Reddit — how to connect

Submits text (self) posts to a subreddit or user profile via the Reddit OAuth2 API. Connect with OAuth using your Reddit app's client ID and secret below, or use the credentials path (script app) by pasting client ID, secret, username, and password directly when adding the account.

Reddit needs an app registered on your Reddit account first — a "web app" for the OAuth connect flow, or a "script" app if you'd rather paste a username/password instead of doing the OAuth dance.

Before you start

A Reddit account in good standing to post as (new/low-karma accounts get auto-removed or shadow-limited by many subreddits' spam filters — don't use a throwaway).
A registered Reddit app at reddit.com/prefs/apps: choose type 'web app' for the OAuth connect path (needs an exact-match redirect URI) or 'script' for the username/password credentials path — this gives the Client ID and Client Secret this integration needs.
A custom, descriptive User-Agent string set (REDDIT_USER_AGENT, e.g. `web:corco-social-manager:0.1 (by /u/yourname)`) — Reddit rate-limits or blocks requests using the default/generic user agent.
If using the credentials (script app) path: two-factor authentication must be OFF for that Reddit account, or the 2FA code appended to the password as `password:123456` — a plain password with 2FA enabled fails the login.

Step by step

1
Log in and open the apps console
Sign in to reddit.com with the Reddit account that should own/post to the target subreddit, then go to the app preferences page.
Open
2
Create a new app
Click "create another app..." at the bottom of the page.
Open
3
Choose the app type for your connect method
For the OAuth connect button pick "web app" and set the redirect URI to this tool's Reddit callback URL; for the paste (script) method pick "script" instead — no redirect URI needed.
4
Copy the client ID and client secret
After saving, copy the string under the app name (that's the client ID) and the "secret" field — these are the Client ID / Client secret this tool asks for.
5
Set a unique User-Agent
Enter a descriptive User-Agent such as web:your-app-name:0.1 (by /u/your_username) in the tool — Reddit blocks the default fetch User-Agent.
6
For the script (paste) path, gather the account credentials
If connecting via paste instead of OAuth, also have the client ID, client secret, and the Reddit account's own username and password ready to enter — Reddit exchanges them directly for a token.

App keys (set once in Settings)

Client ID
reddit.com/prefs/apps → "create another app…" → type "web app" → the string shown just UNDER the app name is the client ID. Set the redirect URI to this tool's Reddit callback.
Client secretsecret
Same app → the "secret" field. Web-app type is for the OAuth Connect button (script type is for the paste-credentials path instead).
User-Agent
Reddit requires a unique, descriptive UA in the format platform:app-id:version (by /u/username) — the default/generic UA gets rate-limited or blocked.

Paste when you connect

App client id
reddit.com/prefs/apps → create a "script" app (not "web app") → the string shown just under the app name.
App client secretsecret
Same script app → the "secret" field.
Reddit username
The account that OWNS the app — a script app only works for accounts listed as developers on it.
Reddit passwordsecret
That account's password. If 2FA is on, append the current code as password:123456 (or disable 2FA), or the login fails.

Good to know

Script apps only work with accounts registered as "developers" of the app in Reddit's console, and require the account's real password — treat that password as a secret and prefer OAuth when possible.
The OAuth authorize request is sent with duration=permanent so Reddit issues a refresh token; without it the connection expires and can't silently refresh.
Every request must carry a unique, descriptive User-Agent (format like platform:app_id:version (by /u/username)) — Reddit rate-limits or blocks generic/default User-Agents.
OAuth scopes requested are only identity and submit — enough to post and read the account name, no mod or vote scopes.
This tool posts self (text) posts only; the target subreddit defaults to the user's own profile (u/<name>) unless a specific subreddit is configured on the account.
High-volume/commercial API use may fall under Reddit's separate Data API terms and could need additional approval — this low-volume publishing use case does not need that, but keep it in mind if usage scales up.

Troubleshooting

OAuth connect redirects back with an error, or token exchange fails right after authorizing.: The redirect URI in the app registration on reddit.com/prefs/apps must match the callback URL exactly (scheme, host, path, no trailing slash). Also confirm the app type is 'web app' (not 'script') for the OAuth flow, and that REDDIT_CLIENT_ID/REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET are the values from that same app.
Credentials (script app) connect fails with invalid_grant even though the username/password are correct.: The account has two-factor authentication enabled — password-grant login rejects a bare password in that case. Either disable 2FA on the Reddit account or append the current 2FA code to the password as `password:123456` when connecting (note this code changes, so long-term unattended reconnects with 2FA are not practical).
Posts fail or silently disappear from the target subreddit (submit call succeeds but the post never shows up).: Many subreddits auto-remove posts from new/low-karma accounts, accounts without email verification, or posts that don't meet that subreddit's flair/title rules — check the subreddit's posting rules and account age/karma, not the API response, and verify the meta.subreddit is set correctly (defaults to the user's own profile u_<username> if left unset).
Requests start returning 429 (rate limited) or get silently deprioritized after working fine initially.: Set a unique, descriptive REDDIT_USER_AGENT (Reddit explicitly penalizes generic/default user agents) and keep well under ~60 requests/minute per OAuth client; also make sure only one process is using the same access token/client at a time, since bursts from multiple integrations sharing one app trigger the same limit.

Reddit developer docs

Before you start

A Reddit account in good standing to post as (new/low-karma accounts get auto-removed or shadow-limited by many subreddits' spam filters — don't use a throwaway).

A registered Reddit app at reddit.com/prefs/apps: choose type 'web app' for the OAuth connect path (needs an exact-match redirect URI) or 'script' for the username/password credentials path — this gives the Client ID and Client Secret this integration needs.

A custom, descriptive User-Agent string set (REDDIT_USER_AGENT, e.g. `web:corco-social-manager:0.1 (by /u/yourname)`) — Reddit rate-limits or blocks requests using the default/generic user agent.

If using the credentials (script app) path: two-factor authentication must be OFF for that Reddit account, or the 2FA code appended to the password as `password:123456` — a plain password with 2FA enabled fails the login.

Step by step

Sign in to reddit.com with the Reddit account that should own/post to the target subreddit, then go to the app preferences page.

Open

Create a new app

Click "create another app..." at the bottom of the page.

Open

Choose the app type for your connect method

For the OAuth connect button pick "web app" and set the redirect URI to this tool's Reddit callback URL; for the paste (script) method pick "script" instead — no redirect URI needed.

Copy the client ID and client secret

After saving, copy the string under the app name (that's the client ID) and the "secret" field — these are the Client ID / Client secret this tool asks for.

Set a unique User-Agent

Enter a descriptive User-Agent such as web:your-app-name:0.1 (by /u/your_username) in the tool — Reddit blocks the default fetch User-Agent.

For the script (paste) path, gather the account credentials

If connecting via paste instead of OAuth, also have the client ID, client secret, and the Reddit account's own username and password ready to enter — Reddit exchanges them directly for a token.

App keys (set once in Settings)

Client ID

reddit.com/prefs/apps → "create another app…" → type "web app" → the string shown just UNDER the app name is the client ID. Set the redirect URI to this tool's Reddit callback.

Client secretsecret

Same app → the "secret" field. Web-app type is for the OAuth Connect button (script type is for the paste-credentials path instead).

User-Agent

Reddit requires a unique, descriptive UA in the format platform:app-id:version (by /u/username) — the default/generic UA gets rate-limited or blocked.

Paste when you connect

App client id

reddit.com/prefs/apps → create a "script" app (not "web app") → the string shown just under the app name.

App client secretsecret

Same script app → the "secret" field.

Reddit username

The account that OWNS the app — a script app only works for accounts listed as developers on it.

Reddit passwordsecret

That account's password. If 2FA is on, append the current code as password:123456 (or disable 2FA), or the login fails.

Good to know

Script apps only work with accounts registered as "developers" of the app in Reddit's console, and require the account's real password — treat that password as a secret and prefer OAuth when possible.

The OAuth authorize request is sent with duration=permanent so Reddit issues a refresh token; without it the connection expires and can't silently refresh.

Every request must carry a unique, descriptive User-Agent (format like platform:app_id:version (by /u/username)) — Reddit rate-limits or blocks generic/default User-Agents.

OAuth scopes requested are only identity and submit — enough to post and read the account name, no mod or vote scopes.

This tool posts self (text) posts only; the target subreddit defaults to the user's own profile (u/<name>) unless a specific subreddit is configured on the account.

High-volume/commercial API use may fall under Reddit's separate Data API terms and could need additional approval — this low-volume publishing use case does not need that, but keep it in mind if usage scales up.

Troubleshooting

OAuth connect redirects back with an error, or token exchange fails right after authorizing.

The redirect URI in the app registration on reddit.com/prefs/apps must match the callback URL exactly (scheme, host, path, no trailing slash). Also confirm the app type is 'web app' (not 'script') for the OAuth flow, and that REDDIT_CLIENT_ID/REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET are the values from that same app.

Credentials (script app) connect fails with invalid_grant even though the username/password are correct.

The account has two-factor authentication enabled — password-grant login rejects a bare password in that case. Either disable 2FA on the Reddit account or append the current 2FA code to the password as `password:123456` when connecting (note this code changes, so long-term unattended reconnects with 2FA are not practical).

Posts fail or silently disappear from the target subreddit (submit call succeeds but the post never shows up).

Many subreddits auto-remove posts from new/low-karma accounts, accounts without email verification, or posts that don't meet that subreddit's flair/title rules — check the subreddit's posting rules and account age/karma, not the API response, and verify the meta.subreddit is set correctly (defaults to the user's own profile u_<username> if left unset).

Requests start returning 429 (rate limited) or get silently deprioritized after working fine initially.

Set a unique, descriptive REDDIT_USER_AGENT (Reddit explicitly penalizes generic/default user agents) and keep well under ~60 requests/minute per OAuth client; also make sure only one process is using the same access token/client at a time, since bursts from multiple integrations sharing one app trigger the same limit.