Reddit Posting Skill (AppleScript Chrome Control)

Post to Reddit by controlling the user's real Chrome via AppleScript. No Playwright, no Selenium, no API tokens.

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How It Works

Claude Code → osascript → Chrome (real browser, logged in) → Reddit /api/submit

• Same-origin fetch with cookies → undetectable
• Reddit's /api/submit endpoint for text/link posts
• Modhash from /api/me.json for CSRF protection

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Prerequisites

• macOS only (AppleScript is a macOS technology)
• Chrome: View → Developer → Allow JavaScript from Apple Events (restart Chrome after enabling)
• User logged into Reddit in Chrome

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Method Detection (Run First)

WINDOWS=$(osascript -e 'tell application "Google Chrome" to return count of windows' 2>/dev/null)
if [ "$WINDOWS" = "0" ] || [ -z "$WINDOWS" ]; then
    echo "METHOD 2 (System Events + Console)"
else
    echo "METHOD 1 (execute javascript)"
fi

See reddit-cultivate skill for full Method 1 vs Method 2 details.

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Posting Workflow

Step 1: Get Modhash

osascript -e 'tell application "Google Chrome" to tell active tab of first window to execute javascript "fetch(\"/api/me.json\",{credentials:\"include\"}).then(r=>r.json()).then(d=>{document.title=\"UH:\"+d.data.modhash})"'
sleep 2
osascript -e 'tell application "Google Chrome" to return title of active tab of first window'

Step 2: Submit Post

Navigate Chrome to reddit.com first (same-origin requirement), then submit:

(async()=>{
  try {
    let body = new URLSearchParams({
      sr: "SideProject",           // subreddit name (no r/ prefix)
      kind: "self",                // "self" for text, "link" for URL
      title: "Your post title",
      text: "Your post body with **markdown** support",
      uh: "MODHASH_HERE",
      api_type: "json",
      resubmit: "true"
    });
    let resp = await fetch("/api/submit", {
      method: "POST",
      credentials: "include",
      headers: {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"},
      body: body.toString()
    });
    let result = await resp.json();
    document.title = "POSTED:" + JSON.stringify(result);
  } catch(e) {
    document.title = "ERR:" + e.message;
  }
})()

For link posts, change:

kind: "link",
url: "https://github.com/your/repo",  // instead of text

Step 3: Extract Post Link

The response contains result.json.data.url — the direct link to the new post.

Step 4: Add Flair (if required)

Some subreddits require flair. After posting, use:

(async()=>{
  try {
    // First get available flairs
    let resp = await fetch("/r/SUBREDDIT/api/link_flair_v2", {credentials: "include"});
    let flairs = await resp.json();
    document.title = "FLAIRS:" + JSON.stringify(flairs.map(f => ({id: f.id, text: f.text})));
  } catch(e) {
    document.title = "ERR:" + e.message;
  }
})()

Then apply flair:

(async()=>{
  try {
    let body = new URLSearchParams({
      link: "t3_POST_ID",
      flair_template_id: "FLAIR_ID",
      uh: "MODHASH"
    });
    await fetch("/api/selectflair", {
      method: "POST",
      credentials: "include",
      headers: {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"},
      body: body.toString()
    });
    document.title = "FLAIR_SET";
  } catch(e) {
    document.title = "ERR:" + e.message;
  }
})()

Step 5: Session Summary

Always end with the post link:

Sub	Title	Post Link
r/SideProject	"Your title"	https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/abc123/...

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Spam Filter Avoidance

Words to AVOID in titles/body

Avoid	Use Instead
crawl, crawled, crawling	compiled, cataloged, indexed, collected
scrape, scraping	gathered, extracted, retrieved
bot, automated	tool, script, program
free (overused)	open source, MIT licensed
hack, hacks	tips, techniques, methods

Content Triggers to Avoid

• Multiple external links (max 1-2)
• URL shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl)
• New account + promotional content
• Same content across multiple subreddits quickly
• Excessive self-promotion language

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Best Subreddits for Open Source Projects

Subreddit	Members	Best For	Notes
r/coolgithubprojects	60K	GitHub repos	Designed for this!
r/SideProject	453K	Side projects	Very welcoming
r/opensource	100K+	Open source tools	Technical audience
r/programming	6M+	Dev tools	High competition
r/Python	1.5M+	Python tools	Active community
r/webdev	2M+	Web tools	"Showoff Saturday" only
r/selfhosted	400K+	Self-hosted tools	Great engagement

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Best Times to Post (US Eastern Time)

Day	Best Time
Monday	6-8 AM
Tuesday	7-9 AM
Wednesday	8-10 AM
Thursday	7-9 AM
Friday	6-8 AM
Saturday	7-9 AM
Sunday	8-10 AM

Post 30 minutes BEFORE peak times for momentum building.

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Post Templates

Open Source Project Announcement

Title: I built [PROJECT_NAME] - [one-line description] (open source)

Body:
Hey everyone,

I created [PROJECT_NAME] to solve [PROBLEM].

**What it does:**
- Feature 1
- Feature 2
- Feature 3

**Tech stack:** [Languages/frameworks]

**Links:**
- GitHub: [single link]

Happy to answer any questions!

Tool/Resource Share

Title: [TOOL_NAME]: [what it does] - free and open source

Body:
Built this because [reason/pain point].

**Features:**
- [List 3-5 key features]

**How to use:**
[Brief code example or instructions]

GitHub: [link]

Feedback welcome!

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Cross-Posting Strategy

Stagger posts across subreddits for maximum reach:

1. Day 1: Primary subreddit (most relevant)
2. Day 2-3: Secondary subreddit (different audience)
3. Day 4-5: General subreddit (r/SideProject, etc.)

Never post to multiple subreddits on the same day — triggers spam detection.

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Error Recovery

Issue	Solution
"Post removed by filters"	Rewrite without trigger words, reduce links
"You're doing that too much"	Wait 10-15 min, need more karma
"This community requires flair"	Use /api/selectflair after posting
"Title too long"	Keep under 300 characters
Post not visible	Check if shadowbanned: profile in incognito
Modhash expired	Re-fetch from /api/me.json

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Why AppleScript (Not Playwright)

Tool	Problem
Playwright	navigator.webdriver=true, detected by Reddit
Selenium	Same detection issue
curl + API	IP blocked after few requests
AppleScript	Controls real Chrome, undetectable, cookies included