[[!meta title="What do I need to use the service?"]]
(If, at any point in this process, you become stuck or encounter a
problem, feel free to contact us at scripts@mit.edu. We regularly
help people get up-and-running using the service.)

\1. You must have an
 [Athena account](http://web.mit.edu/olh/Register/) and understand
 the
 [MITnet rules of use](http://web.mit.edu/olh/Welcome/rules.html).
 You should also understand that users of the script service are
 responsible for ensuring the security of their content. If you
 install software from the web in your account, you are responsible
 for keeping that software up-to-date so that it is secure. If you
 have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at
 scripts@mit.edu.

\2. Run the commands in the shell script
 [/afs/athena.mit.edu/contrib/scripts/bin/signup-web](http://web.mit.edu/~scripts/bin/signup-web):  
 (you can run these commands by typing “add scripts” [enter] then
 “signup-web” [enter] at an Athena command prompt)

This script creates your web\_scripts directory and signs you up
for the service.

Your home directory must be listable by system:anyuser in order for
the script service to work properly. (All Athena accounts are
created with home directories that are listable by system:anyuser,
and few users change this setting).

\3. Place your web scripts and any supporting files in
 \~/web\_scripts and make sure that they follow these rules:

If you want your scripts to be able to write data to subdirectories
of your Athena home directory, you need to grant appropriate afs
access to the user “daemon.scripts”. For example,
**if you want your scripts to be able to write to a directory called DIRECTORY, you should run the command “fs sa DIRECTORY daemon.scripts write”**
on Athena. See
[Script Service AFS Details](http://scripts.mit.edu/afs_details.shtml)
for more information.

Looking at sample script code may help you get your scripts
working:  
demo.pl:
[see code](http://web.mit.edu/~jbarnold/web_scripts/demo/demo.pl.html)
| [see output](http://scripts.mit.edu/~jbarnold/demo/demo.pl)  
demo.php:
[see code](http://web.mit.edu/~jbarnold/web_scripts/demo/demo.php.html)
| [see output](http://scripts.mit.edu/~jbarnold/demo/demo.php)
demo.py:
[see code](http://web.mit.edu/~jbarnold/web_scripts/demo/demo.py.html)
| [see output](http://scripts.mit.edu/~jbarnold/demo/demo.py)
\4. Use a URL of the form
 http://**scripts**.mit.edu/**\~**USER\_NAME/SCRIPT\_NAME to access
 your scripts. The URL must start with http://**scripts**.mit.edu
 (rather than http://web.mit.edu or http://www.mit.edu), and you
 must include the \~. You should not include web\_scripts in the URL
 path.

\5. Add yourself to the scripts-announce mailing list by going to
 the
 [scripts-announce mailman page](https://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/scripts-announce)
 if you would like to receive announcements of major service changes
 and outages. The scripts-announce list is moderated and is
 low-volume.