reddit-mcp-buddy
Advanced tools
Clean, LLM-optimized Reddit MCP server. Browse posts, search content, analyze users. No fluff, just Reddit data.
Reddit MCP BuddyA Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude Desktop and other AI assistants to browse Reddit, search posts, and analyze user activity. Clean, fast, and actually works - no API keys required.
Claude analyzing real-time sentiment about H-1B visa changes across r/cscareerquestions and r/india
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"reddit": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "reddit-mcp-buddy"]
}
}
}
Run this command to add the MCP server (user scope):
claude mcp add --transport stdio reddit-mcp-buddy -s user -- npx -y reddit-mcp-buddy
Use the NPM method: npx -y reddit-mcp-buddy
Ask your AI assistant to:
browse_subredditBrowse posts from any subreddit with sorting options.
- Subreddit:
- "all" - entire Reddit frontpage
- "popular" - trending across Reddit
- Any specific subreddit (e.g., "technology", "programming", "science")
- Sort by: hot, new, top, rising, controversial
- Time range: hour, day, week, month, year, all (for top/controversial sort)
- Include subreddit info: Optional flag for subreddit metadata
search_redditSearch across Reddit or specific subreddits.
- Query: Your search terms
- Filter by: subreddit, author, time, flair
- Sort by: relevance, hot, top, new, comments
get_post_detailsGet a post with all its comments.
- Input:
- Reddit URL (supports multiple formats), OR
- Post ID alone (will auto-detect subreddit, 2 API calls), OR
- Post ID + subreddit (most efficient, 1 API call)
- Supported URL formats:
- reddit.com, www.reddit.com
- old.reddit.com, new.reddit.com
- np.reddit.com (No Participation links)
- m.reddit.com (mobile links)
- redd.it short URLs
- URLs with query params (?utm_source=...) or fragments (#comment)
- Options: comment sorting, depth, link extraction
user_analysisAnalyze a Reddit user's profile.
- Username: Any Reddit user
- Returns: karma, posts, comments, active subreddits
reddit_explainGet explanations of Reddit terms.
- Terms: karma, cake day, AMA, ELI5, etc.
Want more requests? Add Reddit credentials to your Claude Desktop config:
http://localhost:8080 (required but unused){
"mcpServers": {
"reddit": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "reddit-mcp-buddy"],
"env": {
"REDDIT_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
"REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
"REDDIT_USERNAME": "your_username",
"REDDIT_PASSWORD": "your_password"
}
}
}
}
Reddit MCP Buddy supports three authentication levels, each with different rate limits:
| Mode | Rate Limit | Required Credentials | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous | 10 req/min | None | Testing, light usage |
| App-Only | 60 req/min | Client ID + Secret | Regular browsing |
| Authenticated | 100 req/min | All 4 credentials | Heavy usage, automation |
Important Notes:
Reddit MCP Buddy is designed with privacy and transparency in mind. Here's how your data is handled:
~/.reddit-mcp-buddy/auth.json when using --auth CLI setupREDDIT_BUDDY_NO_CACHE=truehttps://oauth.reddit.com and https://www.reddit.com)~/.reddit-mcp-buddy/auth.json at any timeIf you have any privacy questions or concerns, please open an issue on GitHub.
Reddit MCP Buddy includes comprehensive testing tools to verify your authentication is working correctly:
# Clone the repository first
git clone https://github.com/karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy.git
cd reddit-mcp-buddy
npm install
# Test with your current environment settings
npm run test:rate-limit
# Test specific authentication modes
npm run test:rate-limit:anon # Test anonymous mode (10 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:app # Test app-only mode (60 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:auth # Test authenticated mode (100 rpm)
The rate limit tester will:
For local development and testing, you can set up authentication interactively:
npx -y reddit-mcp-buddy --auth
This will prompt you for Reddit app credentials and save them locally. Note: This does NOT work with Claude Desktop - use environment variables in your Claude config instead.
To test the server directly in your terminal:
# Run in HTTP mode on port 3000
npx -y reddit-mcp-buddy --http
# Or with custom port
REDDIT_BUDDY_PORT=8080 npx -y reddit-mcp-buddy --http
Note: The server runs in stdio mode by default (for Claude Desktop). Use --http flag for testing with Postman MCP or direct API calls.
npm install -g reddit-mcp-buddy
reddit-buddy --http # For testing
git clone https://github.com/karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy.git
cd reddit-mcp-buddy
npm install
npm run build
npm link
docker run -it karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy
For one-click installation in Claude Desktop, download the pre-built extension:
📦 Download reddit-mcp-buddy.mcpb
Installation: Simply open the downloaded .mcpb file - Claude Desktop will automatically install the extension and the Reddit tools will be immediately available.
If you prefer to build the extension yourself:
git clone https://github.com/karanb192/reddit-mcp-buddy.git
cd reddit-mcp-buddy
./scripts/build-mcpb.sh
Note: The Desktop Extension format is currently in preview (September 2025). Most users should use the standard npm installation method shown in Quick Start.
| Feature | Reddit MCP Buddy | Other MCP Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Zero Setup | ✅ Works instantly | ❌ Requires API keys |
| Max Rate Limit | ✅ 100 req/min proven | ❓ Unverified claims |
| Language | TypeScript/Node.js | Python (most) |
| Tools Count | 5 (focused) | 8-10 (redundant) |
| Fake Metrics | ✅ Real data only | ❌ "Sentiment scores" |
| Search | ✅ Full search | Limited or none |
| Caching | ✅ Smart caching | Usually none |
| LLM Optimized | ✅ Clear params | Confusing options |
| Rate Limit Testing | ✅ Built-in tools | ❌ No verification |
| Mode | Requests/Minute | Cache TTL | Setup Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous | 10 | 15 min | None |
| App-only | 60 | 5 min | Client ID + Secret |
| Authenticated | 100 | 5 min | All credentials |
"What are the top posts about GPT-4 today?"
→ search_reddit with query="GPT-4", time="day", sort="top"
"Show me what's trending in technology"
→ browse_subreddit with subreddit="technology", sort="hot"
"What do people think about this article?"
→ search_reddit with the article URL to find discussions
"Analyze the user DeepFuckingValue"
→ user_analysis with username="DeepFuckingValue"
"Get the comments from this Reddit post"
→ get_post_details with url="https://reddit.com/r/..."
"What's trending across all of Reddit?"
→ browse_subreddit with subreddit="all", sort="hot"
"Can't achieve 100 requests/minute"
npm run test:rate-limit:auth to verify (requires cloning the repo)"Command not found" error
# Ensure npm is installed
node --version
npm --version
# Try with full npx path
$(npm bin -g)/reddit-mcp-buddy
Rate limit errors
"Subreddit not found"
Connection issues
| Variable | Description | Required | Rate Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
REDDIT_CLIENT_ID | Reddit app client ID | No | 60 req/min (with secret) |
REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET | Reddit app secret | No | 60 req/min (with ID) |
REDDIT_USERNAME | Reddit account username | No | 100 req/min (with all 4) |
REDDIT_PASSWORD | Reddit account password | No | 100 req/min (with all 4) |
REDDIT_USER_AGENT | User agent string | No | - |
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
REDDIT_BUDDY_HTTP | Run as HTTP server instead of stdio | false |
REDDIT_BUDDY_PORT | HTTP server port (when HTTP=true) | 3000 |
REDDIT_BUDDY_NO_CACHE | Disable caching (always fetch fresh) | false |
Reddit MCP Buddy includes intelligent caching to improve performance and reduce API calls:
This means faster responses and staying well within Reddit's rate limits, all while using minimal system resources.
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run in development
npm run dev
# Build
npm run build
# Run tests
npm test # Unit tests
npm run test:integration # Integration tests
npm run test:all # All tests
# Test rate limits
npm run test:rate-limit # Test with current environment
npm run test:rate-limit:anon # Test anonymous mode (10 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:app # Test app-only mode (60 rpm)
npm run test:rate-limit:auth # Test authenticated mode (100 rpm)
# Lint
npm run lint
# Type check
npm run typecheck
PRs welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
We keep things simple:
# Get all versions of reddit-mcp-buddy from the registry
curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=reddit-mcp-buddy" | jq
# Get just version numbers and UUIDs
curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=reddit-mcp-buddy" | \
jq '.servers[] | {version, id: ._meta."io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/official".id}'
MIT - Use it however you want!
Made with ❤️ for the MCP community. No venture capital, no tracking, just a good MCP server.
FAQs
Clean, LLM-optimized Reddit MCP server. Browse posts, search content, analyze users. No fluff, just Reddit data.
We found that reddit-mcp-buddy demonstrated a healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released less than a year ago. It has 1 open source maintainer collaborating on the project.
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