diff --git a/connectors/youtube_api.py b/connectors/youtube_api.py
deleted file mode 100644
index d0e00a3..0000000
--- a/connectors/youtube_api.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,84 +0,0 @@
-import os
-import datetime
-
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
-from googleapiclient.discovery import build
-from googleapiclient.errors import HttpError
-from dto.post import Post
-from dto.comment import Comment
-
-load_dotenv()
-
-API_KEY = os.getenv("YOUTUBE_API_KEY")
-
-class YouTubeAPI:
-    def __init__(self):
-        self.youtube = build('youtube', 'v3', developerKey=API_KEY)
-
-    def search_videos(self, query, limit):
-        request = self.youtube.search().list(
-            q=query,
-            part='snippet',
-            type='video',
-            maxResults=limit
-        )
-        response = request.execute()
-        return response.get('items', [])
-    
-    def get_video_comments(self, video_id, limit):
-        request = self.youtube.commentThreads().list(
-            part='snippet',
-            videoId=video_id,
-            maxResults=limit,
-            textFormat='plainText'
-        )
-
-        try:
-            response = request.execute()
-        except HttpError as e:
-            print(f"Error fetching comments for video {video_id}: {e}")
-            return []
-        return response.get('items', [])
-    
-    def fetch_videos(self, query, video_limit, comment_limit) -> list[Post]:
-        videos = self.search_videos(query, video_limit)
-        posts = []
-
-        for video in videos:
-            video_id = video['id']['videoId']
-            snippet = video['snippet']
-            title = snippet['title']
-            description = snippet['description']
-            published_at = datetime.datetime.strptime(snippet['publishedAt'], "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ").timestamp()
-            channel_title = snippet['channelTitle']
-
-            comments = []
-            comments_data = self.get_video_comments(video_id, comment_limit)
-            for comment_thread in comments_data:
-                comment_snippet = comment_thread['snippet']['topLevelComment']['snippet']
-                comment = Comment(
-                    id=comment_thread['id'],
-                    post_id=video_id,
-                    content=comment_snippet['textDisplay'],
-                    author=comment_snippet['authorDisplayName'],
-                    timestamp=datetime.datetime.strptime(comment_snippet['publishedAt'], "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ").timestamp(),
-                    reply_to=None,
-                    source="YouTube"
-                )
-
-                comments.append(comment)
-
-            post = Post(
-                id=video_id,
-                content=f"{title}\n\n{description}",
-                author=channel_title,
-                timestamp=published_at,
-                url=f"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v={video_id}",
-                title=title,
-                source="YouTube",
-                comments=comments
-            )
-
-            posts.append(post)
-
-        return posts
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/create_dataset.py b/create_dataset.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 791b2bd..0000000
--- a/create_dataset.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
-import json
-import logging
-from connectors.reddit_api import RedditAPI
-from connectors.boards_api import BoardsAPI
-from connectors.youtube_api import YouTubeAPI
-
-posts_file = 'posts_test.jsonl'
-
-reddit_connector = RedditAPI()
-boards_connector = BoardsAPI()
-youtube_connector = YouTubeAPI()
-
-logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)
-logging.getLogger("urllib3").setLevel(logging.WARNING)
-
-def remove_empty_posts(posts):
-    return [post for post in posts if post.content.strip() != ""]
-
-def save_to_jsonl(filename, posts):
-    with open(filename, 'a', encoding='utf-8') as f:
-        for post in posts:
-            # Convert post object to dict if it's a dataclass
-            data = post.to_dict()
-            f.write(json.dumps(data) + '\n')
-
-
-def main():
-    boards_posts = boards_connector.get_new_category_posts('cork-city', 1200, 1200)
-    save_to_jsonl(posts_file, boards_posts)
-
-    reddit_posts = reddit_connector.get_new_subreddit_posts('cork', 1200)
-    reddit_posts = remove_empty_posts(reddit_posts)
-    save_to_jsonl(posts_file, reddit_posts)
-
-    ireland_posts = reddit_connector.search_new_subreddit_posts('cork', 'ireland', 1200)
-    ireland_posts = remove_empty_posts(ireland_posts)
-    save_to_jsonl(posts_file, ireland_posts)
-
-    youtube_videos = youtube_connector.fetch_videos('cork city', 1200, 1200)
-    save_to_jsonl(posts_file, youtube_videos)
-
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-    main()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker-compose.dev.yml b/docker-compose.dev.yml
index 96c3430..dc3edb2 100644
--- a/docker-compose.dev.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.dev.yml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ services:
       - .env
     command: >
       celery -A server.queue.celery_app.celery worker
-      --loglevel=info
+      --loglevel=debug
       --pool=solo
     depends_on:
       - postgres
diff --git a/frontend/src/App.tsx b/frontend/src/App.tsx
index b1e6045..1b10f61 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/App.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import DatasetsPage from "./pages/Datasets";
 import DatasetStatusPage from "./pages/DatasetStatus";
 import LoginPage from "./pages/Login";
 import UploadPage from "./pages/Upload";
+import AutoScrapePage from "./pages/AutoScrape";
 import StatPage from "./pages/Stats";
 import { getDocumentTitle } from "./utils/documentTitle";
 import DatasetEditPage from "./pages/DatasetEdit";
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ function App() {
         <Route path="/" element={<Navigate to="/login" replace />} />
         <Route path="/login" element={<LoginPage />} />
         <Route path="/upload" element={<UploadPage />} />
+        <Route path="/auto-scrape" element={<AutoScrapePage />} />
         <Route path="/datasets" element={<DatasetsPage />} />
         <Route path="/dataset/:datasetId/status" element={<DatasetStatusPage />} />
         <Route path="/dataset/:datasetId/stats" element={<StatPage />} />
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/AutoScrape.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/AutoScrape.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e9d336
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/AutoScrape.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,338 @@
+import axios from "axios";
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { useNavigate } from "react-router-dom";
+import StatsStyling from "../styles/stats_styling";
+
+const styles = StatsStyling;
+const API_BASE_URL = import.meta.env.VITE_BACKEND_URL;
+
+type SourceOption = {
+  id: string;
+  label: string;
+  search_enabled?: boolean;
+  categories_enabled?: boolean;
+  searchEnabled?: boolean;
+  categoriesEnabled?: boolean;
+};
+
+type SourceConfig = {
+  sourceName: string;
+  limit: string;
+  search: string;
+  category: string;
+};
+
+const buildEmptySourceConfig = (sourceName = ""): SourceConfig => ({
+  sourceName,
+  limit: "100",
+  search: "",
+  category: "",
+});
+
+const supportsSearch = (source?: SourceOption): boolean =>
+  Boolean(source?.search_enabled ?? source?.searchEnabled);
+
+const supportsCategories = (source?: SourceOption): boolean =>
+  Boolean(source?.categories_enabled ?? source?.categoriesEnabled);
+
+const AutoScrapePage = () => {
+  const navigate = useNavigate();
+  const [datasetName, setDatasetName] = useState("");
+  const [sourceOptions, setSourceOptions] = useState<SourceOption[]>([]);
+  const [sourceConfigs, setSourceConfigs] = useState<SourceConfig[]>([]);
+  const [returnMessage, setReturnMessage] = useState("");
+  const [isLoadingSources, setIsLoadingSources] = useState(true);
+  const [isSubmitting, setIsSubmitting] = useState(false);
+  const [hasError, setHasError] = useState(false);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    axios
+      .get<SourceOption[]>(`${API_BASE_URL}/datasets/sources`)
+      .then((response) => {
+        const options = response.data || [];
+        setSourceOptions(options);
+        setSourceConfigs([buildEmptySourceConfig(options[0]?.id || "")]);
+      })
+      .catch((requestError: unknown) => {
+        setHasError(true);
+        if (axios.isAxiosError(requestError)) {
+          setReturnMessage(
+            `Failed to load available sources: ${String(
+              requestError.response?.data?.error || requestError.message
+            )}`
+          );
+        } else {
+          setReturnMessage("Failed to load available sources.");
+        }
+      })
+      .finally(() => {
+        setIsLoadingSources(false);
+      });
+  }, []);
+
+  const updateSourceConfig = (index: number, field: keyof SourceConfig, value: string) => {
+    setSourceConfigs((previous) =>
+      previous.map((config, configIndex) =>
+        configIndex === index
+          ? field === "sourceName"
+            ? { ...config, sourceName: value, search: "", category: "" }
+            : { ...config, [field]: value }
+          : config
+      )
+    );
+  };
+
+  const getSourceOption = (sourceName: string) =>
+    sourceOptions.find((option) => option.id === sourceName);
+
+  const addSourceConfig = () => {
+    setSourceConfigs((previous) => [
+      ...previous,
+      buildEmptySourceConfig(sourceOptions[0]?.id || ""),
+    ]);
+  };
+
+  const removeSourceConfig = (index: number) => {
+    setSourceConfigs((previous) => previous.filter((_, configIndex) => configIndex !== index));
+  };
+
+  const autoScrape = async () => {
+    const token = localStorage.getItem("access_token");
+    if (!token) {
+      setHasError(true);
+      setReturnMessage("You must be signed in to auto scrape a dataset.");
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const normalizedDatasetName = datasetName.trim();
+    if (!normalizedDatasetName) {
+      setHasError(true);
+      setReturnMessage("Please add a dataset name before continuing.");
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (sourceConfigs.length === 0) {
+      setHasError(true);
+      setReturnMessage("Please add at least one source.");
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const normalizedSources = sourceConfigs.map((source) => {
+      const sourceOption = getSourceOption(source.sourceName);
+
+      return {
+        name: source.sourceName,
+        limit: Number(source.limit || 100),
+        search: supportsSearch(sourceOption) ? source.search.trim() || undefined : undefined,
+        category: supportsCategories(sourceOption)
+          ? source.category.trim() || undefined
+          : undefined,
+      };
+    });
+
+    const invalidSource = normalizedSources.find(
+      (source) => !source.name || !Number.isFinite(source.limit) || source.limit <= 0
+    );
+
+    if (invalidSource) {
+      setHasError(true);
+      setReturnMessage("Every source needs a name and a limit greater than zero.");
+      return;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      setIsSubmitting(true);
+      setHasError(false);
+      setReturnMessage("");
+
+      const response = await axios.post(
+        `${API_BASE_URL}/datasets/scrape`,
+        {
+          name: normalizedDatasetName,
+          sources: normalizedSources,
+        },
+        {
+          headers: {
+            Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
+          },
+        }
+      );
+
+      const datasetId = Number(response.data.dataset_id);
+
+      setReturnMessage(
+        `Auto scrape queued successfully (dataset #${datasetId}). Redirecting to processing status...`
+      );
+
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        navigate(`/dataset/${datasetId}/status`);
+      }, 400);
+    } catch (requestError: unknown) {
+      setHasError(true);
+      if (axios.isAxiosError(requestError)) {
+        const message = String(
+          requestError.response?.data?.error || requestError.message || "Auto scrape failed."
+        );
+        setReturnMessage(`Auto scrape failed: ${message}`);
+      } else {
+        setReturnMessage("Auto scrape failed due to an unexpected error.");
+      }
+    } finally {
+      setIsSubmitting(false);
+    }
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div style={styles.page}>
+      <div style={styles.containerWide}>
+        <div style={{ ...styles.card, ...styles.headerBar }}>
+          <div>
+            <h1 style={styles.sectionHeaderTitle}>Auto Scrape Dataset</h1>
+            <p style={styles.sectionHeaderSubtitle}>
+              Select sources and scrape settings, then queue processing automatically.
+            </p>
+          </div>
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            style={{ ...styles.buttonPrimary, opacity: isSubmitting || isLoadingSources ? 0.75 : 1 }}
+            onClick={autoScrape}
+            disabled={isSubmitting || isLoadingSources}
+          >
+            {isSubmitting ? "Queueing..." : "Auto Scrape and Analyze"}
+          </button>
+        </div>
+
+        <div
+          style={{
+            ...styles.grid,
+            marginTop: 14,
+            gridTemplateColumns: "repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr))",
+          }}
+        >
+          <div style={{ ...styles.card, gridColumn: "auto" }}>
+            <h2 style={{ ...styles.sectionTitle, color: "#24292f" }}>Dataset Name</h2>
+            <p style={styles.sectionSubtitle}>Use a clear label so you can identify this run later.</p>
+            <input
+              style={{ ...styles.input, ...styles.inputFullWidth }}
+              type="text"
+              placeholder="Example: r/cork subreddit - Jan 2026"
+              value={datasetName}
+              onChange={(event) => setDatasetName(event.target.value)}
+            />
+          </div>
+
+          <div style={{ ...styles.card, gridColumn: "auto" }}>
+            <h2 style={{ ...styles.sectionTitle, color: "#24292f" }}>Sources</h2>
+            <p style={styles.sectionSubtitle}>
+              Configure source, limit, optional search, and optional category.
+            </p>
+
+            {isLoadingSources && <p style={styles.subtleBodyText}>Loading sources...</p>}
+
+            {!isLoadingSources && sourceOptions.length === 0 && (
+              <p style={styles.subtleBodyText}>No source connectors are currently available.</p>
+            )}
+
+            {!isLoadingSources && sourceOptions.length > 0 && (
+              <div style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", gap: 10 }}>
+                {sourceConfigs.map((source, index) => {
+                  const sourceOption = getSourceOption(source.sourceName);
+                  const searchEnabled = supportsSearch(sourceOption);
+                  const categoriesEnabled = supportsCategories(sourceOption);
+
+                  return (
+                  <div
+                    key={`source-${index}`}
+                    style={{
+                      border: "1px solid #d0d7de",
+                      borderRadius: 8,
+                      padding: 12,
+                      background: "#f6f8fa",
+                      display: "grid",
+                      gap: 8,
+                    }}
+                  >
+                    <select
+                      value={source.sourceName}
+                      style={{ ...styles.input, ...styles.inputFullWidth }}
+                      onChange={(event) => updateSourceConfig(index, "sourceName", event.target.value)}
+                    >
+                      {sourceOptions.map((option) => (
+                        <option key={option.id} value={option.id}>
+                          {option.label}
+                        </option>
+                      ))}
+                    </select>
+
+                    <input
+                      type="number"
+                      min={1}
+                      value={source.limit}
+                      placeholder="Limit"
+                      style={{ ...styles.input, ...styles.inputFullWidth }}
+                      onChange={(event) => updateSourceConfig(index, "limit", event.target.value)}
+                    />
+
+                    <input
+                      type="text"
+                      value={source.search}
+                      placeholder={
+                        searchEnabled
+                          ? "Search term (optional)"
+                          : "Search not supported for this source"
+                      }
+                      style={{ ...styles.input, ...styles.inputFullWidth }}
+                      disabled={!searchEnabled}
+                      onChange={(event) => updateSourceConfig(index, "search", event.target.value)}
+                    />
+
+                    <input
+                      type="text"
+                      value={source.category}
+                      placeholder={
+                        categoriesEnabled
+                          ? "Category (optional)"
+                          : "Categories not supported for this source"
+                      }
+                      style={{ ...styles.input, ...styles.inputFullWidth }}
+                      disabled={!categoriesEnabled}
+                      onChange={(event) => updateSourceConfig(index, "category", event.target.value)}
+                    />
+
+                    {sourceConfigs.length > 1 && (
+                      <button
+                        type="button"
+                        style={styles.buttonSecondary}
+                        onClick={() => removeSourceConfig(index)}
+                      >
+                        Remove source
+                      </button>
+                    )}
+                  </div>
+                  );
+                })}
+
+                <button type="button" style={styles.buttonSecondary} onClick={addSourceConfig}>
+                  Add another source
+                </button>
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <div
+          style={{
+            ...styles.card,
+            marginTop: 14,
+            ...(hasError ? styles.alertCardError : styles.alertCardInfo),
+          }}
+        >
+          {returnMessage ||
+            "After queueing, your dataset is fetched and processed in the background automatically."}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+};
+
+export default AutoScrapePage;
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/Datasets.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/Datasets.tsx
index 4c79cdc..d06d32a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/Datasets.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/Datasets.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const API_BASE_URL = import.meta.env.VITE_BACKEND_URL;
 type DatasetItem = {
   id: number;
   name?: string;
-  status?: "processing" | "complete" | "error" | string;
+  status?: "processing" | "complete" | "error" | "fetching" | string;
   status_message?: string | null;
   completed_at?: string | null;
   created_at?: string | null;
@@ -50,7 +50,24 @@ const DatasetsPage = () => {
   }, []);
 
   if (loading) {
-    return <p style={{ ...styles.page, minHeight: "100vh" }}>Loading datasets...</p>;
+    return (
+      <div style={styles.loadingPage}>
+        <div style={{ ...styles.loadingCard, transform: "translateY(-100px)" }}>
+          <div style={styles.loadingHeader}>
+            <div style={styles.loadingSpinner} />
+            <div>
+              <h2 style={styles.loadingTitle}>Loading datasets</h2>
+            </div>
+          </div>
+
+          <div style={styles.loadingSkeleton}>
+            <div style={{ ...styles.loadingSkeletonLine, ...styles.loadingSkeletonLineLong }} />
+            <div style={{ ...styles.loadingSkeletonLine, ...styles.loadingSkeletonLineMed }} />
+            <div style={{ ...styles.loadingSkeletonLine, ...styles.loadingSkeletonLineShort }} />
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    )
   }
 
   return (
@@ -63,9 +80,18 @@ const DatasetsPage = () => {
               View and reopen datasets you previously uploaded.
             </p>
           </div>
-          <button type="button" style={styles.buttonPrimary} onClick={() => navigate("/upload")}>
-            Upload New Dataset
-          </button>
+          <div style={styles.controlsWrapped}>
+            <button type="button" style={styles.buttonPrimary} onClick={() => navigate("/upload")}>
+              Upload New Dataset
+            </button>
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              style={styles.buttonSecondary}
+              onClick={() => navigate("/auto-scrape")}
+            >
+              Auto Scrape Dataset
+            </button>
+          </div>
         </div>
 
         {error && (
@@ -93,7 +119,7 @@ const DatasetsPage = () => {
           <div style={{ ...styles.card, marginTop: 14, padding: 0, overflow: "hidden" }}>
             <ul style={styles.listNoBullets}>
               {datasets.map((dataset) => {
-                const isComplete = dataset.status === "complete";
+                const isComplete = dataset.status === "complete" || dataset.status === "error";
                 const editPath = `/dataset/${dataset.id}/edit`;
                 const targetPath = isComplete
                   ? `/dataset/${dataset.id}/stats`
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/Upload.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/Upload.tsx
index 93383dc..0799f9b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/Upload.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/Upload.tsx
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ const UploadPage = () => {
       setHasError(false);
       setReturnMessage("");
 
-      const response = await axios.post(`${API_BASE_URL}/upload`, formData, {
+      const response = await axios.post(`${API_BASE_URL}/datasets/upload`, formData, {
         headers: {
           "Content-Type": "multipart/form-data",
         },
diff --git a/frontend/src/utils/documentTitle.ts b/frontend/src/utils/documentTitle.ts
index 904a6a8..5c7d00d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/utils/documentTitle.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/utils/documentTitle.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ const DEFAULT_TITLE = "Ethnograph View";
 const STATIC_TITLES: Record<string, string> = {
   "/login": "Sign In",
   "/upload": "Upload Dataset",
+  "/auto-scrape": "Auto Scrape Dataset",
   "/datasets": "My Datasets",
 };
 
diff --git a/server/app.py b/server/app.py
index 7cbf9d3..f373843 100644
--- a/server/app.py
+++ b/server/app.py
@@ -19,32 +19,38 @@ from server.exceptions import NotAuthorisedException, NonExistentDatasetExceptio
 from server.db.database import PostgresConnector
 from server.core.auth import AuthManager
 from server.core.datasets import DatasetManager
-from server.utils import get_request_filters
-from server.queue.tasks import process_dataset
+from server.utils import get_request_filters, get_env
+from server.queue.tasks import process_dataset, fetch_and_process_dataset
+from server.connectors.registry import get_available_connectors, get_connector_metadata
 
 app = Flask(__name__)
 
 # Env Variables
 load_dotenv()
-frontend_url = os.getenv("FRONTEND_URL", "http://localhost:5173")
-jwt_secret_key = os.getenv("JWT_SECRET_KEY", "super-secret-change-this")
-jwt_access_token_expires = int(
-    os.getenv("JWT_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRES", 1200)
-)  # Default to 20 minutes
+max_fetch_limit = int(get_env("MAX_FETCH_LIMIT"))
+frontend_url = get_env("FRONTEND_URL")
+jwt_secret_key = get_env("JWT_SECRET_KEY")
+jwt_access_token_expires = int(os.getenv("JWT_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRES", 1200))  # Default to 20 minutes
 
 # Flask Configuration
 CORS(app, resources={r"/*": {"origins": frontend_url}})
 app.config["JWT_SECRET_KEY"] = jwt_secret_key
 app.config["JWT_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRES"] = jwt_access_token_expires
 
+# Security
 bcrypt = Bcrypt(app)
 jwt = JWTManager(app)
 
+# Helper Objects
 db = PostgresConnector()
 auth_manager = AuthManager(db, bcrypt)
 dataset_manager = DatasetManager(db)
 stat_gen = StatGen()
+connectors = get_available_connectors()
 
+# Default Files
+with open("server/topics.json") as f:
+    default_topic_list = json.load(f)
 
 @app.route("/register", methods=["POST"])
 def register_user():
@@ -68,7 +74,7 @@ def register_user():
         return jsonify({"error": str(e)}), 400
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
     print(f"Registered new user: {username}")
     return jsonify({"message": f"User '{username}' registered successfully"}), 200
@@ -93,7 +99,7 @@ def login_user():
             return jsonify({"error": "Invalid username or password"}), 401
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 
 @app.route("/profile", methods=["GET"])
@@ -111,7 +117,95 @@ def get_user_datasets():
     current_user = int(get_jwt_identity())
     return jsonify(dataset_manager.get_user_datasets(current_user)), 200
 
-@app.route("/upload", methods=["POST"])
+@app.route("/datasets/sources", methods=["GET"])
+def get_dataset_sources():
+    list_metadata = list(get_connector_metadata().values())
+    return jsonify(list_metadata)
+
+@app.route("/datasets/scrape", methods=["POST"])
+@jwt_required()
+def scrape_data():
+    data = request.get_json()
+    connector_metadata = get_connector_metadata()
+
+    # Strong validation needed, otherwise data goes to Celery and crashes silently
+    if not data or "sources" not in data:
+        return jsonify({"error": "Sources must be provided"}), 400
+
+    if "name" not in data or not str(data["name"]).strip():
+        return jsonify({"error": "Dataset name is required"}), 400
+
+    dataset_name = data["name"].strip()
+    user_id = int(get_jwt_identity())
+
+    source_configs = data["sources"]
+
+    if not isinstance(source_configs, list) or len(source_configs) == 0:
+        return jsonify({"error": "Sources must be a non-empty list"}), 400
+
+    for source in source_configs:
+        if not isinstance(source, dict):
+            return jsonify({"error": "Each source must be an object"}), 400
+
+        if "name" not in source:
+            return jsonify({"error": "Each source must contain a name"}), 400
+
+        name = source["name"]
+        limit = source.get("limit", 1000)
+        category = source.get("category")
+        search = source.get("search")
+
+        if limit:
+            try:
+                limit = int(limit)
+            except (ValueError, TypeError):
+                return jsonify({"error": "Limit must be an integer"}), 400
+            
+            if limit > 1000:
+                limit = 1000
+
+        if name not in connector_metadata:
+            return jsonify({"error": "Source not supported"}), 400
+
+        if search and not connector_metadata[name]["search_enabled"]:
+            return jsonify({"error": f"Source {name} does not support search"}), 400
+
+        if category and not connector_metadata[name]["categories_enabled"]:
+            return jsonify({"error": f"Source {name} does not support categories"}), 400
+        
+        if category and not connectors[name]().category_exists(category):
+            return jsonify({"error": f"Category does not exist for {name}"}), 400
+
+    try:
+        dataset_id = dataset_manager.save_dataset_info(
+            user_id,
+            dataset_name,
+            default_topic_list
+        )
+
+        dataset_manager.set_dataset_status(
+            dataset_id,
+            "fetching",
+            f"Data is being fetched from {', '.join(source['name'] for source in source_configs)}"
+        )
+
+        fetch_and_process_dataset.delay(
+            dataset_id,
+            source_configs,
+            default_topic_list
+        )
+    except Exception:
+        print(traceback.format_exc())
+        return jsonify({"error": "Failed to queue dataset processing"}), 500
+
+
+    return jsonify({
+        "message": "Dataset queued for processing",
+        "dataset_id": dataset_id,
+        "status": "processing"
+    }), 202
+
+@app.route("/datasets/upload", methods=["POST"])
 @jwt_required()
 def upload_data():
     if "posts" not in request.files or "topics" not in request.files:
@@ -151,9 +245,9 @@ def upload_data():
             }
         ), 202
     except ValueError as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"Failed to read JSONL file: {str(e)}"}), 400
+        return jsonify({"error": f"Failed to read JSONL file"}), 400
     except Exception as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 @app.route("/dataset/<int:dataset_id>", methods=["GET"])
 @jwt_required()
@@ -256,10 +350,10 @@ def content_endpoint(dataset_id):
     except NonExistentDatasetException:
         return jsonify({"error": "Dataset does not exist"}), 404
     except ValueError as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data: {str(e)}"}), 400
+        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data"}), 400
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 
 @app.route("/dataset/<int:dataset_id>/summary", methods=["GET"])
@@ -278,10 +372,10 @@ def get_summary(dataset_id):
     except NonExistentDatasetException:
         return jsonify({"error": "Dataset does not exist"}), 404
     except ValueError as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data: {str(e)}"}), 400
+        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data"}), 400
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 
 @app.route("/dataset/<int:dataset_id>/time", methods=["GET"])
@@ -300,10 +394,10 @@ def get_time_analysis(dataset_id):
     except NonExistentDatasetException:
         return jsonify({"error": "Dataset does not exist"}), 404
     except ValueError as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data: {str(e)}"}), 400
+        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data"}), 400
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 
 @app.route("/dataset/<int:dataset_id>/user", methods=["GET"])
@@ -322,10 +416,10 @@ def get_user_analysis(dataset_id):
     except NonExistentDatasetException:
         return jsonify({"error": "Dataset does not exist"}), 404
     except ValueError as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data: {str(e)}"}), 400
+        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data"}), 400
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 
 @app.route("/dataset/<int:dataset_id>/cultural", methods=["GET"])
@@ -344,10 +438,10 @@ def get_cultural_analysis(dataset_id):
     except NonExistentDatasetException:
         return jsonify({"error": "Dataset does not exist"}), 404
     except ValueError as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data: {str(e)}"}), 400
+        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data"}), 400
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 
 @app.route("/dataset/<int:dataset_id>/interaction", methods=["GET"])
@@ -366,10 +460,10 @@ def get_interaction_analysis(dataset_id):
     except NonExistentDatasetException:
         return jsonify({"error": "Dataset does not exist"}), 404
     except ValueError as e:
-        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data: {str(e)}"}), 400
+        return jsonify({"error": f"Malformed or missing data"}), 400
     except Exception as e:
         print(traceback.format_exc())
-        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred: {str(e)}"}), 500
+        return jsonify({"error": f"An unexpected error occurred"}), 500
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/server/connectors/base.py b/server/connectors/base.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..48163b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/connectors/base.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
+from dto.post import Post
+
+class BaseConnector(ABC):
+    # Each subclass declares these at the class level
+    source_name: str       # machine-readable: "reddit", "youtube"
+    display_name: str      # human-readable: "Reddit", "YouTube"
+    required_env: list[str] = []  # env vars needed to activate
+
+    search_enabled: bool
+    categories_enabled: bool
+
+    @classmethod
+    def is_available(cls) -> bool:
+        """Returns True if all required env vars are set."""
+        import os
+        return all(os.getenv(var) for var in cls.required_env)
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def get_new_posts_by_search(self, 
+                                search: str = None, 
+                                category: str = None, 
+                                post_limit: int = 10
+                                ) -> list[Post]:
+        ...
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def category_exists(self, category: str) -> bool:
+        ...
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/connectors/boards_api.py b/server/connectors/boards_api.py
similarity index 70%
rename from connectors/boards_api.py
rename to server/connectors/boards_api.py
index 1b63aa9..57e79f7 100644
--- a/connectors/boards_api.py
+++ b/server/connectors/boards_api.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ from dto.post import Post
 from dto.comment import Comment
 from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
 from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, as_completed
+from server.connectors.base import BaseConnector
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -14,25 +15,64 @@ HEADERS = {
     "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; ForumScraper/1.0)"
 }
 
-class BoardsAPI:
-    def __init__(self):
-        self.url = "https://www.boards.ie"
-        self.source_name = "Boards.ie"
+class BoardsAPI(BaseConnector):
+    source_name: str = "boards.ie"
+    display_name: str = "Boards.ie"
 
-    def get_new_category_posts(self, category: str, post_limit: int, comment_limit: int)  -> list[Post]:
+    categories_enabled: bool = True
+    search_enabled: bool = False
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.base_url = "https://www.boards.ie"
+
+    def get_new_posts_by_search(self, 
+                                search: str,
+                                category: str, 
+                                post_limit: int
+                                )  -> list[Post]:
+        if search:
+            raise NotImplementedError("Search not compatible with boards.ie")
+        
+        if category:
+            return self._get_posts(f"{self.base_url}/categories/{category}", post_limit)
+        else:
+            return self._get_posts(f"{self.base_url}/discussions", post_limit)
+        
+    def category_exists(self, category: str) -> bool:
+        if not category:
+            return False
+
+        url = f"{self.base_url}/categories/{category}"
+
+        try:
+            response = requests.head(url, headers=HEADERS, allow_redirects=True)
+
+            if response.status_code == 200:
+                return True
+            if response.status_code == 404:
+                return False
+
+            # fallback if HEAD not supported
+            response = requests.get(url, headers=HEADERS)
+            return response.status_code == 200
+
+        except requests.RequestException as e:
+            logger.error(f"Error checking category '{category}': {e}")
+            return False
+        
+    ## Private
+    def _get_posts(self, url, limit) -> list[Post]:
         urls = []
         current_page = 1
 
-        logger.info(f"Fetching posts from category: {category}")
-
-        while len(urls) < post_limit:
-            url = f"{self.url}/categories/{category}/p{current_page}"
+        while len(urls) < limit:
+            url = f"{url}/p{current_page}"
             html = self._fetch_page(url)
             soup = BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")
 
-            logger.debug(f"Processing page {current_page} for category {category}")
+            logger.debug(f"Processing page {current_page} for link: {url}")
             for a in soup.select("a.threadbit-threadlink"):
-                if len(urls) >= post_limit:
+                if len(urls) >= limit:
                     break
 
                 href = a.get("href")
@@ -41,14 +81,14 @@ class BoardsAPI:
             
             current_page += 1
 
-        logger.debug(f"Fetched {len(urls)} post URLs from category {category}")
+        logger.debug(f"Fetched {len(urls)} post URLs")
 
         # Fetch post details for each URL and create Post objects
         posts = []
 
         def fetch_and_parse(post_url):
             html = self._fetch_page(post_url)
-            post = self._parse_thread(html, post_url, comment_limit)
+            post = self._parse_thread(html, post_url)
             return post
 
         with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=30) as executor:
@@ -71,7 +111,7 @@ class BoardsAPI:
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.text
 
-    def _parse_thread(self, html: str, post_url: str, comment_limit: int) -> Post:
+    def _parse_thread(self, html: str, post_url: str) -> Post:
         soup = BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")
         
         # Author
@@ -100,7 +140,7 @@ class BoardsAPI:
         title = title_tag.text.strip() if title_tag else None
 
         # Comments
-        comments = self._parse_comments(post_url, post_num, comment_limit)
+        comments = self._parse_comments(post_url, post_num)
 
         post = Post(
             id=post_num,
@@ -115,11 +155,11 @@ class BoardsAPI:
 
         return post
 
-    def _parse_comments(self, url: str, post_id: str, comment_limit: int) -> list[Comment]:
+    def _parse_comments(self, url: str, post_id: str) -> list[Comment]:
         comments = []
         current_url = url
 
-        while current_url and len(comments) < comment_limit:
+        while current_url:
             html = self._fetch_page(current_url)
             page_comments = self._parse_page_comments(html, post_id)
             comments.extend(page_comments)
@@ -130,7 +170,7 @@ class BoardsAPI:
 
             if next_link and next_link.get('href'):
                 href = next_link.get('href')
-                current_url = href if href.startswith('http') else self.url + href
+                current_url = href if href.startswith('http') else url + href
             else:
                 current_url = None
 
diff --git a/connectors/reddit_api.py b/server/connectors/reddit_api.py
similarity index 74%
rename from connectors/reddit_api.py
rename to server/connectors/reddit_api.py
index 0ec6100..7955fca 100644
--- a/connectors/reddit_api.py
+++ b/server/connectors/reddit_api.py
@@ -5,44 +5,63 @@ import time
 from dto.post import Post
 from dto.user import User
 from dto.comment import Comment
+from server.connectors.base import BaseConnector
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-class RedditAPI:
+class RedditAPI(BaseConnector):
+    source_name: str = "reddit"
+    display_name: str = "Reddit"
+    search_enabled: bool = True
+    categories_enabled: bool = True
+
     def __init__(self):
         self.url = "https://www.reddit.com/"
-        self.source_name = "Reddit"
 
     # Public Methods #
-    def search_new_subreddit_posts(self, search: str, subreddit: str, limit: int) -> list[Post]:
-        params = {
-            'q': search,
-            'limit': limit,
-            'restrict_sr': 'on',
-            'sort': 'new'
-        }
-
-        logger.info(f"Searching subreddit '{subreddit}' for '{search}' with limit {limit}")
-        url = f"r/{subreddit}/search.json"
-        posts = []
+    def get_new_posts_by_search(self, 
+                                search: str, 
+                                category: str, 
+                                post_limit: int
+                                ) -> list[Post]:
         
-        while len(posts) < limit:
-            batch_limit = min(100, limit - len(posts))
+        prefix = f"r/{category}/" if category else ""
+        params = {'limit': post_limit}
+
+        if search:
+            endpoint = f"{prefix}search.json"
+            params.update({
+                'q': search,
+                'sort': 'new',
+                'restrict_sr': 'on' if category else 'off' 
+            })
+        else:
+            endpoint = f"{prefix}new.json"
+
+        posts = []
+        after = None
+
+        while len(posts) < post_limit:
+            batch_limit = min(100, post_limit - len(posts))
             params['limit'] = batch_limit
+            if after:
+                params['after'] = after
 
-            data = self._fetch_post_overviews(url, params)
-            batch_posts = self._parse_posts(data)
-
-            logger.debug(f"Fetched {len(batch_posts)} posts from search in subreddit {subreddit}")
-
-            if not batch_posts:
+            data = self._fetch_post_overviews(endpoint, params)
+            
+            if not data or 'data' not in data or not data['data'].get('children'):
                 break
 
+            batch_posts = self._parse_posts(data)
             posts.extend(batch_posts)
 
-        return posts
+            after = data['data'].get('after')
+            if not after:
+                break
+
+        return posts[:post_limit]
     
-    def get_new_subreddit_posts(self, subreddit: str, limit: int = 10) -> list[Post]:
+    def _get_new_subreddit_posts(self, subreddit: str, limit: int = 10) -> list[Post]:
         posts = []
         after = None
         url = f"r/{subreddit}/new.json"
@@ -75,6 +94,17 @@ class RedditAPI:
         data = self._fetch_post_overviews(f"user/{username}/about.json", {})
         return self._parse_user(data)
     
+    def category_exists(self, category: str) -> bool:
+        try:
+            data = self._fetch_post_overviews(f"r/{category}/about.json", {})
+            return (
+                data is not None
+                and 'data' in data
+                and data['data'].get('id') is not None
+            )
+        except Exception:
+            return False
+
     ## Private Methods ##
     def _parse_posts(self, data) -> list[Post]:
         posts = []
diff --git a/server/connectors/registry.py b/server/connectors/registry.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f2371e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/connectors/registry.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import pkgutil
+import importlib
+import server.connectors
+from server.connectors.base import BaseConnector
+
+def _discover_connectors() -> list[type[BaseConnector]]:
+    """Walk the connectors package and collect all BaseConnector subclasses."""
+    for _, module_name, _ in pkgutil.iter_modules(server.connectors.__path__):
+        if module_name in ("base", "registry"):
+            continue
+        importlib.import_module(f"server.connectors.{module_name}")
+
+    return [
+        cls for cls in BaseConnector.__subclasses__()
+        if cls.source_name  # guard against abstract intermediaries
+    ]
+
+def get_available_connectors() -> dict[str, type[BaseConnector]]:
+    return {c.source_name: c for c in _discover_connectors() if c.is_available()}
+
+def get_connector_metadata() -> dict[str, dict]:
+    res = {}
+    for id, obj in get_available_connectors().items():
+        res[id] = {"id": id, 
+                   "label": obj.display_name, 
+                   "search_enabled": obj.search_enabled, 
+                   "categories_enabled": obj.categories_enabled
+                   }
+
+    return res
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/server/connectors/youtube_api.py b/server/connectors/youtube_api.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b014d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/connectors/youtube_api.py
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+import os
+import datetime
+
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from googleapiclient.discovery import build
+from googleapiclient.errors import HttpError
+from dto.post import Post
+from dto.comment import Comment
+from server.connectors.base import BaseConnector
+
+load_dotenv()
+
+API_KEY = os.getenv("YOUTUBE_API_KEY")
+
+class YouTubeAPI(BaseConnector):
+    source_name: str = "youtube"
+    display_name: str = "YouTube"
+    search_enabled: bool = True
+    categories_enabled: bool = False
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.youtube = build('youtube', 'v3', developerKey=API_KEY)
+
+    def get_new_posts_by_search(self, 
+                                search: str,
+                                category: str, 
+                                post_limit: int
+                                )  -> list[Post]:
+            videos = self._search_videos(search, post_limit)
+            posts = []
+
+            for video in videos:
+                video_id = video['id']['videoId']
+                snippet = video['snippet']
+                title = snippet['title']
+                description = snippet['description']
+                published_at = datetime.datetime.strptime(snippet['publishedAt'], "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ").timestamp()
+                channel_title = snippet['channelTitle']
+
+                comments = []
+                comments_data = self._get_video_comments(video_id)
+                for comment_thread in comments_data:
+                    comment_snippet = comment_thread['snippet']['topLevelComment']['snippet']
+                    comment = Comment(
+                        id=comment_thread['id'],
+                        post_id=video_id,
+                        content=comment_snippet['textDisplay'],
+                        author=comment_snippet['authorDisplayName'],
+                        timestamp=datetime.datetime.strptime(comment_snippet['publishedAt'], "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ").timestamp(),
+                        reply_to=None,
+                        source=self.source_name
+                    )
+
+                    comments.append(comment)
+
+                post = Post(
+                    id=video_id,
+                    content=f"{title}\n\n{description}",
+                    author=channel_title,
+                    timestamp=published_at,
+                    url=f"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v={video_id}",
+                    title=title,
+                    source=self.source_name,
+                    comments=comments
+                )
+
+                posts.append(post)
+
+            return posts
+    
+    def category_exists(self, category):
+        return True
+
+    def _search_videos(self, query, limit):
+        request = self.youtube.search().list(
+            q=query,
+            part='snippet',
+            type='video',
+            maxResults=limit
+        )
+        response = request.execute()
+        return response.get('items', [])
+    
+    def _get_video_comments(self, video_id):
+        request = self.youtube.commentThreads().list(
+            part='snippet',
+            videoId=video_id,
+            textFormat='plainText'
+        )
+
+        try:
+            response = request.execute()
+        except HttpError as e:
+            print(f"Error fetching comments for video {video_id}: {e}")
+            return []
+        return response.get('items', [])
diff --git a/server/core/auth.py b/server/core/auth.py
index 625c3c2..34bb93c 100644
--- a/server/core/auth.py
+++ b/server/core/auth.py
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
+import re
+
 from server.db.database import PostgresConnector
 from flask_bcrypt import Bcrypt
 
+EMAIL_REGEX = re.compile(r"[^@]+@[^@]+\.[^@]+")
+
 class AuthManager:
     def __init__(self, db: PostgresConnector, bcrypt: Bcrypt):
         self.db = db
@@ -18,6 +22,12 @@ class AuthManager:
     def register_user(self, username, email, password):
         hashed_password = self.bcrypt.generate_password_hash(password).decode("utf-8")
 
+        if len(username) < 3:
+            raise ValueError("Username must be longer than 3 characters")
+        
+        if not EMAIL_REGEX.match(email):
+            raise ValueError("Please enter a valid email address")
+
         if self.get_user_by_email(email):
             raise ValueError("Email already registered")
         
diff --git a/server/core/datasets.py b/server/core/datasets.py
index 5886cfc..4690454 100644
--- a/server/core/datasets.py
+++ b/server/core/datasets.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import pandas as pd
 from server.db.database import PostgresConnector
 from psycopg2.extras import Json
-from server.exceptions import NotAuthorisedException, NonExistentDatasetException
+from server.exceptions import NonExistentDatasetException
 
 class DatasetManager:
     def __init__(self, db: PostgresConnector):
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ class DatasetManager:
         self.db.execute_batch(query, values)
 
     def set_dataset_status(self, dataset_id: int, status: str, status_message: str | None = None):
-        if status not in ["processing", "complete", "error"]:
+        if status not in ["fetching", "processing", "complete", "error"]:
             raise ValueError("Invalid status")
 
         query = """
diff --git a/server/db/schema.sql b/server/db/schema.sql
index 051a396..4550633 100644
--- a/server/db/schema.sql
+++ b/server/db/schema.sql
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ CREATE TABLE datasets (
 
     -- Enforce valid states
     CONSTRAINT datasets_status_check
-    CHECK (status IN ('processing', 'complete', 'error'))
+    CHECK (status IN ('fetching', 'processing', 'complete', 'error'))
 );
 
 CREATE TABLE events (
diff --git a/server/queue/tasks.py b/server/queue/tasks.py
index a089596..95248d1 100644
--- a/server/queue/tasks.py
+++ b/server/queue/tasks.py
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
 import pandas as pd
+import logging
 
 from server.queue.celery_app import celery
 from server.analysis.enrichment import DatasetEnrichment
 from server.db.database import PostgresConnector
 from server.core.datasets import DatasetManager
+from server.connectors.registry import get_available_connectors
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 @celery.task(bind=True, max_retries=3)
 def process_dataset(self, dataset_id: int, posts: list, topics: dict):
@@ -16,6 +20,41 @@ def process_dataset(self, dataset_id: int, posts: list, topics: dict):
         processor = DatasetEnrichment(df, topics)
         enriched_df = processor.enrich()
 
+        dataset_manager.save_dataset_content(dataset_id, enriched_df)
+        dataset_manager.set_dataset_status(dataset_id, "complete", "NLP Processing Completed Successfully")
+    except Exception as e:
+        dataset_manager.set_dataset_status(dataset_id, "error", f"An error occurred: {e}")
+
+@celery.task(bind=True, max_retries=3)
+def fetch_and_process_dataset(self, 
+                              dataset_id: int, 
+                              source_info: list[dict],
+                              topics: dict):
+    connectors = get_available_connectors()
+    db = PostgresConnector()
+    dataset_manager = DatasetManager(db)
+    posts = []
+
+    try:
+        for metadata in source_info:
+            name = metadata["name"]
+            search = metadata.get("search")
+            category = metadata.get("category")
+            limit = metadata.get("limit", 100)
+
+            connector = connectors[name]()
+            raw_posts = connector.get_new_posts_by_search(
+                search=search,
+                category=category,
+                post_limit=limit
+            )
+            posts.extend(post.to_dict() for post in raw_posts)
+
+        df = pd.DataFrame(posts)
+
+        processor = DatasetEnrichment(df, topics)
+        enriched_df = processor.enrich()
+
         dataset_manager.save_dataset_content(dataset_id, enriched_df)
         dataset_manager.set_dataset_status(dataset_id, "complete", "NLP Processing Completed Successfully")
     except Exception as e:
diff --git a/server/topics.json b/server/topics.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..271913a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/topics.json
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+{
+  "Personal Life": "daily life, life updates, what happened today, personal stories, life events, reflections",
+
+  "Relationships": "dating, relationships, breakups, friendships, family relationships, marriage, relationship advice",
+
+  "Family & Parenting": "parents, parenting, children, raising kids, family dynamics, family stories",
+
+  "Work & Careers": "jobs, workplaces, office life, promotions, quitting jobs, career advice, workplace drama",
+
+  "Education": "school, studying, exams, university, homework, academic pressure, learning experiences",
+
+  "Money & Finance": "saving money, debt, budgeting, cost of living, financial advice, personal finance",
+
+  "Health & Fitness": "exercise, gym, workouts, running, diet, fitness routines, weight loss",
+
+  "Mental Health": "stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, therapy, emotional wellbeing",
+
+  "Food & Cooking": "meals, cooking, recipes, restaurants, snacks, food opinions",
+
+  "Travel": "holidays, trips, tourism, travel experiences, airports, flights, travel tips",
+
+  "Entertainment": "movies, TV shows, streaming services, celebrities, pop culture",
+
+  "Music": "songs, albums, artists, concerts, music opinions",
+
+  "Gaming": "video games, gaming culture, consoles, PC gaming, esports",
+
+  "Sports": "sports matches, teams, players, competitions, sports opinions",
+
+  "Technology": "phones, gadgets, apps, AI, software, tech trends",
+
+  "Internet Culture": "memes, viral trends, online jokes, internet drama, trending topics",
+
+  "Social Media": "platforms, influencers, content creators, algorithms, online communities",
+
+  "News & Current Events": "breaking news, world events, major incidents, public discussions",
+
+  "Politics": "political debates, elections, government policies, ideology",
+
+  "Culture & Society": "social issues, cultural trends, generational debates, societal changes",
+
+  "Identity & Lifestyle": "personal identity, lifestyle choices, values, self-expression",
+
+  "Hobbies & Interests": "art, photography, crafts, collecting, hobbies",
+
+  "Fashion & Beauty": "clothing, style, makeup, skincare, fashion trends",
+
+  "Animals & Pets": "pets, animal videos, pet care, wildlife",
+
+  "Humour": "jokes, funny stories, sarcasm, memes",
+
+  "Opinions & Debates": "hot takes, controversial opinions, arguments, discussions",
+
+  "Advice & Tips": "life advice, tutorials, how-to tips, recommendations",
+
+  "Product Reviews": "reviews, recommendations, experiences with products",
+
+  "Complaints & Rants": "frustrations, complaining, venting about things",
+
+  "Motivation & Inspiration": "motivational quotes, success stories, encouragement",
+
+  "Questions & Curiosity": "asking questions, seeking opinions, curiosity posts",
+
+  "Celebrations & Achievements": "birthdays, milestones, achievements, good news",
+
+  "Random Thoughts": "shower thoughts, observations, random ideas"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/server/utils.py b/server/utils.py
index 815739f..fb42953 100644
--- a/server/utils.py
+++ b/server/utils.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import datetime
+import os
 from flask import request
 
 def parse_datetime_filter(value):
@@ -48,3 +49,9 @@ def get_request_filters() -> dict:
         filters["data_sources"] = data_sources
 
     return filters
+
+def get_env(name: str) -> str:
+    value = os.getenv(name)
+    if not value:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"Missing required environment variable: {name}")
+    return value