reddit-post

Reddit Posting Skill (AppleScript Chrome Control)

Post to Reddit by controlling the user's real Chrome via AppleScript. No Playwright, no Selenium, no API tokens.

How It Works

Claude Code → osascript → Chrome (real browser, logged in) → Reddit /api/submit

• Same-origin fetch with cookies → undetectable
• Reddit's /api/submit endpoint for text/link posts
• Modhash from /api/me.json for CSRF protection

Prerequisites

• macOS only (AppleScript is a macOS technology)
• Chrome: View → Developer → Allow JavaScript from Apple Events (restart Chrome after enabling)
• User logged into Reddit in Chrome

Method Detection (Run First)

WINDOWS=$(osascript -e 'tell application "Google Chrome" to return count of windows' 2>/dev/null)
if [ "$WINDOWS" = "0" ] || [ -z "$WINDOWS" ]; then
    echo "METHOD 2 (System Events + Console)"
else
    echo "METHOD 1 (execute javascript)"
fi

See reddit-cultivate skill for full Method 1 vs Method 2 details.

Posting Workflow

Step 1: Get Modhash

osascript -e 'tell application "Google Chrome" to tell active tab of first window to execute javascript "fetch(\"/api/me.json\",{credentials:\"include\"}).then(r=>r.json()).then(d=>{document.title=\"UH:\"+d.data.modhash})"'
sleep 2
osascript -e 'tell application "Google Chrome" to return title of active tab of first window'

Step 2: Submit Post

Navigate Chrome to reddit.com first (same-origin requirement), then submit:

(async()=>{
  try {
    let body = new URLSearchParams({
      sr: "SideProject",           // subreddit name (no r/ prefix)
      kind: "self",                // "self" for text, "link" for URL
      title: "Your post title",
      text: "Your post body with **markdown** support",
      uh: "MODHASH_HERE",
      api_type: "json",
      resubmit: "true"
    });
    let resp = await fetch("/api/submit", {
      method: "POST",
      credentials: "include",
      headers: {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"},
      body: body.toString()
    });
    let result = await resp.json();
    document.title = "POSTED:" + JSON.stringify(result);
  } catch(e) {
    document.title = "ERR:" + e.message;
  }
})()

For link posts, change:

kind: "link",
url: "https://github.com/your/repo",  // instead of text

Step 3: Extract Post Link

The response contains result.json.data.url — the direct link to the new post.

Step 4: Add Flair (if required)

Some subreddits require flair. After posting, use:

(async()=>{
  try {
    // First get available flairs
    let resp = await fetch("/r/SUBREDDIT/api/link_flair_v2", {credentials: "include"});
    let flairs = await resp.json();
    document.title = "FLAIRS:" + JSON.stringify(flairs.map(f => ({id: f.id, text: f.text})));
  } catch(e) {
    document.title = "ERR:" + e.message;
  }
})()

Then apply flair:

(async()=>{
  try {
    let body = new URLSearchParams({
      link: "t3_POST_ID",
      flair_template_id: "FLAIR_ID",
      uh: "MODHASH"
    });
    await fetch("/api/selectflair", {
      method: "POST",
      credentials: "include",
      headers: {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"},
      body: body.toString()
    });
    document.title = "FLAIR_SET";
  } catch(e) {
    document.title = "ERR:" + e.message;
  }
})()

Step 5: Session Summary

Always end with the post link:

| Sub | Title | Post Link | |-----|-------|-----------| | r/SideProject | "Your title" | https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/abc123/... |

Spam Filter Avoidance

Words to AVOID in titles/body

| Avoid | Use Instead | |-------|-------------| | crawl, crawled, crawling | compiled, cataloged, indexed, collected | | scrape, scraping | gathered, extracted, retrieved | | bot, automated | tool, script, program | | free (overused) | open source, MIT licensed | | hack, hacks | tips, techniques, methods |

Content Triggers to Avoid

• Multiple external links (max 1-2)
• URL shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl)
• New account + promotional content
• Same content across multiple subreddits quickly
• Excessive self-promotion language

Best Subreddits for Open Source Projects

| Subreddit | Members | Best For | Notes | |-----------|---------|----------|-------| | r/coolgithubprojects | 60K | GitHub repos | Designed for this! | | r/SideProject | 453K | Side projects | Very welcoming | | r/opensource | 100K+ | Open source tools | Technical audience | | r/programming | 6M+ | Dev tools | High competition | | r/Python | 1.5M+ | Python tools | Active community | | r/webdev | 2M+ | Web tools | "Showoff Saturday" only | | r/selfhosted | 400K+ | Self-hosted tools | Great engagement |

Best Times to Post (US Eastern Time)

| Day | Best Time | |-----|-----------| | Monday | 6-8 AM | | Tuesday | 7-9 AM | | Wednesday | 8-10 AM | | Thursday | 7-9 AM | | Friday | 6-8 AM | | Saturday | 7-9 AM | | Sunday | 8-10 AM |

Post 30 minutes BEFORE peak times for momentum building.

Post Templates

Open Source Project Announcement

Title: I built [PROJECT_NAME] - [one-line description] (open source)

Body:
Hey everyone,

I created [PROJECT_NAME] to solve [PROBLEM].

**What it does:**
- Feature 1
- Feature 2
- Feature 3

**Tech stack:** [Languages/frameworks]

**Links:**
- GitHub: [single link]

Happy to answer any questions!

Tool/Resource Share

Title: [TOOL_NAME]: [what it does] - free and open source

Body:
Built this because [reason/pain point].

**Features:**
- [List 3-5 key features]

**How to use:**
[Brief code example or instructions]

GitHub: [link]

Feedback welcome!

Cross-Posting Strategy

Stagger posts across subreddits for maximum reach:

1. Day 1: Primary subreddit (most relevant)
2. Day 2-3: Secondary subreddit (different audience)
3. Day 4-5: General subreddit (r/SideProject, etc.)

Never post to multiple subreddits on the same day — triggers spam detection.

Error Recovery

| Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | "Post removed by filters" | Rewrite without trigger words, reduce links | | "You're doing that too much" | Wait 10-15 min, need more karma | | "This community requires flair" | Use /api/selectflair after posting | | "Title too long" | Keep under 300 characters | | Post not visible | Check if shadowbanned: profile in incognito | | Modhash expired | Re-fetch from /api/me.json |

Why AppleScript (Not Playwright)

| Tool | Problem | |------|---------| | Playwright | navigator.webdriver=true, detected by Reddit | | Selenium | Same detection issue | | curl + API | IP blocked after few requests | | AppleScript | Controls real Chrome, undetectable, cookies included |