reddit-answers-mcp

Browserless MCP server for Reddit Answers by Bala Kumar.

It solves Reddit's current web verification flow over plain HTTP, reuses cached cookies and bearer tokens, and exposes Reddit Answers as local MCP tools you can run over stdio or through npx.

Features

• Browserless Reddit Answers bootstrap over plain HTTP
• Cached token_v2, bearer token, and cookies across restarts
• Automatic session refresh before token expiry
• MCP tools for new queries, follow-ups, session status, and forced refresh
• Works as a local stdio MCP server and as an npx package

MCP Tools

• reddit_answers_search
• reddit_answers_follow_up
• reddit_answers_session_status
• reddit_answers_refresh_session

Install

Run directly with npx:

npx reddit-answers-mcp

Install locally:

npm install reddit-answers-mcp

Project MCP Config

Example .mcp.json entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reddit-answers": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "reddit-answers-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Example .codex/config.toml entry:

[mcp_servers."reddit-answers"]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "reddit-answers-mcp"]

Environment

• REDDIT_ANSWERS_SESSION_PATH Override the session cache file path.
• REDDIT_ANSWERS_BOOTSTRAP_URL Override the primary Reddit bootstrap URL.
• REDDIT_ANSWERS_USER_AGENT Override the browser user agent used for Reddit requests.

Default cache location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Caches/reddit-answers-mcp/session.json
• Linux: $XDG_CACHE_HOME/reddit-answers-mcp/session.json
• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\\reddit-answers-mcp\\session.json

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run tests:

npm test

Run a live smoke test:

npm run smoke -- "best carry-on backpack for business travel"

Run the MCP server locally:

npm start

Publishing

This repo includes:

• GitHub CI at .github/workflows/ci.yml
• automated release + npm publish workflow at .github/workflows/publish.yml

Release flow:

1. Add a repository secret named NPM_TOKEN with an npm automation token.
2. Push any commit to main or master.
3. GitHub Actions will: Run npm test. Bump the patch version in package.json and package-lock.json. Commit the new version back to the branch. Create and push a git tag. Publish the package to npm. Create a GitHub release with generated notes.

Once published, the package will be runnable with:

npx reddit-answers-mcp

Notes

This project depends on Reddit's current verification and token flow. If Reddit changes the challenge format or adds stronger anti-bot checks, the bootstrap logic may need updates.

Author

Bala Kumar
[email protected]
https://balakumar.dev