Get the three ESPN values the Almanac needs

Keep this page open beside the black Almanac window. You will copy one league number and two browser-cookie values. The cookie values stay hidden when pasted.

What the application does—and does not do

You sign in to ESPN yourself in Edge or Chrome. Fantasy League Almanac never asks for, observes, or automates your ESPN username, password, two-factor code, CAPTCHA, or identity-provider login.

It asks you to copy only the ESPN session cookies named espn_s2 and SWID. They are stored in the gitignored local .env file, used locally to read the fantasy league you request, and are not sent to Kyle or any project service.

1Sign in and open your league

  1. Open a normal Edge or Chrome window.
  2. Sign in at ESPN yourself, then open the fantasy-baseball league you want to use.
  3. Leave that league page open through the remaining steps.

2Copy the ESPN league ID

Look in the browser address. Copy only the digits immediately after leagueId=. If the address contains other numbers, do not include them.

fantasy.espn.com/baseball/league?leagueId= 12345678 &seasonId=2026

The number above is invented for this illustration. Do not send your real league ID in a public issue.

3Open the browser’s cookie table

  1. On the open ESPN league page, press F12. On some laptops use Fn + F12. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + I.
  2. Select Application along the top of Developer Tools. If it is hidden, select the » menu first.
  3. In the left column, expand Cookies, then select the ESPN address—usually https://www.espn.com.
Elements Console Sources Network Application » Storage ▼ Cookies https://www.espn.com Filter cookies by name Name Value espn_s2 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• SWID {••••••••-••••-••••-••••-••••••••••••} Double-click the Value cell, then copy the complete value. Keep the opening and closing braces around SWID.

4Paste only into the hidden Almanac prompts

  1. Find the row named espn_s2. Double-click its Value cell and copy the entire value.
  2. Return to the black Almanac window and paste it at ESPN_S2 (hidden). Nothing will appear while you paste. Press Enter once.
  3. Return to the cookie table. Copy the complete SWID Value, including its opening and closing braces.
  4. Paste it at SWID (hidden) and press Enter.

If a cookie row is missing

Confirm you are signed in, refresh the ESPN league page, and select the cookie store for www.espn.com. Do not copy cookies from another website. If ESPN asks you to sign in or complete a security check, complete it yourself in the normal browser; the Almanac does not bypass it.

Returning later with an expired ESPN session?

Close the ordinary setup window and double-click ROTATE_ESPN_CREDENTIALS.cmd in the extracted Almanac folder. Rotation is deliberately separate: it explains that the ESPN cookies are shared by every configured ESPN league, validates the replacement against your exact league and seasons, and asks you to type ROTATE before changing either saved value.

Safe reporting reminder

Never place either cookie, your league ID, a workbook URL, an .env file, or full logs in GitHub, Reddit, Discord, screenshots, or email. A public bug report needs only sanitized symptoms. Use the private-support option when the problem cannot be described safely.