Reddit Spy -- Stealth Subreddit Intelligence

Browse any target subreddit, read full posts, analyze strategies, and extract competitive intelligence -- all without getting blocked by Reddit.

Entry point:

python3 /root/.openclaw/skills/reddit-spy/scripts/reddit_spy.py <command> [options]

All commands output JSON to stdout. Logs go to stderr.

Setup

Tor (primary, already running): Tor provides real-time Reddit access from any IP. It's running on this VPS as a systemd service.

# Verify Tor is running
systemctl status tor@default

# If stopped, start it
systemctl start tor@default

Optional: Reddit OAuth (even more reliable): If you have Reddit API access, set these env vars for 60 req/min:

export REDDIT_CLIENT_ID="your-app-client-id"
export REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET="your-app-secret"
export REDDIT_USERNAME="your-reddit-username"
export REDDIT_PASSWORD="your-reddit-password"

Optional: Proxy:

export REDDIT_PROXY_URL="http://user:pass@proxy:port"

Fetching Layers (Cascade Order)

| Layer | Method | Speed | Data | Status | |-------|--------|-------|------|--------| | 1. OAuth API | Reddit API v2 | Fast | Full real-time | Optional (needs API key) | | 2. Tor | SOCKS5 via Tor exit nodes | Fast | Full real-time | ACTIVE -- primary layer | | 3. Stealth HTTP | old.reddit.com direct | Fast | Full real-time | Blocked on VPS IPs | | 4. Browser Stealth | Playwright | Slow | Full real-time | Blocked on VPS IPs | | 5. PullPush | Archive API | Fast | Historical (may lag) | Always works |

Each command tries layers in order, falls through on failure. Layer health is cached for 1 hour. Tor auto-rotates circuits (new IP) on rate limits.

Commands

`spy` -- Comprehensive Subreddit Intelligence

Full scan: about info + top posts + strategy analysis in one pass.

python3 .../reddit_spy.py spy --subreddit IndieHackers --sort top --timeframe week --limit 25

| Param | Default | Values | |-------|---------|--------| | --subreddit | (required) | Subreddit name without r/ | | --sort | top | hot, new, top, rising | | --timeframe | week | hour, day, week, month, year, all | | --limit | 25 | Max posts to analyze |

Returns: about metrics, posts fetched, content type breakdown, hook patterns, timing analysis, top 5 posts, actionable recommendations.

`deep-read` -- Full Post Deep Dive

Read complete post body + all nested comments with statistics.

python3 .../reddit_spy.py deep-read --url "https://www.reddit.com/r/.../comments/..." --depth 8

Returns: full post, flattened comment list (author, body, score, depth, is_op), comment stats.

`bulk-scan` -- Multi-Subreddit Sweep

Scan multiple subreddits in one run with comparison.

python3 .../reddit_spy.py bulk-scan --subreddits "IndieHackers,SaaS,Entrepreneur" --timeframe all --limit 20

Returns: per-subreddit strategy analysis + cross-sub comparison (ranked by subscribers and engagement).

`strategy` -- Strategy Pattern Extraction

Extract what content strategies work best in a subreddit.

python3 .../reddit_spy.py strategy --subreddit SaaS --sort top --timeframe month --limit 50

Returns: content types ranked, hook patterns ranked, best posting hours/days, top 5 posts, recommendations.

`search` -- Keyword Search

Search within a subreddit for specific topics.

python3 .../reddit_spy.py search --subreddit IndieHackers --query "growth strategy" --sort top --timeframe month

`user-intel` -- User Profile Analysis

Analyze a Reddit user's posting patterns across subreddits.

python3 .../reddit_spy.py user-intel --username some_user --limit 25

Returns: total posts, subreddit distribution, content patterns, hook analysis.

`health-check` -- Test Layers

Test which fetching layers are currently working.

python3 .../reddit_spy.py health-check --test-sub python

Radar's Intelligence Workflow

Step 1: Health check

python3 .../reddit_spy.py health-check

Verify which layers are operational before starting analysis.

Step 2: Bulk scan targets

python3 .../reddit_spy.py bulk-scan --subreddits "IndieHackers,SaaS,Entrepreneur,Automation" --timeframe week --limit 25

Step 3: Deep-dive top posts

Pick high-scoring posts from Step 2 and read full content + comments:

python3 .../reddit_spy.py deep-read --url "https://reddit.com/r/.../comments/..."

Step 4: Profile top contributors

python3 .../reddit_spy.py user-intel --username top_poster

Step 5: Search for topic gaps

python3 .../reddit_spy.py search --subreddit IndieHackers --query "automation" --sort top

Strategy Analysis Output

The spy, bulk-scan, and strategy commands return:

content_types: question, how-to, tip, showcase, list, discussion, link -- with avg score/comments per type
hook_patterns: question, number, bracket, emotional, personal, neutral -- with engagement metrics
timing_by_hour: UTC hours ranked by avg score
timing_by_day: days of week ranked by avg score
top_5_posts: highest scoring with title, score, and type classification
recommendations: actionable insights (best type, hook, time, day)

Safety & Limits

Read-only: never posts, comments, votes, or interacts
Rate limited: jittered 3-8s delays between requests
OAuth: respects Reddit API 60 req/min limit
PullPush: historical archive, data may lag weeks/months behind real-time