🤖 Reddit MCP Buddy

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A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude Desktop and other AI assistants to browse Reddit, search posts, and analyze user activity. Clean, fast, and actually works - no API keys required.


🎬 See It In Action

!Reddit MCP Buddy Demo - Analyzing H1B sentiment across subreddits

Claude analyzing real-time sentiment about H-1B visa changes across r/cscareerquestions and r/india

Table of Contents

- What makes Reddit MCP Buddy different?
- Quick Start
- What can it do?
- Available Tools
- Authentication
- Installation Options
- Global Install
- From Source
- Using Docker
- Claude Desktop Extension
- Comparison with Other Tools
- Troubleshooting
- Development
- Support
- Related Resources

What makes Reddit MCP Buddy different?

- 🚀 Zero setup - Works instantly, no Reddit API registration needed
- ⚡ Up to 10x more requests - Three-tier authentication system (10/60/100 requests per minute)
- 🎯 Clean data - No fake "sentiment analysis" or made-up metrics
- 🧠 LLM-optimized - Built specifically for AI assistants like Claude
- 📦 TypeScript - Fully typed, reliable, and maintainable
- ✅ Proven rate limits - Thoroughly tested authentication tiers with verification tools

Quick Start (30 seconds)

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Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

``json
{
"mcpServers": {
"reddit": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["reddit-mcp-buddy"]
}
}
}
`

That's it! Reddit MCP Buddy is now available in Claude.

What can it do?

Ask your AI assistant to:

- 📊 "What's trending on Reddit?" - Browse hot posts from r/all
- 🔍 "Search for discussions about AI" - Search across all subreddits
- 💬 "Get comments from this Reddit post" - Fetch post with full comment threads
- 👤 "Analyze user spez" - Get user history, karma, and activity
- 📚 "Explain Reddit karma" - Understand Reddit terminology

Available Tools

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Browse posts from any subreddit with sorting options.
`
- Subreddit:
- "all" - entire Reddit frontpage
- "popular" - trending across Reddit
- Any specific subreddit (e.g., "technology", "programming", "science")
- Sort by: hot, new, top, rising, controversial
- Time range: hour, day, week, month, year, all (for top/controversial sort)
- Include subreddit info: Optional flag for subreddit metadata
`

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Search across Reddit or specific subreddits.
`
- Query: Your search terms
- Filter by: subreddit, author, time, flair
- Sort by: relevance, hot, top, new, comments
`

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Get a post with all its comments.
`
- Input:
- Reddit URL (full URL including subreddit), OR
- Post ID alone (will auto-detect subreddit, 2 API calls), OR
- Post ID + subreddit (most efficient, 1 API call)
- Options: comment sorting, depth, link extraction
`

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Analyze a Reddit user's profile.
`
- Username: Any Reddit user
- Returns: karma, posts, comments, active subreddits
`

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Get explanations of Reddit terms.
`
- Terms: karma, cake day, AMA, ELI5, etc.
`

Authentication (Optional)

Want more requests? Add Reddit credentials to your Claude Desktop config:

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1. Go to https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
2. Click "Create App" or "Create Another App"
3. Fill out the form:
- Name: Any name (e.g., "reddit-mcp-buddy")
- App type: Select "script" (CRITICAL for 100 rpm!)
- Description: Optional
- About URL: Leave blank
- Redirect URI: http://localhost:8080 (required but unused)
4. Click "Create app"
5. Find your credentials:
- Client ID: The string under "personal use script"
- Client Secret: The secret string
6. Update your Claude Desktop config:

`json
{
"mcpServers": {
"reddit": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["reddit-mcp-buddy"],
"env": {
"REDDIT_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
"REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
"REDDIT_USERNAME": "your_username",
"REDDIT_PASSWORD": "your_password"
}
}
}
}
`

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Reddit MCP Buddy supports three authentication levels, each with different rate limits:

| Mode | Rate Limit | Required Credentials | Best For |
|------|------------|---------------------|----------|
| Anonymous | 10 req/min | None | Testing, light usage |
| App-Only | 60 req/min | Client ID + Secret | Regular browsing |
| Authenticated | 100 req/min | All 4 credentials | Heavy usage, automation |

#### How It Works:
- Anonymous Mode: Default mode, no setup required, uses public Reddit API
- App-Only Mode: Uses OAuth2 client credentials grant (works with both script and web apps)
- Authenticated Mode: Uses OAuth2 password grant (requires script app type)

Important Notes:
- Script apps support BOTH app-only (60 rpm) and authenticated (100 rpm) modes
- Web apps only support app-only mode (60 rpm maximum)
- For 100 requests/minute, you MUST use a script app with username + password

Testing & Development

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Reddit MCP Buddy includes comprehensive testing tools to verify your authentication is working correctly:

`bash


Clone the repository first

git clone https://github.com/karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy.git
cd reddit-mcp-buddy
npm install

Test with your current environment settings

npm run test:rate-limit

Test specific authentication modes

npm run test:rate-limit:anon # Test anonymous mode (10 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:app # Test app-only mode (60 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:auth # Test authenticated mode (100 rpm)
`

The rate limit tester will:
- Start a local server instance
- Make rapid API requests to test rate limits
- Display a real-time progress bar
- Confirm which authentication tier you're using
- Show exactly when rate limiting kicks in

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For local development and testing, you can set up authentication interactively:
`bash
npx reddit-mcp-buddy --auth
`

This will prompt you for Reddit app credentials and save them locally. Note: This does NOT work with Claude Desktop - use environment variables in your Claude config instead.

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To test the server directly in your terminal:
`bash


Run in HTTP mode on port 3000

npx reddit-mcp-buddy --http

Or with custom port

REDDIT_BUDDY_PORT=8080 npx reddit-mcp-buddy --http
`

Note: The server runs in stdio mode by default (for Claude Desktop). Use --http flag for testing with Postman MCP or direct API calls.

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`bash
npm install -g reddit-mcp-buddy
reddit-buddy --http # For testing
`

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`bash
git clone https://github.com/karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy.git
cd reddit-mcp-buddy
npm install
npm run build
npm link
`

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`bash
docker run -it karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy
`

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For one-click installation in Claude Desktop, download the pre-built extension:

📦 Download reddit-mcp-buddy.mcpb

Installation: Simply open the downloaded .mcpb file - Claude Desktop will automatically install the extension and the Reddit tools will be immediately available.

#### Build from Source (Optional)

If you prefer to build the extension yourself:
`bash
git clone https://github.com/karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy.git
cd reddit-mcp-buddy
./scripts/build-mcpb.sh
`

Note: The Desktop Extension format is currently in preview (September 2025). Most users should use the standard npm installation method shown in Quick Start.

Comparison with Other Tools

| Feature | Reddit MCP Buddy | Other MCP Tools |
|---------|-------------|----------------|
| Zero Setup | ✅ Works instantly | ❌ Requires API keys |
| Max Rate Limit | ✅ 100 req/min proven | ❓ Unverified claims |
| Language | TypeScript/Node.js | Python (most) |
| Tools Count | 5 (focused) | 8-10 (redundant) |
| Fake Metrics | ✅ Real data only | ❌ "Sentiment scores" |
| Search | ✅ Full search | Limited or none |
| Caching | ✅ Smart caching | Usually none |
| LLM Optimized | ✅ Clear params | Confusing options |
| Rate Limit Testing | ✅ Built-in tools | ❌ No verification |

Rate Limits

| Mode | Requests/Minute | Cache TTL | Setup Required |
|------|----------------|-----------|----------------|
| Anonymous | 10 | 15 min | None |
| App-only | 60 | 5 min | Client ID + Secret |
| Authenticated | 100 | 5 min | All credentials |

Why Reddit MCP Buddy?

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- ❌ Fake metrics - "sentiment scores" that are just keyword counting
- ❌ Complex setup - Requiring API keys just to start
- ❌ Bloated responses - Returning 100+ fields of Reddit's raw API
- ❌ Poor LLM integration - Confusing parameters and unclear descriptions

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- ✅ Real data only - If it's not from Reddit's API, we don't make it up
- ✅ Clean responses - Only the fields that matter
- ✅ Clear parameters - LLMs understand exactly what to send
- ✅ Fast & cached - Responses are instant when possible

Examples

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"What are the top posts about GPT-4 today?"
`
→ search_reddit with query="GPT-4", time="day", sort="top"
`

"Show me what's trending in technology"
`
→ browse_subreddit with subreddit="technology", sort="hot"
`

"What do people think about this article?"
`
→ search_reddit with the article URL to find discussions
`

"Analyze the user DeepFuckingValue"
`
→ user_analysis with username="DeepFuckingValue"
`

"Get the comments from this Reddit post"
`
→ get_post_details with url="https://reddit.com/r/..."
`

"What's trending across all of Reddit?"
`
→ browse_subreddit with subreddit="all", sort="hot"
`

Troubleshooting

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"Can't achieve 100 requests/minute"
- Ensure your app type is "script" not "web" or "installed"
- Script apps created by one account can only authenticate as that same account
- Run npm run test:rate-limit:auth to verify (requires cloning the repo)
- If still failing, create a new script app while logged into the authenticating account

"Command not found" error
`bash


Ensure npm is installed

node --version
npm --version

Try with full npx path

$(npm bin -g)/reddit-mcp-buddy
`

Rate limit errors
- Without auth: Limited to 10 requests/minute
- With app credentials only: 60 requests/minute
- With full authentication: 100 requests/minute
- Solution: Add Reddit credentials (see Authentication)

"Subreddit not found"
- Check spelling (case-insensitive)
- Some subreddits may be private or quarantined
- Try "all" or "popular" instead

Connection issues
- Reddit may be down (check https://www.redditstatus.com)
- Firewall blocking requests
- Try restarting the MCP server

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#### Authentication Variables
| Variable | Description | Required | Rate Limit |
|----------|-------------|----------|------------|
| REDDIT_CLIENT_ID | Reddit app client ID | No | 60 req/min (with secret) |
| REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET | Reddit app secret | No | 60 req/min (with ID) |
| REDDIT_USERNAME | Reddit account username | No | 100 req/min (with all 4) |
| REDDIT_PASSWORD | Reddit account password | No | 100 req/min (with all 4) |
| REDDIT_USER_AGENT | User agent string | No | - |

#### Server Configuration
| Variable | Description | Default |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| REDDIT_BUDDY_HTTP | Run as HTTP server instead of stdio | false |
| REDDIT_BUDDY_PORT | HTTP server port (when HTTP=true) | 3000 |
| REDDIT_BUDDY_NO_CACHE | Disable caching (always fetch fresh) | false |

Technical Details

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Reddit MCP Buddy includes intelligent caching to improve performance and reduce API calls:

- Memory Safe: Hard limit of 50MB - won't affect your system performance
- Adaptive TTLs: Hot posts (5min), New posts (2min), Top posts (30min)
- LRU Eviction: Automatically removes least-used data when approaching limits
- Hit Tracking: Optimizes cache based on actual usage patterns

This means faster responses and staying well within Reddit's rate limits, all while using minimal system resources.

Development

`bash


Install dependencies

npm install

Run in development

npm run dev

Build

npm run build

Test rate limits

npm run test:rate-limit # Test with current environment
npm run test:rate-limit:anon # Test anonymous mode (10 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:app # Test app-only mode (60 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:auth # Test authenticated mode (100 rpm)

Lint

npm run lint

Type check

npm run typecheck
`

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- Node.js >= 18.0.0
- npm or yarn
- TypeScript 5.5+

Contributing

PRs welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

We keep things simple:
- No fake analytics
- Clean, typed code
- Clear documentation
- Fast responses

Support

- 🐛 Report bugs
- 💡 Request features
- ⭐ Star on GitHub

🔗 Related Resources

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- MCP Registry - Official registry of MCP servers
- MCP Specification - Official Model Context Protocol specification
- MCP TypeScript SDK - SDK used to build this server
- MCP Servers Repository - Collection of official MCP server implementations
- Awesome MCP Servers - Community-curated list of MCP servers

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- MCP Registry Direct Link - Direct API link to v1.1.1
- MCP Registry Search - Search for "reddit" to find all versions
- NPM Package - Install via npm/npx
- GitHub Repository - Source code and issues

#### View All Versions via API
`bash


Get all versions of reddit-mcp-buddy from the registry

curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=reddit-mcp-buddy" | jq

Get just version numbers and UUIDs

curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=reddit-mcp-buddy" | \
jq '.servers[] | {version, id: ._meta."io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/official".id}'
``

License

MIT - Use it however you want!

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Made with ❤️ for the MCP community. No venture capital, no tracking, just a good MCP server.