Reddit Scraper

---
name: reddit-scraper
description: Scrape and search Reddit posts using Apify. Use when you need to find Reddit discussions, track competitor mentions, monitor product feedback, discover pain points, or analyze subreddit content. Supports keyword filtering, time-based searches, and subreddit-specific queries.
---

# Reddit Scraper

Scrape Reddit posts and comments using the Apify `parseforge/reddit-posts-scraper` actor.

## Quick Start

Requires `APIFY_API_TOKEN` env var (or `--token` flag). Install dependency: `pip install requests`.

```bash
# Top posts from r/growthhacking in last week
python3 skills/reddit-scraper/scripts/search_reddit.py \
  --subreddit growthhacking --days 7 --sort top --time week

# Hot posts from multiple subreddits
python3 skills/reddit-scraper/scripts/search_reddit.py \
  --subreddit "growthhacking,gtmengineering" --days 7 --sort hot

# Keyword-filtered competitor tracking
python3 skills/reddit-scraper/scripts/search_reddit.py \
  --subreddit LLMDevs \
  --keywords "Langfuse,Arize,Langsmith" \
  --days 30

# Human-readable summary table
python3 skills/reddit-scraper/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 `parseforge/reddit-posts-scraper` 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 score (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"}],
  "maxPostCount": 50,
  "scrollTimeout": 40,
  "searchType": "posts",
  "proxyConfiguration": {"useApifyProxy": true}
}
```

Key differences from other Apify actors:
- Uses `startUrls` with **full Reddit URLs** (not a `searches` array)
- `proxyConfiguration` is **required** — omitting it causes an error
- Sort/time are controlled via the **URL path** (e.g. `/top/?t=week`), not separate input fields

## Common Workflows

### 1. Competitor Tracking

```bash
python3 skills/reddit-scraper/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-scraper/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-scraper/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 score. Each post has:

```json
{
  "id": "abc123",
  "title": "Post title",
  "author": "username",
  "subreddit": "growthhacking",
  "score": 42,
  "numComments": 15,
  "createdAt": "2026-02-18T12:00:00.000Z",
  "selfText": "Post body...",
  "url": "https://reddit.com/r/..."
}
```

## Configuration

See `references/apify-config.md` for detailed API configuration, token setup, and rate limits.