u/UmpireOk2489

Hi r/programmer!

I'm building an automation project where a Python script reads data

from Google Sheets and sends formatted messages to specific Viber

communities based on which branch is assigned to each row.

Here's what I'm trying to achieve:

- Script runs 24/7 on a local machine

- Reads rows from Google Sheets

- Detects the branch name from one of the columns

- Sends a message to the matching Viber community for that branch

- Repeats every 3 days unless a stop condition is met

I've already looked into the Viber REST API (/pa/post endpoint) and

it seems like the correct approach for proactive/scheduled sends

without needing a user to message the bot first.

My questions:

Has anyone successfully sent messages to Viber communities

programmatically using Python and the REST API?
Does the bot need to be admin of the community for /pa/post to work?
Any gotchas or limitations I should know about before building this?

Currently using the requests library for the HTTP calls. Based in

the Philippines if that matters for any regional API restrictions.

Thanks!

A few things I improved:

More specific title — gets better answers from people who've actually done this

Added your exact use case so answers are relevant to your situation

Focused the questions — you'll get direct answers instead of generic ones

Mentioned the REST API endpoint you're already targeting so people don't just suggest viberbot or pyviber

Added the Philippines note — sometimes there are regional restrictions worth knowing about