Reddit

Run a small, deliberate Reddit session for one explicitly selected account. The useful result is a relevant contribution or a grounded explanation of what happened to an existing post. Approval to research or draft is not approval to submit. A request for five ideas is not a posting quota.

The default reddit runner loads a named account and returns source-backed research, compared targets and drafts. It never submits. read exposes typed connector reads; configure and accounts manage account voice configuration. publish submits one exact post or comment. vote handles one approved upvote. Each live effect has one native operation-owned approval gate. No host task submits forms or supplies evidence of a successful write.

Account and voice records live in the local store at local://reddit. Cookies, passwords and MFA remain browser-owned. Account configuration is expected identity, not login proof. Select the connector instance explicitly; its native session confirmation pins the rendered account and checks it again before every operation. Never silently substitute another account, profile, connector instance or state store.

The skill records completed contributions to prevent accidental repetition. It does not maintain a browser writer, provider attempt ledger, retry loop or recovery state machine. Native runx custody owns effects that may have reached Reddit. Preserve the original run ID and exact inputs across interruptions.

Voice examples express taste; they cannot invent biography, purchases, customers, expertise or firsthand experience. Account configuration contains only non-secret voice settings. A persistent normal Brave session is required; do not copy profiles, export cookies or toggle browser security settings.

Browser operation

Read references/browser.md before account setup or browser work. The selected connector owns the fixed browser implementation, identity checks, exact editor comparison, one submit and independent permalink readback. Call its typed operations or the skill's read runner; never supply arbitrary JavaScript or replace the connector with raw authenticated HTTP, screen coordinates or host submission code.

Keep Brave in the background. Never activate a window, change the active tab, send global keystrokes, move the pointer or use the system clipboard. A foreground bound tab stops the operation. An unsupported editor, login failure, warning, challenge, rate limit or ambiguous identity also stops it. Report the specific blocker; do not switch accounts, alter browser protections or retry through another path.

The included macOS adapter supports classic Reddit plain-text forms for comments, text posts and upvotes. The modern rich editor is unsupported for writing until its background input path has separate live proof. Research may still use modern pages and public evidence. A refused editor does not authorize a foreground fallback. The approved target URL selects the UI; the adapter never silently rewrites hosts.

Provider readback proves exact content visible to the signed-in account. It does not prove public visibility or acceptance by moderators. A queued or removed contribution must never be described as publicly published. Harness evidence is simulated; only a separately identified real provider run is live proof.

Wait for observable page/editor state between actions. Respect explicit platform wait instructions; no tight refresh loops or parallel navigation. Invented random delays and mouse movement do not establish safety. There is no universal safe number of posts and no guarantee against account action.

Resolve high-value targets before writing

When the operator asks where to contribute, target discovery is part of the read-only default runner. Start with the operator's real question or useful point and this account's interests and recent contributions. A high-value target has relevant readers and a concrete contribution gap; raw member count or an old viral score is not enough. A request for several ideas is not a quota of posts. Return no draft when the available targets are weak.

Choose the discovery mode before browsing, and name it in observations and each candidate's rationale. Timely discussion seeks a live conversation where this account can add a point readers recognize now. Active solution request seeks a person asking how to solve a specific current problem. Evergreen search discovery seeks a durable question that people are still likely to search for, where a useful answer can be found later through Reddit or search and may be retrieved by an AI answer system. A promotional objective uses one of the two solution-request modes and still requires a real fit. Compare candidates within each mode using its own ranking evidence, then explain any cross-mode tradeoff. Do not make a single vote-weighted ranking that favors a busy timely thread over a quieter direct request, or a new thread over an older search result without evidence. State an inferred mode when the objective is vague, or return needs_input if the distinction changes the recommendation. No research mode submits content.

For an original post, compare a small set of plausible communities, normally two to four. Read each community's current rules, flair and megathread rules, and confirm the account can post. Inspect a bounded sample of recent comparable posts, normally three to five per community. Record their observed ages, scores and reply counts where visible, plus whether the replies are substantive. Check for a recent duplicate and say what specific question the proposed post adds. A large community with generic or fast-moving posts can be a worse fit than a smaller one with active discussion of this exact problem. A community with unknown rules cannot be a selected target. Unknown account eligibility may support a provisional research draft, but must be checked in the logged-in session before publication.

For comments, scan a bounded set of relevant threads, normally five to ten across a few communities when no thread was supplied. If the proposed action is a reply to another comment, measure that exact branch as well as the post: parent-comment score, age, reply count, sort position and whether fresh replies are arriving. A viral post does not give a two-vote comment the same reach. A quiet direct answer may be useful in solution-request mode, but do not label it a high-reach karma opportunity merely because the enclosing post is large. Timely mode starts with fresh discussions; active-request mode starts with recent specific asks; evergreen mode starts with the search queries the intended reader would use and follows the threads those searches actually surface. Read the actual post and leading and recent replies. Prefer a specific missing point the account can answer. Record observed age, score and reply count separately from the mode-specific ranking. An old busy thread with a settled answer is weak even if it appears in search. If the operator supplies one exact thread, inspect it directly; do not manufacture a broader search merely to fill a table.

Before ranking a comment target, read its leading and recent replies. Ask what distinct point this account can add in one read. For timely discussion, also inspect current stories its readers may recognize; verify any cross-story callback and its timing. Age and activity describe possible reach, not the value of our comment. Reject a draft that repeats the article, duplicates an existing reply, or needs a paragraph explaining its reference. Do not force a joke or callback when a straight answer would help more.

Timely discussion opportunities

Scan a bounded set of fresh threads on subjects the account can speak to. Rank a candidate only after reading its leading replies. First require a specific new fact, answer, or timely connection that those replies lack. Then compare age, visible votes, reply count, and whether new replies are still arriving for both the post and the exact reply branch. Record both levels separately in activity samples and candidate risk; do not borrow post-level votes to score a low-visibility branch. Prefer an early live discussion with a clear point over an older viral thread whose top replies have settled the conversation. A second snapshot can show observed activity; one snapshot cannot establish growth. Look for another current story only when a verified callback is immediately clear to the thread's readers. Reject a factual summary that merely repeats the linked article, a copied leading point, and a joke that needs explaining. The draft should make its point in one read and stop. Before ranking it for growth, name the natural next response it might invite from this thread. If the only likely replies are thanks or agreement, call it a useful answer, not a conversation seed. Do not tack on a question to manufacture one.

Solution request opportunities

Search for posts where the author asks for a tool, service, workflow, or approach, not posts that merely mention a product category. Read the exact constraints, what the author has already tried, and current replies. Check whether the question remains open, whether a suitable answer is already there, and whether the community permits recommendations. Verify the capabilities and limitations of any candidate option from current source material; compare plausible alternatives instead of declaring one option best by default.

Both solution-request modes first require a verified fit and a missing point in existing answers. Record the author's need in contribution_gap, the mode and fit in rationale, and rule, evidence, and recommendation risks in risk. Reject a weak fit, settled request, thread where naming a product would interrupt the conversation, or answer that would require pretending to be an independent customer. If a material relationship affects the recommendation, describe it accurately or leave the product out. A useful answer may name a different option or no product at all. Do not repeat a product name, link, or invitation to DM to make the reply sound like a pitch.

Active solution requests

Rank the unresolved need and verified fit first. Among similarly good matches, prefer a recent question with observed substantive replies and room for one more useful answer. Use score, reply count and a second activity snapshot only as evidence of possible near-term reach. A large but answered thread loses to a smaller open request. Do not infer buyer interest from votes.

Evergreen search discovery

Start with the reader's durable question, not a product name. Search several natural query variants and record the exact queries, observation time, and which threads repeatedly surface. A thread's appearance in public search is observed visibility for those queries, not a stable rank or proof that an AI system will cite a future comment. If a current AI answer cites the thread, record that exact observation; never project it to other systems or future answers. Prefer threads whose title and original question match lasting search intent, whose pages are accessible and indexable, and where a new reply would be visible to someone reading the thread. Check whether the thread is open, archived or locked, how replies are sorted, whether recent replies appear, and whether existing answers have become outdated. A prominent thread with a buried, redundant reply is a poor target.

Rank evergreen candidates by observed query visibility, durable problem fit, verified solution fit, and the specific answer gap. Use age and votes as context: an established older thread can beat a new quiet one, but an old thread with settled answers or no usable reply surface cannot. State uncertainty about search-engine indexing and AI retrieval. Do not promise traffic, ranking, or citations. If the product misses a material requirement, reject the target even when it appears in many searches. Keep search URLs and source links in review evidence; Reddit draft text remains plain text.

Return target_candidates for the targets inspected. Mark each selected, alternate or rejected; include source URLs and observation times, community rule and account-eligibility status, bounded activity samples, the contribution gap, reason and risk. Match each draft to a selected candidate's exact target. The default graph checks that every draft has a selected candidate with allowed rules. A selected candidate with unknown account eligibility yields provisional, retaining the draft for review and stating the missing check. Disallowed rules or known ineligibility return held with no drafts. provisional is never proof that the account can submit; publish requires fresh logged-in checks. Keep observed metrics separate from a judgment about likely discussion or future discovery. For evergreen candidates, put the exact search queries and observed result URLs in observations and source_urls, with the retrieval limits in risk. A single snapshot does not prove a thread is growing: use two timestamped reads if growth matters, or say it is unknown. Do not invent a score, karma forecast, "best time", sticky outcome or future citation claim. Recheck the selected target before any live submission because rules, thread state and account eligibility can change.

Avoid disguised promotion, repeated near-duplicate posts, seeding replies from another managed account and coordinated voting. If the operator is researching a product problem, ask an honest problem question without hiding an affiliation when it is material. Source links stay in review evidence outside Reddit text.

Write in the account's voice

Read references/voice-and-learning.md. Prefer one or two short paragraphs. A useful comment is usually under 80 words; a question post usually under 160. These are editing targets, not reasons to omit a necessary fact.

Make one main point or ask one answerable question. Give enough concrete context for someone to respond without designing the whole experiment. Before writing, state privately why a reader of this thread would care now. Draft against the live conversation, not only the linked article. A correct fact that changes nothing for readers is better held for a specific question than posted as a top-level summary. If no natural, distinct response survives that check, return no draft. Use ordinary words. No forced slang, sales hook, grand framing, moral, "mic drop", invented opinion, anecdote or supposedly clever closer. Read the final sentence; remove it if it adds no fact, advice or genuine response. Humor may come from a real detail, not a manufactured punchline.

When someone answers our question, respond to their contribution. Do not turn their answer into an unsolicited review of their workflow, instructions for improving it, or another explanation of our own process. A brief connection to the operator's supplied experience can be enough. Avoid automatic agreement and generic praise. Ask a follow-up only when it serves a genuine uncertainty; a reply does not need to end with a question. See the follow-up examples in references/voice-and-learning.md.

Apply the selected account's stored voice.casing. Never generalize one account's preference to another or override an explicit request for sentence case. Plain text goes into Reddit's editor. Do not insert Markdown link syntax. Keep citations in review notes outside the draft; include a bare URL only when explicitly requested. Facts need sources when uncertain or current, but a factual citation is not evidence that the account personally used a product.

For a post, lead with the actual problem or observation. Ask for a specific experience: task, service, cost, limitation or result. Choose one primary question. Don't pile gateway, budget, alternatives, architecture and spending authority questions into a single introduction. Offer a real starting result when available; never make one up. A stated budget or promise to run an experiment requires operator intent and does not authorize spending.

One approved submission

1. Research the actual target, current rules, eligibility and replies. Usefulness comes before activity metrics. Review the exact plain-text draft and target.
2. Call publish with the named account and exact action. The skill validates canonical subreddit/parent URLs, title/body, link policy and completed history.
3. The native connector approval binds the selected account, connector instance, target and exact content. Changed text or target requires fresh approval. An agent-authored approved field is never authority. This is the only approval gate for the write.
4. The connector checks rendered identity and editor state, enters the exact text, reads it back and pauses briefly before checking and submitting once.
5. Native runx records the acknowledgement and invokes a separate readback phase. The rendered author, content ID, community, parent and exact title/body must match. Only then is completed contribution history written.

Do not interpret a click, toast or filled editor as publication. Keep the native provider operation, readback reference and contribution record together. If a write succeeds but history persistence is interrupted, resume that original run so it finishes recording the result; do not start a replacement publication run.

Upvotes

vote takes the exact target, lowercase author and observed text. The skill refuses self-votes and votes on other configured accounts. The connector independently checks the rendered target author and text. It ensures the selected state is up; an existing upvote is read back without toggling it. Never coordinate votes between accounts or vote for reputation farming.

Recovery and learning

Continue the original run with its unchanged inputs and connector instance. Native custody resumes from recorded evidence: an acknowledged write is read back without another submit; an unknown non-idempotent submit is held and cannot be resent. Use bounded read operations to investigate the thread and exact permalink. Absence from search is not proof that nothing was submitted. Never create a new run, change accounts or rebind an instance to escape an unsettled operation.

There is no skill-level reconcile runner or custom release gate. Native runx owns operation recovery. A refusal before execution is distinct from an uncertain effect; report the original native status and keep its receipt. If native custody cannot resolve an unknown effect, report that limit rather than clearing or ageing it out.

Record useful operator feedback and observed outcomes for future voice decisions; do not turn a single vote count or removed comment into a confident rule.

Invocation and composition

Inspect the selected runner before calling it. Attach and confirm the browser session as described in references/browser.md, then configure the named account with its voice and explicit casing preference. Then run reddit with its account_id and a bounded objective, such as "read this thread and draft two useful replies; do not submit". All runnable examples live in the manifest and use fictional account names.

The default output includes compared target candidates, observations, source URLs, reviewable drafts, unknowns and the next step. Reuse supplied evidence when its target and age are appropriate; disclose when it was supplied rather than freshly observed. publish consumes one exact action, not an entire idea list. accounts provides bounded discovery; configure manages local bindings. The store owns durable event operations and concurrency. A connector credential is resolved by that connector's native credential boundary, not this skill. Brand-voice and taste-profile may supply approved context; this skill applies it to Reddit. General writing may use ghostwrite, but Reddit account selection, community admission and exact publication remain with this skill and its selected connector. Do not rerun supplied fresh evidence or an already completed effect.

Host task contracts

For reddit-research, do only the requested discovery/read/draft/diagnosis work. Never submit. Load the account voice and browser instructions. Report what was actually observed, compare post communities and comment threads when target discovery is requested, include sources outside draft text, and return a provisional draft when public evidence is enough but browser identity or eligibility is unavailable. Return needs_browser only when required evidence cannot be obtained without the browser, and held for disallowed rules or known ineligibility.