Reddit Research

Structured Reddit research via reddit-buddy MCP. Anonymous access; the server is rate-limited to ~10 calls/minute, which is why this workflow enforces a rigid 3–6 call budget per research question.

Consult references/tool-constraints.md before interpreting any response — reddit-buddy silently truncates content and has field-name collisions that cause common misreadings.

Prerequisite Check

Verify at least one mcp__plugin_reddit-research_reddit-buddy__* tool is available. If none are found, tell the user Reddit research is unavailable (the reddit-buddy MCP server is not running) and stop. Do not substitute WebFetch on reddit.com — Reddit blocks direct LLM access.

Mode Detection

Decide which branch applies before any research work:

• •Explicit Reddit — The user asked for Reddit research, or reddit-buddy results already appear in the conversation → proceed to Phase 1.
• •Generic web research — The user asked for web research without mentioning Reddit → ask the user once via AskUserQuestion whether to include Reddit. Remember the answer for the session. No → exit. Yes → Phase 1.
• •Tool-call guardrail — Claude is about to call a reddit-buddy tool and this skill has not yet been entered → run Phase 1 before the call proceeds.

Workflow

Track the running reddit-buddy call count from here onward; the deliverable requires it.

Phase 1: Scope

State the research question in one sentence, then ask: can a decisive answer fit within 3–6 reddit-buddy calls? If not, the scope is too broad — decompose into tighter sub-questions and pick one. Never raise the budget; the rate limit makes it rigid.

Phase 2: Search

Start with search_reddit. Build a tight, distinctive query — "claude plugin marketplace add" not "plugin marketplace" (Reddit search is loose keyword matching, not semantic).

Pick sort and time by intent:

• •Current consensus → sort: top, time: month
• •Breaking news → sort: new
• •Exact-phrase hunts → sort: relevance (default)

Pass subreddits when the target community is known. For community-pulse queries ("what is r/X discussing right now"), skip search_reddit and call browse_subreddit instead.

Sequence every call — never parallelize reddit-buddy tools. Each response should shape the next query. Keep default limit, comment_limit, comment_depth, and max_top_comments values; overriding them burns quota for marginal signal.

Phase 3: Drill

Scan search hits by title and preview, then classify each:

• •Clearly relevant → call get_post_details. Pass subreddit together with post_id, or pass url. Omitting subreddit triggers an extra internal lookup and doubles the API cost.
• •Uncertain → skip. Do not spend calls exploring maybes.

For credibility checks on a poster, call user_analysis with time_range: year or all. The month default is a 30-day window that hides long-term patterns.

Never call reddit_explain — it is a static dictionary with tiny coverage; training knowledge is strictly better.

Phase 4: Synthesize

Every Reddit finding is a claim, not a fact. Reddit is opinions and self-reports — attribution is mandatory, not decorative.

Deliverable

Produce a research summary containing:

• • Each finding attributed to a specific post — subreddit, user, and date.
• • Each finding framed as a claim with source, never as established fact.
• • Truncation flagged wherever it affects interpretation.
• • Total reddit-buddy call count disclosed at the end.