Build Your Own Tariff Change Radar in ~70 Lines of Python

Description and use

Build a tariff change radar with ~70 lines of Python that watches an open GitHub repo and pings a webhook when new changes occur.

Problem

Tariff changes occur frequently and need timely notification for import pricing decisions.

Outcome

The radar runs from cron, watches an open dataset, and pings a webhook when the tariff stack moves, avoiding scraping and API keys.

Workflow

• Clone or pull the invoicetariff/invoicetariff repo
• Load data/changelog.json and ruleset‑seed.json
• Compare entry IDs against stored state file
• If new entries exist, send a webhook payload
• Update state file with new IDs

Evidence

Tariff rates don't sneak up on anyone — tariff changes do.

Source

The raw sources are hostile to automation. Federal Register notices are prose; exclusion lists ship as PDF attachments; CBP publishes CSMS messages on a page that assumes a human is reading it.

Source

Three properties make this watchable: Git is the transport; status splits the timeline; the repo ships the ruleset itself.

Source