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Reddit Data API

OAuth client id and secret for Reddit's Data API. New access now needs explicit approval under the Responsible Builder Policy, and commercial use needs a separate agreement with Reddit.

Researched · not yet run liveLast researched 25 October 2026 · Reddit · provider site

Researched, not yet run live. Built from the provider’s official pages (linked below). A person hasn’t walked this flow end to end yet, so check each step against the source.
Do this with verapliJSON for agents

Who owns what

A Reddit user account owns the OAuth app (client id). API access for that app must be approved by Reddit.

  • Reddit user account personal owned by the person (or a dedicated account the company controls)Its username goes in the User-Agent string. The policy forbids registering multiple accounts for the same use case.
  • OAuth app (client id) developer owned by the Reddit account that registered it · under Reddit user accountRate limits are counted per OAuth client id.

If you accept the Data API Terms for a company, you warrant you can bind that company (Data API Terms 1.2).

Have ready

  • A Reddit account in good standing that you control
  • A written description of your use case (what data, why, commercial or not) for the access request: Reddit reviews requests against its criteria; duplicate requests for the same use case are not allowed.
  • Accurate, current contact details for the developer or company · The Data API Terms require identification information that is kept up to date [1]Needed for: Request Data API access
  • A privacy policy for your app explaining how you collect, use, store and disclose data · Data API Terms 2.6 requires it [1]Needed for: Request Data API access

Steps

Steps marked “human step” are ones only you can do: verapli never signs in, submits, pays or accepts terms for you.

  1. Sign in to Reddit

    You sign in to the Reddit account that will own the app, or create it yourself.

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: You sign in

    Where: https://www.reddit.com/login/

  2. Read the Responsible Builder Policy and Data API Terms

    Check your use case against the policy and terms. Consider Reddit's Developer Platform (Devvit) first; Reddit points developers there.

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: You accept the terms
    • After: Sign in to Reddit

    Where: https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/42728983564564-Responsible-Builder-Policy

  3. Request Data API access

    You submit an access request describing your use case through Reddit's help-center request form. Commercial use must be requested separately and needs explicit written approval. You press submit. [to verify exact form and fields]

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: The provider reviews it
    • After: Read the Responsible Builder Policy and Data API Terms
    The provider says
    No review time published [to verify] [3]

    Where: https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

  4. Register the OAuth app

    At reddit.com/prefs/apps, create an app (script, web or installed type) with a name and redirect URI. Reddit shows the client id under the app name and the secret on the app card. Whether registration is blocked until approval is granted is [to verify].

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: You press submit
    • After: Request Data API access

    verapli captures REDDIT_CLIENT_ID here by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.

    Where: https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps

  5. Copy the client secret

    Copy the secret from the app card (installed apps have no secret).

    • Guided by hand
    • After: Register the OAuth app

    verapli captures REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET here by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.

    Where: https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps

  6. Set a unique, honest User-Agent

    Use the format <platform>:<app ID>:<version string> (by /u/<reddit username>). Never spoof a browser or another bot; generic agents are heavily limited.

    • Guided by hand
    • After: Register the OAuth app

    verapli captures REDDIT_USER_AGENT here by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.

Terms and gotchas

Plain-English summary, not legal advice. Each card links its source.

Can get you bannedThe rules say

Explicit approval before any data access

Under the Responsible Builder Policy you must request access and get explicit approval before accessing any Reddit data through the API. Self-serve app registration alone is not permission. [3]

Can get you bannedThe rules say

Commercial use needs a separate agreement

Commercial use, research beyond rate limits, or any use not expressly permitted requires a separate agreement with Reddit. You may not sell, lease or sublicense API access or derive revenue from it without Reddit's express written approval. [1]

Can get you bannedThe rules say

No AI/ML training on User Content

The licence does not cover using User Content to train a machine learning or AI model without the express permission of the rightsholders. On termination you must delete stored content and any models derived from it. [1]

Can cost moneyThe rules say

Do not mask user agent or OAuth identity

Use the Access Info Reddit provided, and never misrepresent or mask the user agent or OAuth identity. Circumventing or exceeding limits can lead to a permanent block. [1]

Can cost moneyThe rules say

Keep only what the approved use case needs

You may not use or retain data beyond your approved use case and must immediately delete any data not required for it. Reddit can revoke access at any time without notice. [1]

Worth knowingThe rules say

Branding and attribution

Do not use Reddit trademarks in your app name or logo; you may use the form "[name] for Reddit". Do not imply partnership or endorsement without written approval. [1]

Worth knowingThe rules say

Rate limit

100 queries per minute per OAuth client id, averaged over a 10-minute window. Traffic not using OAuth is blocked. Watch the X-Ratelimit-Used, X-Ratelimit-Remaining and X-Ratelimit-Reset headers. [2]

What you end up with

Env varSecretFormatWhat it is
REDDIT_CLIENT_IDnot secretshort random string, e.g. aB3…OAuth client id of the registered app
REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRETsecretrandom string, e.g. xY9…OAuth client secret (script and web apps)
REDDIT_USER_AGENTnot secretweb:com.example.app:v1.0.0 (by /u/…)Required User-Agent string identifying the app, version and owning user

Pricing

  • Free tier: Approved non-commercial use within the published rate limit (100 QPM per OAuth client id)
  • Costs: Commercial use is under a separate agreement with Reddit; no public price list [to verify]
  • Reddit reserves the right to charge fees for future use of the Data APIs at its sole discretion.

Source [1]

For agents

The same entry as JSON: /api/v1/entries/reddit/data-api · requirements /api/v1/requirements/reddit/data-api · terms /api/v1/terms/reddit/data-api.

Remote MCP (read-only, no auth)
claude mcp add --transport http verapli https://verapli.com/mcp

> "What do I need for Reddit Data API, and how long will it take?"
  → tools/call requirements { "provider_id": "reddit/data-api" }

Sources

  1. Reddit – Data API Terms (effective June 19, 2023; last revised July 20, 2026) Contact information required; commercial use, research beyond rate limits or other uses need a separate agreement; no selling or deriving revenue without written approval; no AI/ML training on User Content without rightsholder permission; no masking user agent or OAuth identity; delete data beyond the approved use case and on termination; Reddit may set limits and charge future fees; "[name] for Reddit" attribution only; privacy policy required in the app · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  2. Reddit Help – Reddit Data API Wiki 100 QPM per OAuth client id averaged over 10 minutes; non-OAuth traffic blocked; User-Agent format <platform>:<app ID>:<version string> (by /u/<username>); X-Ratelimit-* headers. Read via search index only (page returned 403 to direct fetch) [to verify] · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  3. Reddit Help – Responsible Builder Policy Request access and get explicit approval before accessing any Reddit data through the API; no misrepresenting or masking how or why you access data; no circumventing or exceeding access limits; commercial use needs explicit written approval; no multiple accounts or duplicate requests for the same use case; developers pointed to Devvit. Read via search index only (page returned 403 to direct fetch) [to verify] · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  4. reddit-archive – API wiki (Reddit's archived developer wiki) User-Agent format and example; generic user agents such as "Python/urllib" are drastically limited; never lie about your user-agent (spoofing browsers or bots leads to a ban). Archived page; its older 60 requests/minute figure is superseded by the Data API Wiki · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  5. Reddit Help – Developer Platform & Accessing Reddit Data Non-commercial Data API sign-up vs reaching out for commercial use; requests from hosted-provider IP ranges need a valid OAuth token. Read via search index only [to verify] · accessed 25 October 2026 · official

Provider rules change. This page is generated from verapli registry version 2026.1025.387; spotted something out of date? Tell us. Reddit is not affiliated with verapli.