Reddit Research

General-purpose Reddit research agent. Search, read, monitor — all from the terminal. No API key needed.

Why?

Reddit is the largest collection of authentic human opinions on the internet. Unlike SEO-optimized blog posts or sponsored content, Reddit threads contain real experiences, tested solutions, and unfiltered takes.

Zero auth. Zero cost. Zero dependencies.

Data Providers

Default is Reddit (real-time). Switch to PullPush or Arctic Shift when you need historical data or deleted content.

Setup

Node.js 18+ required (for native fetch). No npm install needed.

cd <skill-dir>/scripts

CLI Tool

Search

npx tsx reddit.ts search "<query>" [options]

Options:

• --sub <subreddit> — restrict to a subreddit
• --sort relevance|top|new|hot|comments — sort order (default: relevance)
• --time hour|day|week|month|year|all — time filter (default: week)
• --limit N — max results (default: 15)
• --provider reddit|pullpush|arctic-shift — data source
• --author <username> — filter by author (Arctic Shift only)
• --compact — one-line format
• --save — save results to file
• --json — raw JSON output
• --markdown — markdown formatted output

Examples:

npx tsx reddit.ts search "pumpfun scam" --sort top --time month
npx tsx reddit.ts search "best VPN" --sub privacy --sort top --time year
npx tsx reddit.ts search "openclaw" --provider pullpush --limit 20
npx tsx reddit.ts search "agent" --provider arctic-shift --sub openclaw

Comment Search

Search through comments using PullPush or Arctic Shift:

npx tsx reddit.ts comments "<query>" [--sub <subreddit>] [--provider pullpush|arctic-shift] [--limit N]

npx tsx reddit.ts comments "solana scam" --provider pullpush --limit 10
npx tsx reddit.ts comments "openclaw" --provider arctic-shift --sub openclaw

Subreddit Feeds

npx tsx reddit.ts hot <subreddit> [--limit N] [--time day|week]
npx tsx reddit.ts new <subreddit> [--limit N]
npx tsx reddit.ts rising <subreddit> [--limit N]
npx tsx reddit.ts top <subreddit> [--time day|week|month|year|all] [--limit N]
npx tsx reddit.ts controversial <subreddit> [--time day|week] [--limit N]

Multi-Subreddit Feed

npx tsx reddit.ts multi <sub1+sub2+sub3> [--sort hot|new|top] [--time day|week] [--limit N]

Read Thread

npx tsx reddit.ts thread <url> [--sort top|best|new|controversial] [--limit N] [--depth N]

User Profile

npx tsx reddit.ts user <username> [--posts|--comments] [--sort new|top|hot] [--limit N]

Subreddit Info

npx tsx reddit.ts subreddit <name>

Find Subreddits

npx tsx reddit.ts find-subs "<query>" [--limit N]

Popular Subreddits

npx tsx reddit.ts popular [--limit N]

Cross-Posts / Duplicates

npx tsx reddit.ts duplicates <post_id>

Wiki

npx tsx reddit.ts wiki <subreddit> [page]

Watchlist

npx tsx reddit.ts watchlist                       # Show all
npx tsx reddit.ts watchlist add <sub> [note]      # Add subreddit
npx tsx reddit.ts watchlist remove <sub>          # Remove
npx tsx reddit.ts watchlist check                 # Check hot posts from all

Cache

npx tsx reddit.ts cache stats     # Cache statistics
npx tsx reddit.ts cache clear     # Clear all cached data

Research Loop (Agentic)

When doing deep research, follow this loop:

1. Decompose the Question

Turn the research question into 3-5 search queries:

• Direct query: Core keywords
• Subreddit-specific: Search within the most relevant sub
• Solution-focused: Add "solved", "fix", "how to"
• Experience-focused: Add "experience", "review", "worth it"
• Negative signal: "scam", "avoid", "warning"
• Historical: Use --provider pullpush for deleted/old content

2. Search and Triage

Run each query. For each result set:

• High score + lots of comments = worth reading the thread
• Low score but specific = might have niche info
• Cross-posted = narrative spreading

3. Read Key Threads

npx tsx reddit.ts thread <url> --sort top --limit 30

4. Cross-Reference

npx tsx reddit.ts duplicates <post_id>

5. Comment Deep Dive

Search through comments when posts don't surface the answer:

npx tsx reddit.ts comments "specific error message" --provider pullpush --limit 20

6. Synthesize

Group findings by theme:

### [Finding/Theme]
[Summary]
- u/username in r/subreddit (⬆️ N): "[key quote]" [Link](url)
- u/username2 in r/subreddit2 (⬆️ N): "[another take]" [Link](url)

Heartbeat Integration

On heartbeat, run watchlist check to see if watched subreddits have notable activity. Flag only if genuinely interesting/actionable.

Rate Limits

• Reddit JSON: ~60 req/min, User-Agent required, auto-retry with backoff
• PullPush: Generous, no official limit, sometimes down
• Arctic Shift: Generous, no official limit
• Cache: 15min TTL prevents redundant hits

File Structure

skills/reddit-research/
├── SKILL.md                # This file
├── README.md
├── package.json            # Zero dependencies
├── assets/
│   └── banner.svg
├── scripts/
│   ├── reddit.ts           # CLI entry point
│   └── lib/
│       ├── api.ts          # Reddit + PullPush + Arctic Shift wrapper
│       ├── cache.ts        # File-based cache
│       └── format.ts       # Terminal + markdown formatters
├── data/
│   ├── watchlist.json      # Watched subreddits
│   └── cache/              # Auto-managed
└── references/
    └── reddit-json-api.md  # API endpoint reference

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ (for native fetch)
• No API key needed
• No npm install needed — zero dependencies