---
name: reddit-post-finder-76e7abd69bba
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 Post Finder

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

## Quick Start

Requires `APIFY_API_TOKEN` env var (or `--token` flag).

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

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

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

# Human-readable summary table
python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/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 `trudax/reddit-scraper-lite` 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 upvotes (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"}],
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

Key notes for `trudax/reddit-scraper-lite`:
- Uses `startUrls` with **full Reddit URLs** (not a `searches` array for subreddit browsing)
- Sort/time are controlled via the **URL path** (e.g. `/top/?t=week`), not separate input fields
- Only `startUrls` and `maxItems` are confirmed working input fields
- Does **not** support `proxyConfiguration`, `scrollTimeout`, or `searchType`

**Output fields:**
- `dataType` — `"post"` or `"comment"`
- `title` — Post title
- `body` — Post body text
- `communityName` — Subreddit name (without `r/` prefix)
- `upVotes` — Number of upvotes
- `numberOfComments` — Comment count
- `url` — Full URL to the post
- `createdAt` — ISO timestamp of when the post was created

## Common Workflows

### 1. Competitor Tracking

```bash
python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/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-post-finder/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-post-finder/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 upvotes. Each post has:

```json
{
  "dataType": "post",
  "title": "Post title",
  "body": "Post body...",
  "communityName": "growthhacking",
  "upVotes": 42,
  "numberOfComments": 15,
  "createdAt": "2026-02-18T12:00:00.000Z",
  "url": "https://reddit.com/r/..."
}
```

## Configuration

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


---
Source attribution: gooseworks-ai
Original project: https://github.com/gooseworks-ai/goose-skills/blob/1add09bd8e0d057e91e25c96b9282498e2fcb2a2/skills/shared/reddit-post-finder/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 GooseWorks

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: gooseworks-ai
Original project: https://github.com/gooseworks-ai/goose-skills/blob/1add09bd8e0d057e91e25c96b9282498e2fcb2a2/skills/shared/reddit-post-finder/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Data & Analytics, Marketing
Roles: Market Research Analyst, Growth Marketer, Content Marketer, Social Media Manager, Influencer Marketer
Specialties: API
Tools: Apify
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source category, role and specialization labels
Instruction SHA-256: 3e26695c066415f3d1636b1455850ae833f7ee8e61a8fe7f8fb8994582a223b5