Reddit Search But Free

Reddit research skill — zero auth, zero dependencies, three data providers. Search posts, read threads with comments, monitor subreddits, analyze users, trac...

Security Scan

The skill appears internally consistent with its stated purpose: it fetches Reddit and community-archive JSON endpoints, caches results to a local data/ folder, and does not request secrets or unrelated system access.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description (Reddit research) matches the code and SKILL.md. The code fetches old.reddit.com JSON and community archives (PullPush, Arctic Shift), implements search, threads, user/profile endpoints, watchlist, and caching — all expected for a Reddit research tool.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions are limited to running the included TypeScript CLI (npx tsx reddit.ts ...) and using provider endpoints. The skill reads/writes only its own data directory (data/cache, data/watchlist.json) and does not instruct reading unrelated system files or other credentials. The 'heartbeat' suggestion to run watchlist check is an agent-level guidance but not an instruction to access unrelated data.

Install Mechanism

There is no explicit install spec; the package is used via npx tsx which may fetch the tsx runtime from npm if not present. SKILL.md claims 'zero dependencies' and 'no npm install needed' — technically the code has no package.json dependencies, but invoking with 'npx tsx' will pull a package on demand. This is expected for TypeScript scripts but is a mild install-time behavior to be aware of.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables or credentials. Network access is required (old.reddit.com, api.pullpush.io, arctic-shift.photon-reddit.com) which aligns with the described providers. It writes cache/watchlist files under the skill's data directory only — no broad credential/environment access is requested.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request elevated platform privileges. It does persist a cache and watchlist into its own data/ folder (expected). Because agent autonomous invocation is allowed by default, an agent could run searches and make outbound requests autonomously — this is normal but worth noting if you enable autonomous behaviors.

Assessment

This skill looks coherent and implements the advertised Reddit research features, but consider the following before installing: - It performs outbound HTTP requests to old.reddit.com and two third-party archive domains (PullPush, Arctic Shift). Only install if you are comfortable with those network endpoints. - The CLI uses 'npx tsx' to run TypeScript; if tsx is not installed locally, npx will fetch it from the npm registry on first run — run in an isolated environment if you prefer not to pull packages on demand. - The skill writes cache and watchlist files under its own data/ directory (data/cache, data/watchlist.json). If you install into a shared workspace, review those files and their contents periodically. - The repository source is listed as unknown / no homepage; if provenance matters, consider auditing the code locally (you can inspect scripts/*.ts) before running, or run inside a sandbox/container. - If you allow agents to invoke skills autonomously, remember this skill will make network requests as part of searches and watchlist checks; limit autonomous permissions if you want stricter control. Overall, the package appears benign and proportionate to its stated purpose. If you want higher assurance, review the included TypeScript files locally or run the tool in an isolated environment first.

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

Provider	Flag	Best For	Limitation
Reddit (default)	--provider reddit	Real-time data, feeds, threads	~60 req/min
PullPush	--provider pullpush	Historical/deleted posts, global comment search	Sometimes down
Arctic Shift	--provider arctic-shift	Archived data, deep history	Requires --sub or --author

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