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BytesAgain › Skills › Reddit Search But Free
🦀 ClawHub

Reddit Search But Free

by @minilozio

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

Versionv1.0.0
Downloads861
Installs2
#security#research#social-media#legal
TERMINAL
clawhub install reddit-search-but-free

📖 About This Skill

name: reddit-research description: > Reddit research skill — zero auth, zero dependencies, three data providers. Search posts, read threads with comments, monitor subreddits, analyze users, track cross-posts, search comments, and run watchlists. Default provider uses old.reddit.com JSON endpoints. PullPush and Arctic Shift available for historical/deleted content. Use when asked to search Reddit, check what people are saying, find solutions to problems, or research any topic with real community opinions.

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 /scripts

CLI Tool

Search

npx tsx reddit.ts search "" [options]

Options:

  • --sub — 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 — 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 "" [--sub ] [--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  [--limit N] [--time day|week]
npx tsx reddit.ts new  [--limit N]
npx tsx reddit.ts rising  [--limit N]
npx tsx reddit.ts top  [--time day|week|month|year|all] [--limit N]
npx tsx reddit.ts controversial  [--time day|week] [--limit N]

    Multi-Subreddit Feed

    npx tsx reddit.ts multi  [--sort hot|new|top] [--time day|week] [--limit N]

    Read Thread

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

    User Profile

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

    Subreddit Info

    npx tsx reddit.ts subreddit

    Find Subreddits

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

    Popular Subreddits

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

    Cross-Posts / Duplicates

    npx tsx reddit.ts duplicates

    Wiki

    npx tsx reddit.ts wiki  [page]

    Watchlist

    npx tsx reddit.ts watchlist                       # Show all
npx tsx reddit.ts watchlist add  [note]      # Add subreddit
npx tsx reddit.ts watchlist remove           # 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  --sort top --limit 30

    4. Cross-Reference

    npx tsx reddit.ts duplicates

    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
    • 

  • u/username2 in r/subreddit2 (⬆️ N): "[another take]" Link
    •

    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

    • ⚙️ Configuration

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

    cd /scripts