name	reddit-explorer
description	Reddit market research tool via curl. Explores subreddits, searches posts/comments, analyzes competitors, pricing, sentiment, and user pain points. No authentication required for public data. Use for market research, competitive analysis, pricing intelligence, community sentiment, and launch planning.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep

Reddit Explorer

Role: Market Research & Community Intelligence via Reddit public API

Function: Explore Reddit subreddits, posts, comments, and user profiles using curl against Reddit's public JSON API. No authentication needed.

When to Use This Skill

Activate when you need to:

Research what users say about a topic (pain points, desires, complaints)
Analyze competitor products and community reception
Gather pricing intelligence (what people charge/pay for services)
Monitor subreddit sentiment about a topic
Find potential communities for product launch
Profile active users in a niche
Discover related subreddits

Rate Limits

Without auth: ~10 requests/minute
Always use -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" as User-Agent
Add sleep 1 between batch requests to avoid 429s

Base URL

All endpoints use: https://www.reddit.com/{endpoint}.json

API Reference

1. Listing Posts

Browse a subreddit with different sort orders.

# Sort options: hot, new, top, rising, controversial
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/hot.json?limit=25"
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/new.json?limit=25"
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/rising.json?limit=10"

Top with time filter:

# t = hour | day | week | month | year | all
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/top.json?t=week&limit=25"

Parse output:

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/hot.json?limit=5" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for post in data['data']['children']:
    d = post['data']
    print(f'[{d[\"score\"]}] {d[\"title\"][:100]}')
    print(f'  u/{d[\"author\"]} | {d[\"num_comments\"]} comments')
    print(f'  {d[\"selftext\"][:200]}')
    print()
"

2. Search

Search within a subreddit

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/search.json?q={query}&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=year&limit=25"

Search all of Reddit

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/search.json?q={query}&sort=relevance&t=year&limit=25"

Sort options: relevance | hot | top | new | comments

Search by type

# type = link (URL posts) | self (text posts) | comment | sr (subreddits)
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/search.json?q={query}&type=comment&limit=25"

Search by flair

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/search.json?q=flair:feedback&restrict_sr=on&limit=25"

3. Comments

Read comments on a specific post.

# depth = how many reply levels (1-10)
# sort = best | top | new | controversial | old | qa
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/comments/{post_id}.json?sort=top&limit=20&depth=3"

Parse comments:

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/{post_id}.json?sort=top&limit=15&depth=2" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for c in data[1]['data']['children'][:15]:
    if c['kind'] == 't1':
        d = c['data']
        print(f'u/{d[\"author\"]} ({d[\"score\"]}):')
        print(f'  {d[\"body\"][:300]}')
        print()
"

4. Subreddit Info

# Basic info (members, description, creation date)
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/about.json"

# Rules (important before posting!)
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/about/rules.json"

Parse subreddit info:

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/about.json" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
d = json.load(sys.stdin)['data']
print(f'r/{d[\"display_name\"]}')
print(f'  Members: {d[\"subscribers\"]:,}')
print(f'  Active now: {d.get(\"accounts_active\", \"N/A\")}')
print(f'  Description: {d[\"public_description\"][:200]}')
print(f'  Created: {d[\"created_utc\"]}')
"

5. User Profiles

# User info
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/user/{username}/about.json"

# User's posts
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/user/{username}/submitted.json?limit=10"

# User's comments
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/user/{username}/comments.json?limit=10"

# Everything (posts + comments)
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/user/{username}/overview.json?limit=10"

6. Pagination

Reddit returns max 100 items per request. Use after token to paginate.

# First page
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/new.json?limit=100"
# -> response includes data.after = "t3_abc123"

# Next page
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/new.json?limit=100&after=t3_abc123"

Pagination loop:

after=""
for page in 1 2 3; do
  url="https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/new.json?limit=100"
  [ -n "$after" ] && url="${url}&after=${after}"
  after=$(curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "$url" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for p in data['data']['children']:
    d = p['data']
    print(f'[{d[\"score\"]}] {d[\"title\"][:80]}', file=sys.stderr)
print(data['data']['after'] or '')
" 2>&1 1>/dev/null)
  sleep 2
done

7. Multi-Subreddit Query

Search across multiple subs in one request.

# Combine subs with +
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS+Entrepreneur+smallbusiness/hot.json?limit=25"

8. Global Feeds

# Popular across all Reddit
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/popular/hot.json?limit=25"

# All (unfiltered)
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/all/hot.json?limit=25"

9. Discover Subreddits

# Popular subreddits
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/subreddits/popular.json?limit=25"

# Search for subreddits by topic
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/subreddits/search.json?q=video+generation&limit=10"

# New subreddits
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/subreddits/new.json?limit=10"

10. Crosspost / Duplicates

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" -L \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/duplicates/{post_id}.json?limit=10"

Market Research Recipes

Recipe 1: Pain Point Discovery

Find what people complain about in a niche.

# Search for frustration signals
for query in "frustrated with" "tired of" "why is it so hard" "expensive" "waste of time"; do
  echo "--- Query: $query ---"
  curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
    "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/search.json?q=${query// /+}&restrict_sr=on&sort=top&t=year&limit=5" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for p in data['data']['children'][:3]:
    d = p['data']
    print(f'  [{d[\"score\"]}] {d[\"title\"][:100]}')
"
  sleep 1
done

Recipe 2: Pricing Intelligence

See what people charge/pay for services.

# r/forhire - what freelancers charge
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/forhire/search.json?q={query}&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=year&limit=20" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for p in data['data']['children']:
    d = p['data']
    title = d['title']
    text = d.get('selftext', '')
    import re
    prices = re.findall(r'\\\$[\d,]+(?:\.\d{2})?|\d+\s*(?:USD|usd|/hr|/hour|per hour)', title + ' ' + text)
    if prices:
        print(f'{title[:80]}')
        print(f'  Prices found: {prices}')
        print()
"

# r/slavelabour - bottom of market
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/slavelabour/search.json?q={query}&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all&limit=20" | python3 -c "
import json, sys, re
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for p in data['data']['children']:
    d = p['data']
    prices = re.findall(r'\\\$[\d,]+', d['title'] + ' ' + d.get('selftext',''))
    if prices:
        print(f'  {d[\"title\"][:80]} -> {prices}')
"

Recipe 3: Competitor Monitoring

Track mentions of specific tools/products.

# Search for competitor names
for competitor in "CompetitorA" "CompetitorB" "CompetitorC"; do
  count=$(curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
    "https://www.reddit.com/search.json?q=${competitor}&sort=new&t=month&limit=5" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
print(len(data['data']['children']))
")
  echo "$competitor: $count recent mentions"
  sleep 1
done

Recipe 4: Community Fit Analysis

Check if a subreddit is good for launching.

curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/about.json" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
d = json.load(sys.stdin)['data']
print(f'r/{d[\"display_name\"]}')
print(f'  Members:     {d[\"subscribers\"]:,}')
print(f'  Active now:  {d.get(\"accounts_active\", \"N/A\")}')
print(f'  Type:        {d[\"subreddit_type\"]}')
print(f'  Self-promo:  check rules below')
"

# Check rules for self-promotion policy
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/about/rules.json" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for rule in data.get('rules', []):
    print(f'  Rule: {rule[\"short_name\"]}')
    if 'promo' in rule.get('description','').lower() or 'self' in rule.get('short_name','').lower():
        print(f'    !! {rule[\"description\"][:200]}')
"

Recipe 5: Sentiment Scan

Analyze sentiment around a topic by reading top comments.

# Step 1: find top post about the topic
post_id=$(curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/search.json?q={query}&restrict_sr=on&sort=top&t=year&limit=1" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
p = json.load(sys.stdin)['data']['children'][0]['data']
print(p['id'])
")

# Step 2: read top comments
curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/comments/${post_id}.json?sort=top&limit=20&depth=1" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for c in data[1]['data']['children'][:20]:
    if c['kind'] == 't1':
        d = c['data']
        print(f'[{d[\"score\"]:+d}] {d[\"body\"][:200]}')
        print()
"

Recipe 6: "I Built This" Post Analysis

See how open-source/SaaS launches perform on Reddit.

for sub in selfhosted SideProject opensource SaaS; do
  echo "=== r/$sub ==="
  curl -s -A "reddit-explorer-bot/1.0" \
    "https://www.reddit.com/r/${sub}/search.json?q=%22I+built%22+OR+%22I+made%22+OR+%22just+launched%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=top&t=year&limit=3" | python3 -c "
import json, sys
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for p in data['data']['children'][:3]:
    d = p['data']
    print(f'  [{d[\"score\"]}] {d[\"title\"][:90]}')
    print(f'    {d[\"num_comments\"]} comments | u/{d[\"author\"]}')
"
  sleep 1
done

Example Target Subreddits

Market Research

Subreddit	Focus	What to search
r/Entrepreneur	5.1M members	`{your product category} cheap alternative`
r/smallbusiness	2.2M members	`{service} cost pricing`
r/forhire	Active marketplace	`[Hiring] {skill}` - see going rates
r/slavelabour	449K members	`{service} $50-200` - market floor
r/DigitalMarketing	343K members	`AI {category} tool` - current landscape

Launch Targets

Subreddit	Focus	Why
r/selfhosted	553K members	Open-source self-hosted projects welcome
r/SideProject	622K members	"I built this" culture
r/SaaS	386K members	Weekly feedback threads
r/opensource	324K members	Open-source projects welcome
r/webdev	1.7M members	Technical audience

Known Limitations

No auth: read-only, ~10 req/min, no private subs
Search quality: Reddit search is notoriously weak. Use multiple query variations.
Results cap: max 100 items per page, ~1000 total via pagination
Rate limiting: add sleep 1-2 between requests in loops
Content: .json appended to any reddit URL returns JSON

name	reddit-explorer
description	Reddit market research tool via curl. Explores subreddits, searches posts/comments, analyzes competitors, pricing, sentiment, and user pain points. No authentication required for public data. Use for market research, competitive analysis, pricing intelligence, community sentiment, and launch planning.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep