matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-facebook.md

Setting up Mautrix Facebook bridging (optional, deprecated)

Note: This bridge has been deprecated in favor of the mautrix-meta Messenger/Instagram bridge, which can be installed using this playbook. Consider using that bridge instead of this one.

The playbook can install and configure mautrix-facebook for you.

See the project's documentation to learn what it does and why it might be useful to you.

Prerequisite (optional)

If you want to set up Double Puppeting (hint: you most likely do) for this bridge automatically, you need to have enabled Shared Secret Auth for this playbook.

For details about configuring Double Puppeting for this bridge, see the section below: Set up Double Puppeting

Adjusting the playbook configuration

To enable the bridge, add the following configuration to your inventory/host_vars/matrix.example.com/vars.yml file:

matrix_mautrix_facebook_enabled: true

There are some additional things you may wish to configure about the bridge before you continue.

Encryption support is off by default. If you would like to enable encryption, add the following to your vars.yml file:

matrix_mautrix_facebook_configuration_extension_yaml: |
  bridge:
    encryption:
      allow: true
      default: true  

If you would like to be able to administrate the bridge from your account it can be configured like this:

matrix_mautrix_facebook_configuration_extension_yaml: |
  bridge:
    permissions:
      '@YOUR_USERNAME:{{ matrix_domain }}': admin  

Using both would look like

matrix_mautrix_facebook_configuration_extension_yaml: |
  bridge:
    permissions:
      '@YOUR_USERNAME:{{ matrix_domain }}': admin
    encryption:
      allow: true
      default: true  

You may wish to look at roles/custom/matrix-bridge-mautrix-facebook/templates/config.yaml.j2 and roles/custom/matrix-bridge-mautrix-facebook/defaults/main.yml to find other things you would like to configure.

Installing

After configuring the playbook, run it with playbook tags as below:

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts setup.yml --tags=setup-all,ensure-matrix-users-created,start

Notes:

• The ensure-matrix-users-created playbook tag makes the playbook automatically create the bot's user account.

• The shortcut commands with the just program are also available: just install-all or just setup-all

  just install-all is useful for maintaining your setup quickly when its components remain unchanged. If you adjust your vars.yml to remove other components, you'd need to run just setup-all, or these components will still remain installed.

Usage

You then need to start a chat with @facebookbot:example.com (where example.com is your base domain, not the matrix. domain).

Send login YOUR_FACEBOOK_EMAIL_ADDRESS to the bridge bot to enable bridging for your Facebook Messenger account. You can learn more here about authentication from the bridge's official documentation on Authentication.

If you run into trouble, check the Troubleshooting section below.

💡 Set up Double Puppeting

After successfully enabling bridging, you may wish to set up Double Puppeting (hint: you most likely do).

To set it up, you have 2 ways of going about it.

Method 1: automatically, by enabling Shared Secret Auth

The bridge automatically performs Double Puppeting if Shared Secret Auth service is configured and enabled on the server for this playbook.

This is the recommended way of setting up Double Puppeting, as it's easier to accomplish, works for all your users automatically, and has less of a chance of breaking in the future.

Method 2: manually, by asking each user to provide a working access token

When using this method, each user that wishes to enable Double Puppeting needs to follow the following steps:

• retrieve a Matrix access token for yourself. Refer to the documentation on how to do that.

• send the access token to the bot. Example: login-matrix MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE

• make sure you don't log out the Mautrix-Facebook device some time in the future, as that would break the Double Puppeting feature

Troubleshooting

Facebook rejecting login attempts and forcing you to change password

If your Matrix server is in a wildly different location than where you usually use your Facebook account from, the bridge's login attempts may be outright rejected by Facebook. Along with that, Facebook may even force you to change the account's password.

If you happen to run into this problem while setting up bridging, try to first get a successful session up by logging in to Facebook through the Matrix server's IP address.

The easiest way to do this may be to use sshuttle to proxy your traffic through the Matrix server.

Example command for proxying your traffic through the Matrix server:

sshuttle -r root@matrix.example.com:22 0/0

Once connected, you should be able to verify that you're browsing the web through the Matrix server's IP by checking icanhazip.

Then proceed to log in to Facebook/Messenger.

Once logged in, proceed to set up bridging.

If that doesn't work, enable 2FA (see: Facebook help page on enabling 2FA) and try to login again with a new password, and entering the 2FA code when prompted, it may take more then one try, in between attempts, check facebook.com to see if they are requiring another password change