reddit-post-finder

# Reddit Post Finder Scrape Reddit posts and comments using the Apify `trudax/reddit-scraper-lite` actor. ## Quick Start Requires `APIFY_API_TOKEN` env var (or `--token` flag). ```bash # Top posts from r/growthhacking in last week python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \ --subreddit growthhacking --days 7 --sort top --time week # Hot posts from multiple subreddits python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \ --subreddit "growthhacking,gtmengineering" --days 7 --sort hot # Keyword-filtered competitor tracking python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \ --subreddit LLMDevs \ --keywords "Langfuse,Arize,Langsmith" \ --days 30 # Human-readable summary table python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \ --subreddit growthhacking --days 7 --output summary ``` ## How the Script Works 1. Builds full Reddit URLs for each subreddit (e.g. `https://www.reddit.com/r/growthhacking/top/?t=week`) 2. Calls the Apify `trudax/reddit-scraper-lite` actor via REST API 3. Polls until the run completes, then fetches the dataset 4. Applies client-side keyword and date filtering 5. Sorts by upvotes (descending) and outputs JSON or summary ## CLI Reference | Flag | Default | Description | |------|---------|-------------| | `--subreddit` | *required* | Subreddit name(s), comma-separated | | `--keywords` | none | Keywords to filter (comma-separated, OR logic) | | `--days` | 30 | Only include posts from the last N days | | `--max-posts` | 50 | Max posts to scrape per subreddit | | `--sort` | top | Sort: `hot`, `top`, `new`, `rising` | | `--time` | week | Time window for `top` sort: `hour`, `day`, `week`, `month`, `year`, `all` | | `--output` | json | Output format: `json` or `summary` | | `--token` | env var | Apify token (prefer `APIFY_API_TOKEN` env var) | | `--timeout` | 300 | Max seconds to wait for the Apify run | ## Tips for Small Subreddits Small or low-traffic subreddits (e.g. `r/gtmengineering`) may return zero posts with `--sort hot` because the hot feed is nearly empty. Use `--sort top --time week` (or `month`) instead — this scrapes the top-ranked posts over the time window and reliably returns results. ## Direct API Usage If calling the Apify API directly (e.g. via curl), note these **required fields**: ```json { "startUrls": [{"url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/growthhacking/top/?t=week"}], "maxItems": 50 } ``` Key notes for `trudax/reddit-scraper-lite`: - Uses `startUrls` with **full Reddit URLs** (not a `searches` array for subreddit browsing) - Sort/time are controlled via the **URL path** (e.g. `/top/?t=week`), not separate input fields - Only `startUrls` and `maxItems` are confirmed working input fields - Does **not** support `proxyConfiguration`, `scrollTimeout`, or `searchType` **Output fields:** - `dataType` — `"post"` or `"comment"` - `title` — Post title - `body` — Post body text - `communityName` — Subreddit name (without `r/` prefix) - `upVotes` — Number of upvotes - `numberOfComments` — Comment count - `url` — Full URL to the post - `createdAt` — ISO timestamp of when the post was created ## Common Workflows ### 1. Competitor Tracking ```bash python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \ --subreddit "LLMDevs,MachineLearning,LocalLLaMA" \ --keywords "Langfuse,Arize,Weights & Biases,Langsmith,Braintrust" \ --days 30 --sort top --time month ``` ### 2. Pain Point Discovery ```bash python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \ --subreddit LLMDevs \ --keywords "frustrating,difficult,hard to,wish there was,better way" \ --days 30 ``` ### 3. Brand Monitoring ```bash python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \ --subreddit "LLMDevs,MachineLearning" \ --keywords "YourProductName" \ --days 7 --sort new ``` ## Important: Always Include Post URLs When presenting Reddit results to the user, **always include the original post URL** for every post. This is critical for allowing users to read the full discussion, comments, and context. Never return a summary table without links. ## Output Format Posts are returned as JSON array sorted by upvotes. Each post has: ```json { "dataType": "post", "title": "Post title", "body": "Post body...", "communityName": "growthhacking", "upVotes": 42, "numberOfComments": 15, "createdAt": "2026-02-18T12:00:00.000Z", "url": "https://reddit.com/r/..." } ``` ## Configuration See `references/apify-config.md` for detailed API configuration, token setup, and rate limits.