reddit-scraper
Read-only Reddit research tool. Browse subreddits, search posts, and monitor community discussions using Reddit's public JSON API. No API key required. Supports topic search, subreddit browsing, sorting, and time filtering.
Permissions
Risk Assessment
This skill requests 3 of 4 possible permissions. Elevated scope — ensure each permission is justified. Consider running in a sandbox.
SKILL.md
Read and search Reddit posts via web scraping of old.reddit.com. Uses Reddit's public JSON API — no API key required.
Features
- Browse subreddits — view posts from any public subreddit
- Search topics — find discussions across all of Reddit or within specific subreddits
- Sort and filter — sort by hot, new, top, rising; filter by time period
- Read-only — cannot post, comment, or vote (by design)
Usage
python reddit_scraper.py --subreddit programming --sort hot
python reddit_scraper.py --search "openclaw security" --sort top --time week
python reddit_scraper.py --subreddit machinelearning --search "LLM agents" --json
Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
--subreddit |
Target subreddit name | None (searches all) |
--search |
Search query | None |
--sort |
Sort order: hot, new, top, rising | hot |
--time |
Time filter: hour, day, week, month, year, all | all |
--json |
Output as structured JSON | False |
--limit |
Maximum number of results (max 100) | 25 |
Output Data
For each post, the scraper returns:
- Title, author, score, comment count
- Post URL and permalink
- Created timestamp
- Subreddit name
- Engagement metrics (upvote ratio)
Use Cases
- Market research — monitor discussions about your product or competitors
- Trend analysis — track emerging topics in specific communities
- Content ideas — find popular questions and discussions in your niche
- Sentiment analysis — gauge community reaction to events or announcements
- Technical research — find solutions and best practices discussed by developers
Limitations
- Read-only access — cannot interact with posts
- Rate limited by Reddit's public API
- Private and quarantined subreddits are not accessible
- Results capped at 100 per query
Why You Need reddit-scraper
Reddit is the internet's largest collection of authentic user opinions, product discussions, and community knowledge. For market research, competitive analysis, and content strategy, Reddit threads contain unfiltered insights that you won't find in polished blog posts or press releases.
Reddit Scraper is a read-only research tool that uses Reddit's public JSON API — no API key required. Browse subreddits, search for topics, and pull post data including titles, scores, comments, and engagement metrics. It processes results through a Python script with support for sorting, time filtering, and JSON output.
This skill is designed for research, not interaction. It cannot post, comment, or vote — only read. That makes it safe for market research, trend tracking, and content ideation without any risk of unintended engagement.
Common Use Cases
- Research what users say about your product or competitors on Reddit
- Monitor subreddits for trending topics and emerging discussions in your niche
- Extract common questions and pain points from community discussions
- Track sentiment around product launches, features, or industry events
- Find content ideas by analyzing what gets the most upvotes in relevant subreddits
Frequently Asked Questions
Can it post or comment on Reddit?
No. Reddit Scraper is strictly read-only by design. It can only fetch and analyze public post data. It cannot create posts, comment, vote, or interact with Reddit in any way.
Does it need an API key or Reddit account?
No. It uses Reddit's unauthenticated public JSON endpoints, so there is nothing to configure. It works out of the box.
How many results can it return?
Up to 100 posts per query, which is the limit of Reddit's public API. You can filter by subreddit, search term, sort order, and time period.