Reddit MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with Reddit - fetch posts, comments, user info, and create content.

Features at a Glance

Quick Start

Option 1: Claude Desktop Extension (Easiest)

Download and open the extension file - Claude Desktop will install it automatically:

Download reddit-mcp-server.mcpb

Option 2: NPX (No install required)

npx reddit-mcp-server

Or add to your MCP config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reddit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["reddit-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport stdio reddit -- npx reddit-mcp-server

Features

Read-only Tools

Write Tools (Require User Credentials)

Configuration

Environment Variables

*Required only if using authenticated mode.

Full MCP Config Example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reddit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["reddit-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "REDDIT_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "REDDIT_USERNAME": "your_username",
        "REDDIT_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "REDDIT_SAFE_MODE": "standard"
      }
    }
  }
}

Safe Mode (Spam Protection)

Protect your Reddit account from spam detection and bans with built-in safeguards. Enabled by default (standard mode) per Reddit's Responsible Builder Policy.

Why Use Safe Mode?

Reddit's spam detection can flag accounts for:

• Rapid posting or commenting
• Duplicate or similar content
• Posting the same content across multiple subreddits
• Non-standard User-Agent strings

Safe Mode helps prevent these issues automatically.

Mode Options

Disable Safe Mode

Safe mode is enabled by default. To explicitly disable:

export REDDIT_SAFE_MODE=off
npx reddit-mcp-server

What Safe Mode Does

1. Rate Limiting: Enforces minimum delays between write operations
2. Duplicate Detection: Blocks identical content from being posted twice
3. Cross-Subreddit Detection: Prevents posting the same content to multiple subreddits (per Reddit policy)
4. Smart User-Agent: Auto-generates Reddit-compliant User-Agent format when username is provided

Bot Disclosure

Reddit's Responsible Builder Policy requires bots to disclose their automated nature. Enable automatic bot footers on all posted content:

export REDDIT_BOT_DISCLOSURE=auto
npx reddit-mcp-server

When enabled, a footer is appended to all posts, replies, and edits:

---
🤖 I am a bot | Built with reddit-mcp-server

Customize the footer with REDDIT_BOT_FOOTER:

export REDDIT_BOT_DISCLOSURE=auto
export REDDIT_BOT_FOOTER=$'\n\n---\n^(🤖 Custom bot footer text)'

Authentication Modes

Mode Comparison

Anonymous Mode (Zero Setup)

{
  "env": {
    "REDDIT_AUTH_MODE": "anonymous"
  }
}

Anonymous mode does not work on every network. Reddit blocks unauthenticated requests from many IP ranges — datacenters, cloud hosts, VPNs, and addresses it has flagged — and answers with an HTTP 403 block page. If you hit this, tools fail with:

Reddit is blocking unauthenticated requests from this network (HTTP 403 with a
block page). Set REDDIT_CLIENT_ID and REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET to authenticate with
OAuth, which also raises the rate limit from ~10 to 60+ requests/min.

The fix is OAuth credentials — see the next section. This is a property of your network, not of your Reddit account or the subreddit you asked for, so it affects every tool at once. A 403 on a single subreddit while others work is a different thing: that subreddit is private or quarantined.

Authenticated Mode (Higher Rate Limits)

1. Create a Reddit app at https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps (select "script" type)
2. Copy the client ID and secret
3. Configure:

{
  "env": {
    "REDDIT_AUTH_MODE": "authenticated",
    "REDDIT_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
    "REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret"
  }
}

Write Operations

To create posts, reply, edit, or delete content, you need user credentials:

{
  "env": {
    "REDDIT_USERNAME": "your_username",
    "REDDIT_PASSWORD": "your_password",
    "REDDIT_SAFE_MODE": "standard"
  }
}

Development

Commands

pnpm install        # Install dependencies
pnpm build          # Build TypeScript
pnpm dev            # Build and run MCP inspector
pnpm test           # Run tests
pnpm lint           # Lint code
pnpm format         # Format code

CLI Options

npx reddit-mcp-server --version         # Show version
npx reddit-mcp-server --help            # Show help
npx reddit-mcp-server --generate-token  # Generate OAuth token for HTTP mode

HTTP Server Mode

For Docker deployments or web-based clients, use HTTP transport:

TRANSPORT_TYPE=httpStream PORT=3000 node dist/index.js

With OAuth Protection

export OAUTH_ENABLED=true
export OAUTH_TOKEN=$(npx reddit-mcp-server --generate-token | tail -1)
TRANSPORT_TYPE=httpStream node dist/index.js

Make authenticated requests:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $OAUTH_TOKEN" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"method":"tools/list","params":{}}' \
     http://localhost:3000/mcp

Docker

Quick Start

# Pull and run
docker pull ghcr.io/jordanburke/reddit-mcp-server:latest

docker run -d \
  --name reddit-mcp \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id \
  -e REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret \
  -e REDDIT_SAFE_MODE=standard \
  ghcr.io/jordanburke/reddit-mcp-server:latest

Docker Compose

services:
  reddit-mcp:
    image: ghcr.io/jordanburke/reddit-mcp-server:latest
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=${REDDIT_CLIENT_ID}
      - REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=${REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET}
      - REDDIT_USERNAME=${REDDIT_USERNAME}
      - REDDIT_PASSWORD=${REDDIT_PASSWORD}
      - REDDIT_SAFE_MODE=standard
      - OAUTH_ENABLED=${OAUTH_ENABLED:-false}
      - OAUTH_TOKEN=${OAUTH_TOKEN}
    restart: unless-stopped

Build Locally

docker build -t reddit-mcp-server .
docker run -d --name reddit-mcp -p 3000:3000 --env-file .env reddit-mcp-server

Reddit Responsible Builder Policy

This server is designed with Reddit's Responsible Builder Policy in mind:

• Safe mode on by default — rate limiting and duplicate detection prevent spam
• Cross-subreddit duplicate detection — blocks identical content across subreddits
• Bot disclosure support — optional automated footer for transparency
• No voting/karma manipulation — upvote/downvote tools are intentionally excluded
• No private messaging — DM tools are intentionally excluded
• Policy-aware AI instructions — MCP server instructions remind AI assistants of data usage restrictions

Credits

• Fork of reddit-mcp-server by Alexandros Lekkas
• Inspired by Python Reddit MCP Server by Arindam200