fix: P0 Windows Edge path, add time localization, show --output, cleanup tech debt

- Fix auth.py subprocess script Windows Edge cookie path inconsistency
- Add timeutil.py for UTC→local time and relative time conversion
- Integrate time localization into formatter.py and serialization.py
- Add --output/-o option to show command for saving tweet detail as JSON
- Remove constants.py legacy aliases (USER_AGENT, SEC_CH_UA)
- Remove client.py backward-compat delegation methods and re-exports
- Update test imports to use parser module directly

tests/test_client.py

@@ -13,16 +13,22 @@ import pytest
 
 
 from twitter_cli.client import (
-    FEATURES,
     _best_chrome_target,
+    TwitterClient,
+)
+from twitter_cli.exceptions import TwitterAPIError
+from twitter_cli.graphql import (
+    FEATURES,
     _build_graphql_url,
+    _update_features_from_html,
+)
+from twitter_cli.parser import (
     _deep_get,
     _extract_cursor,
     _extract_media,
     _parse_int,
-    _update_features_from_html,
+    parse_tweet_result,
-    TwitterAPIError,
+    parse_user_result,
-    TwitterClient,
 )
 
 
@@ -339,9 +345,9 @@ class TestPaginationBehavior:
             return [MagicMock(id="tweet-1")], None
 
         client._graphql_get = _graphql_get
-        client._parse_timeline_response = _parse_timeline_response
 
-        tweets = client._fetch_timeline("HomeTimeline", 1, lambda data: data)
+        with patch('twitter_cli.client.parse_timeline_response', side_effect=_parse_timeline_response):
+            tweets = client._fetch_timeline("HomeTimeline", 1, lambda data: data)
 
         assert [tweet.id for tweet in tweets] == ["tweet-1"]
 
@@ -357,9 +363,9 @@ class TestPaginationBehavior:
             return {"page": len(calls)}
 
         client._graphql_get = _graphql_get
-        client._parse_timeline_response = lambda data, get_instructions: ([], "cursor-same")
 
-        tweets = client._fetch_timeline("HomeTimeline", 1, lambda data: data)
+        with patch('twitter_cli.client.parse_timeline_response', return_value=([], "cursor-same")):
+            tweets = client._fetch_timeline("HomeTimeline", 1, lambda data: data)
 
         assert tweets == []
         assert calls == [None, "cursor-same"]
@@ -401,9 +407,9 @@ class TestPaginationBehavior:
             ]
 
         client._graphql_get = _graphql_get
-        client._parse_user_result = _parse_user_result
 
-        users = client._fetch_user_list("Followers", "1", 1, _get_instructions)
+        with patch('twitter_cli.client.parse_user_result', side_effect=_parse_user_result):
+            users = client._fetch_user_list("Followers", "1", 1, _get_instructions)
 
         assert [user.screen_name for user in users] == ["alice"]
 
@@ -453,7 +459,7 @@ class TestParseTweetResult:
         client._ct_init_attempted = True
         client._client_transaction = None
 
-        tweet = client._parse_tweet_result(copy.deepcopy(self.SAMPLE_TWEET_RESULT))
+        tweet = parse_tweet_result(copy.deepcopy(self.SAMPLE_TWEET_RESULT))
         assert tweet is not None
         assert tweet.id == "1234567890"
         assert tweet.text == "Hello world! This is a test tweet."
@@ -475,7 +481,7 @@ class TestParseTweetResult:
         client._client_transaction = None
 
         result = {"__typename": "TweetTombstone"}
-        assert client._parse_tweet_result(result) is None
+        assert parse_tweet_result(result) is None
 
     @patch("twitter_cli.client._get_cffi_session")
     @patch("twitter_cli.client._gen_ct_headers", return_value={})
@@ -491,7 +497,7 @@ class TestParseTweetResult:
             "__typename": "TweetWithVisibilityResults",
             "tweet": copy.deepcopy(self.SAMPLE_TWEET_RESULT),
         }
-        tweet = client._parse_tweet_result(wrapped)
+        tweet = parse_tweet_result(wrapped)
         assert tweet is not None
         assert tweet.id == "1234567890"
 
@@ -505,7 +511,7 @@ class TestParseTweetResult:
         client._ct_init_attempted = True
         client._client_transaction = None
 
-        assert client._parse_tweet_result(self.SAMPLE_TWEET_RESULT, depth=3) is None
+        assert parse_tweet_result(self.SAMPLE_TWEET_RESULT, depth=3) is None
 
 
 # ── TwitterAPIError ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -523,7 +529,7 @@ class TestTwitterAPIError:
 
 class TestParseUserResult:
     def test_coerces_count_fields_to_int(self):
-        user = TwitterClient._parse_user_result(
+        user = parse_user_result(
             {
                 "rest_id": "user-1",
                 "legacy": {

tests/test_parser_fixtures.py

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from twitter_cli.client import TwitterClient, _deep_get
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+from twitter_cli.client import TwitterClient
+from twitter_cli.parser import _deep_get, parse_timeline_response
 
 
 def _make_client() -> TwitterClient:
@@ -15,10 +18,9 @@ def _make_client() -> TwitterClient:
 
 
 def test_parse_home_timeline_fixture(fixture_loader) -> None:
-    client = _make_client()
     payload = fixture_loader("home_timeline.json")
 
-    tweets, cursor = client._parse_timeline_response(
+    tweets, cursor = parse_timeline_response(
         payload,
         lambda data: _deep_get(data, "data", "home", "home_timeline_urt", "instructions"),
     )
@@ -34,10 +36,9 @@ def test_parse_home_timeline_fixture(fixture_loader) -> None:
 
 
 def test_parse_tweet_detail_fixture_with_nested_items(fixture_loader) -> None:
-    client = _make_client()
     payload = fixture_loader("tweet_detail.json")
 
-    tweets, cursor = client._parse_timeline_response(
+    tweets, cursor = parse_timeline_response(
         payload,
         lambda data: _deep_get(data, "data", "threaded_conversation_with_injections_v2", "instructions"),
     )
@@ -47,10 +48,9 @@ def test_parse_tweet_detail_fixture_with_nested_items(fixture_loader) -> None:
 
 
 def test_parse_search_timeline_fixture_with_module_items(fixture_loader) -> None:
-    client = _make_client()
     payload = fixture_loader("search_timeline.json")
 
-    tweets, cursor = client._parse_timeline_response(
+    tweets, cursor = parse_timeline_response(
         payload,
         lambda data: _deep_get(data, "data", "search_by_raw_query", "search_timeline", "timeline", "instructions"),
     )
@@ -62,10 +62,9 @@ def test_parse_search_timeline_fixture_with_module_items(fixture_loader) -> None
 
 
 def test_parse_list_timeline_fixture_with_visibility_wrapper(fixture_loader) -> None:
-    client = _make_client()
     payload = fixture_loader("list_timeline.json")
 
-    tweets, cursor = client._parse_timeline_response(
+    tweets, cursor = parse_timeline_response(
         payload,
         lambda data: _deep_get(data, "data", "list", "tweets_timeline", "timeline", "instructions"),
     )

twitter_cli/auth.py

@@ -353,9 +353,15 @@ def iter_cookie_files(browser_name):
     if sys.platform == "darwin":
         root = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), "Library", "Application Support", base_dir)
     elif sys.platform == "win32":
-        root = os.path.join(os.environ.get("LOCALAPPDATA", ""), base_dir, "User Data")
+        if browser_name == "edge":
+            root = os.path.join(os.environ.get("LOCALAPPDATA", ""), "Microsoft", "Edge", "User Data")
+        else:
+            root = os.path.join(os.environ.get("LOCALAPPDATA", ""), base_dir)
     else:
-        root = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), ".config", base_dir)
+        if browser_name == "edge":
+            root = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), ".config", "microsoft-edge")
+        else:
+            root = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), ".config", base_dir)
     if not os.path.isdir(root):
         return []
     env_profile = os.environ.get("TWITTER_CHROME_PROFILE", "").strip()

twitter_cli/cli.py

@@ -737,10 +737,11 @@ def _print_show_hint():
 @click.argument("index", type=click.IntRange(1))
 @click.option("--max", "-n", "max_count", type=int, default=None, help="Max replies to fetch.")
 @click.option("--full-text", is_flag=True, help="Show full reply text in table output.")
+@click.option("--output", "-o", "output_file", type=str, default=None, help="Save tweet detail as JSON to file.")
 @structured_output_options
 @click.pass_context
-def show(ctx, index, max_count, full_text, as_json, as_yaml):
+def show(ctx, index, max_count, full_text, output_file, as_json, as_yaml):
-    # type: (Any, int, Optional[int], bool, bool, bool) -> None
+    # type: (Any, int, Optional[int], bool, Optional[str], bool, bool) -> None
     """View tweet #INDEX from the last feed/search results."""
     compact = ctx.obj.get("compact", False)
 
@@ -769,6 +770,11 @@ def show(ctx, index, max_count, full_text, as_json, as_yaml):
     except RuntimeError as exc:
         _exit_with_error(exc)
 
+    if output_file:
+        Path(output_file).write_text(tweets_to_json(tweets), encoding="utf-8")
+        if rich_output:
+            console.print("💾 Saved to %s\n" % output_file)
+
     _emit_tweet_detail(tweets, compact=compact, as_json=as_json, as_yaml=as_yaml, full_text=full_text)
 
 

twitter_cli/client.py

@@ -715,7 +715,7 @@ class TwitterClient:
                 variables["cursor"] = cursor
 
             data = self._graphql_get(operation_name, variables, FEATURES, field_toggles=field_toggles)
-            new_tweets, next_cursor = self._parse_timeline_response(data, get_instructions)
+            new_tweets, next_cursor = parse_timeline_response(data, get_instructions)
 
             for tweet in new_tweets:
                 if tweet.id and tweet.id not in seen_ids:
@@ -780,7 +780,7 @@ class TwitterClient:
                         item = content.get("itemContent", {})
                         user_results = _deep_get(item, "user_results", "result")
                         if user_results:
-                            user = self._parse_user_result(user_results)
+                            user = parse_user_result(user_results)
                             if user:
                                 new_users.append(user)
                     elif entry_type == "TimelineTimelineCursor":
@@ -1081,28 +1081,3 @@ class TwitterClient:
             except Exception as exc:
                 logger.debug("Failed to generate transaction id: %s", exc)
         return headers
-
-    # ── Backward-compatible delegation to parser module ──────────────
-
-    @staticmethod
-    def _parse_user_result(user_data):
-        # type: (Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[UserProfile]
-        """Parse a user result object into UserProfile."""
-        return parse_user_result(user_data)
-
-    def _parse_tweet_result(self, result, depth=0):
-        # type: (Dict[str, Any], int) -> Optional[Tweet]
-        """Parse a single TweetResult into a Tweet dataclass."""
-        return parse_tweet_result(result, depth)
-
-    def _parse_timeline_response(self, data, get_instructions):
-        # type: (Any, Callable[[Any], Any]) -> Tuple[List[Tweet], Optional[str]]
-        """Parse timeline GraphQL response into tweets and next cursor."""
-        return parse_timeline_response(data, get_instructions)
-
-
-# ── Backward compatibility re-exports ────────────────────────────────────
-# These keep existing test imports working without modification.
-
-from .graphql import FALLBACK_QUERY_IDS  # noqa: E402, F401
-from .parser import _extract_cursor, _extract_media  # noqa: E402, F401

twitter_cli/constants.py

@@ -121,8 +121,3 @@ SEC_CH_UA_ARCH = get_sec_ch_ua_arch()
 SEC_CH_UA_BITNESS = '"64"'
 SEC_CH_UA_MODEL = '""'
 SEC_CH_UA_PLATFORM_VERSION = get_sec_ch_ua_platform_version()
-
-# Legacy aliases — modules that import these get the default value.
-# _build_headers() should use get_user_agent() / get_sec_ch_ua() instead.
-USER_AGENT = get_user_agent()
-SEC_CH_UA = get_sec_ch_ua()

twitter_cli/formatter.py

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from rich.panel import Panel
 from rich.table import Table
 
 from .models import Tweet, UserProfile
+from .timeutil import format_local_time, format_relative_time
 
 
 def format_number(n: int) -> str:
@@ -77,13 +78,15 @@ def print_tweet_table(
         text += "\n🔗 x.com/%s/status/%s" % (tweet.author.screen_name, tweet.id)
 
         # Stats
+        rel_time = format_relative_time(tweet.created_at)
         stats = (
-            "❤️ %s  🔄 %s\n💬 %s  👁️ %s"
+            "❤️ %s  🔄 %s\n💬 %s  👁️ %s\n🕐 %s"
             % (
                 format_number(tweet.metrics.likes),
                 format_number(tweet.metrics.retweets),
                 format_number(tweet.metrics.replies),
                 format_number(tweet.metrics.views),
+                rel_time,
             )
         )
 
@@ -138,9 +141,11 @@ def print_tweet_detail(tweet: Tweet, console: Optional[Console] = None) -> None:
             format_number(tweet.metrics.views),
         )
     )
+    local_time = format_local_time(tweet.created_at)
+    rel_time = format_relative_time(tweet.created_at)
     body_parts.append(
-        "🕐 %s · https://x.com/%s/status/%s"
+        "🕐 %s (%s) · https://x.com/%s/status/%s"
-        % (tweet.created_at, tweet.author.screen_name, tweet.id)
+        % (local_time, rel_time, tweet.author.screen_name, tweet.id)
     )
 
     console.print(Panel(

twitter_cli/serialization.py

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import json
 from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Optional
 
 from .models import Author, Metrics, Tweet, TweetMedia, UserProfile
+from .timeutil import format_local_time
 
 
 def tweet_to_dict(tweet: Tweet) -> Dict[str, Any]:
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ def tweet_to_dict(tweet: Tweet) -> Dict[str, Any]:
             "bookmarks": tweet.metrics.bookmarks,
         },
         "createdAt": tweet.created_at,
+        "createdAtLocal": format_local_time(tweet.created_at),
         "media": [
             {
                 "type": media.type,

twitter_cli/timeutil.py

@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+"""Time formatting utilities for twitter-cli.
+
+Converts Twitter API timestamps (e.g. "Sat Mar 08 12:00:00 +0000 2026")
+into human-friendly local time and relative time strings.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import logging
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from typing import Optional
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# Twitter API timestamp format: "Sat Mar 08 12:00:00 +0000 2026"
+_TWITTER_TIME_FORMAT = "%a %b %d %H:%M:%S %z %Y"
+
+
+def _parse_twitter_time(created_at: str) -> Optional[datetime]:
+    """Parse a Twitter API timestamp into a timezone-aware datetime."""
+    if not created_at:
+        return None
+    try:
+        return datetime.strptime(created_at, _TWITTER_TIME_FORMAT)
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        logger.debug("Failed to parse Twitter timestamp: %s", created_at)
+        return None
+
+
+def format_local_time(created_at: str) -> str:
+    """Convert Twitter timestamp to local time string.
+
+    Returns "2026-03-14 21:08" or the original string on parse failure.
+    """
+    dt = _parse_twitter_time(created_at)
+    if dt is None:
+        return created_at
+    local_dt = dt.astimezone()
+    return local_dt.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M")
+
+
+def format_relative_time(created_at: str) -> str:
+    """Convert Twitter timestamp to a relative time string.
+
+    Returns e.g. "2m ago", "3h ago", "5d ago", or the original string on failure.
+    """
+    dt = _parse_twitter_time(created_at)
+    if dt is None:
+        return created_at
+    now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+    delta = now - dt
+    seconds = int(delta.total_seconds())
+
+    if seconds < 0:
+        return "just now"
+    if seconds < 60:
+        return "%ds ago" % seconds
+    minutes = seconds // 60
+    if minutes < 60:
+        return "%dm ago" % minutes
+    hours = minutes // 60
+    if hours < 24:
+        return "%dh ago" % hours
+    days = hours // 24
+    if days < 30:
+        return "%dd ago" % days
+    months = days // 30
+    if months < 12:
+        return "%dmo ago" % months
+    years = days // 365
+    return "%dy ago" % years