, they are relative to this ad configuration file.

images:
  # - laptop_*.{jpg,png}

Contact Information

Contact details for the ad. These override defaults from config.yaml.

contact:
  name:
  street:
  zipcode:
  phone: ""  # IMPORTANT: surround phone number with quotes to prevent removal of leading zeros

Republication Interval

How often the ad should be republished (in days). Overrides ad_defaults.republication_interval from config.yaml.

republication_interval:  # every X days the ad should be re-published (default: 7)

Auto-Managed Fields

The following fields are automatically managed by the bot. Do not manually edit these unless you know what you're doing.

id:  # The ID assigned by kleinanzeigen.de
created_on:  # ISO timestamp when the ad was first published
updated_on:  # ISO timestamp when the ad was last published
content_hash:  # Hash of the ad content, used to detect changes
repost_count:  # How often the ad has been (re)published; used for automatic price reductions

Complete Example

# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Second-Hand-Friends/kleinanzeigen-bot/refs/heads/main/schemas/ad.schema.json
active: true
type: OFFER
title: "Example Ad Title"
description: |
  This is a multi-line description.
  You can add as much detail as you want here.
  The bot will preserve line breaks and formatting.

description_prefix: "For sale: "  # Optional ad-level override; defaults can live in config.yaml
description_suffix: " Please message if interested!"  # Optional ad-level override

category: "Elektronik > Notebooks"

price: 150
price_type: FIXED

auto_price_reduction:
  enabled: true
  strategy: PERCENTAGE
  amount: 10
  min_price: 90
  delay_reposts: 0
  delay_days: 0

shipping_type: SHIPPING
shipping_costs: 4.95
sell_directly: true

images:
  - "images/laptop_*.jpg"

contact:
  name: "John Doe"
  street: "Main Street 123"
  zipcode: "12345"
  phone: "0123456789"

republication_interval: 7

Best Practices

  1. Use meaningful filenames: Name your ad files descriptively, e.g., ad_laptop_hp_15.yaml
  2. Set defaults in config.yaml: Put common values in ad_defaults to avoid repetition
  3. Test before bulk publishing: Use --ads=changed or --ads=new to test changes before republishing all ads
  4. Back up your ad files: Keep them in version control if you want to track changes
  5. Use price reductions carefully: Set appropriate min_price to avoid underpricing
  6. Check shipping options: Ensure your shipping options match the actual package size and cost

Troubleshooting

  • Schema validation errors: Run kleinanzeigen-bot verify (binary) or pdm run app verify (source) to see which fields fail validation.
  • Price reduction not applying: Confirm auto_price_reduction.enabled is true, min_price is set, and you are using publish (not update). Remember ad-level values override ad_defaults.
  • Shipping configuration issues: Use shipping_type: SHIPPING when setting shipping_costs or shipping_options, and pick options from a single size group (S/M/L).
  • Category not found: Verify the category name or ID and check any custom mappings in config.yaml.
  • File naming/prefix mismatch: Ensure ad files match your ad_files glob and prefix (default ad_).
  • Image path resolution: Relative paths are resolved from the ad file location; use absolute paths and check file permissions if images are not found.