Docs · Post comments

Post comments

A Reddit post and its comment thread, with nested replies.

1 credit per callFresh within 1 minuteMCP tool: reddit_post_comments

GEThttps://api.lurkapi.com/v1/reddit/post/comments

When to use this

Use it to read a thread and learn what people really think: objections, feature requests, the words customers use. You get the post and its comments, best first, with replies nested under replies.items.

Loading more. Reddit loads long threads in batches. Wherever more.has_more is true (at the top level, or inside any comment's replies), pass that more.next_cursor as cursor, with the same url, to load that batch. Those responses have post: null.

Unknown or removed posts return 404 not_found.

Example request

Copy one and replace YOUR_API_KEY with your API key (get one free). The code versions read the key from the LURKAPI_API_KEY environment variable instead.

curl "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/reddit/post/comments?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fmarketing%2Fcomments%2F1wsx466%2Fwant_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where%2F" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Paste it into a terminal, with your key in place of YOUR_API_KEY.

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/reddit/post/comments?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.LURKAPI_API_KEY },
});
const data = await res.json();
if (!data.success) throw new Error(`${data.code}: ${data.error}`);
console.log(data.comments);

Node 18+. Save it as lurk.mjs and run node lurk.mjs. It reads your key from LURKAPI_API_KEY.

import os
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/reddit/post/comments",
    params={
        "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/",
    },
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["LURKAPI_API_KEY"]},
    timeout=60,
)
data = res.json()
if not data["success"]:
    raise RuntimeError(f"{data['code']}: {data['error']}")
print(data["comments"])

Run pip install requests, save it as lurk.py and run python lurk.py. It reads your key from LURKAPI_API_KEY.

package main

import (
	"encoding/json"
	"fmt"
	"net/http"
	"net/url"
	"os"
	"time"
)

func main() {
	params := url.Values{}
	params.Set("url", "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/")
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/reddit/post/comments?"+params.Encode(), nil)
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", os.Getenv("LURKAPI_API_KEY"))

	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 60 * time.Second}
	res, err := client.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	var data map[string]any
	if err := json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&data); err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	if data["success"] != true {
		panic(fmt.Sprintf("%v: %v", data["code"], data["error"]))
	}
	out, _ := json.MarshalIndent(data["comments"], "", "  ")
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Save it as main.go and run go run main.go. It reads your key from LURKAPI_API_KEY.

<?php
$params = http_build_query([
    'url' => 'https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/',
]);
$context = stream_context_create(['http' => [
    'header' => 'x-api-key: ' . getenv('LURKAPI_API_KEY'),
    'timeout' => 60,
    'ignore_errors' => true,
]]);
$body = file_get_contents('https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/reddit/post/comments?' . $params, false, $context);
$data = json_decode($body, true);
if (!$data['success']) {
    throw new Exception("{$data['code']}: {$data['error']}");
}
print_r($data['comments']);

Save it as lurk.php and run php lurk.php. It reads your key from LURKAPI_API_KEY.

require 'json'
require 'net/http'

uri = URI('https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/reddit/post/comments')
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form(
  'url' => 'https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/',
)
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req['x-api-key'] = ENV.fetch('LURKAPI_API_KEY')
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: uri.scheme == 'https', read_timeout: 60) do |http|
  http.request(req)
end
data = JSON.parse(res.body)
raise "#{data['code']}: #{data['error']}" unless data['success']
puts JSON.pretty_generate(data['comments'])

Save it as lurk.rb and run ruby lurk.rb. It reads your key from LURKAPI_API_KEY.

Parameters

Add them to the URL after a ?. Join several with &.

Parameter	Description
`url` stringrequired	The post's URL, e.g. `https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/`. A /r/… path works too. Example `https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/`
`cursor` stringoptional	A `more.next_cursor` from a previous response, to load that batch of comments.
`trim` booleanoptional	`true` omits the post's `selftext_html`. One of `truefalse` Default `false`

Example response

A real response, captured from the live API. Lists are trimmed to a couple of items, and long text such as media links is cut short with ….

Show the example response (5 KB)

{
  "success": true,
  "credits_remaining": 999958,
  "credits_charged": 1,
  "post": {
    "id": "1wsx466",
    "name": "t3_1wsx466",
    "title": "Want to become an LLM expert in marketing , where do I start?",
    "author": "Due-Doughnut1818",
    "author_fullname": "t2_1vwbrgv4me",
    "subreddit": "marketing",
    "subreddit_id": "t5_2qhmg",
    "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/marketing",
    "permalink": "/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/",
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_ll…",
    "domain": "self.marketing",
    "score": 0,
    "ups": 0,
    "upvote_ratio": 0.27,
    "num_comments": 20,
    "created": 1790645795,
    "created_utc": 1790645795,
    "is_self": true,
    "is_video": false,
    "over_18": false,
    "spoiler": false,
    "stickied": false,
    "locked": false,
    "link_flair_text": "Question",
    "link_flair_background_color": "#94E044",
    "selftext": "I want to be LLM expert but in marketing. so i working in marketing soci…",
    "selftext_html": "<p>I want to be LLM expert but in marketing. so i working in marketing s…",
    "thumbnail": null,
    "total_awards_received": 0,
    "crosspost_parent_list": null,
    "poll_data": null,
    "gallery_data": null,
    "media": null
  },
  "comments": [
    {
      "id": "pcrhmoe",
      "name": "t1_pcrhmoe",
      "author": "thesupermikey",
      "author_fullname": "t2_4ipwa",
      "body": "Too late. We’ve all moved on to hand written postcards and sound powered landlines.",
      "body_html": "<p>Too late. We’ve all moved on to hand written postcards and sound powered landlines.</p>",
      "score": 18,
      "ups": 18,
      "created": 1790678974,
      "created_utc": 1790678974,
      "created_at_iso": "2026-09-29T10:49:34.000Z",
      "depth": 0,
      "parent_id": "t3_1wsx466",
      "link_id": "t3_1wsx466",
      "permalink": "/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/pcrhmoe/",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_ll…",
      "subreddit": "marketing",
      "subreddit_id": "t5_2qhmg",
      "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/marketing",
      "collapsed": false,
      "is_submitter": false,
      "replies": {
        "items": [],
        "more": {
          "has_more": false,
          "next_cursor": null
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "pcqrrwb",
      "name": "t1_pcqrrwb",
      "author": "[deleted]",
      "author_fullname": null,
      "body": "",
      "body_html": null,
      "score": 1,
      "ups": 1,
      "created": 1790666431,
      "created_utc": 1790666431,
      "created_at_iso": "2026-09-29T07:20:31.000Z",
      "depth": 0,
      "parent_id": "t3_1wsx466",
      "link_id": "t3_1wsx466",
      "permalink": "/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/pcqrrwb/",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_ll…",
      "subreddit": "marketing",
      "subreddit_id": "t5_2qhmg",
      "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/marketing",
      "collapsed": true,
      "is_submitter": false,
      "replies": {
        "items": [
          {
            "id": "pcqrryc",
            "name": "t1_pcqrryc",
            "author": "AutoModerator",
            "author_fullname": "t2_6l4z3",
            "body": "Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in…",
            "body_html": "<p>Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post…",
            "score": 1,
            "ups": 1,
            "created": 1790666432,
            "created_utc": 1790666432,
            "created_at_iso": "2026-09-29T07:20:32.000Z",
            "depth": 1,
            "parent_id": "t1_pcqrrwb",
            "link_id": "t3_1wsx466",
            "permalink": "/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/pcqrryc/",
            "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_ll…",
            "subreddit": "marketing",
            "subreddit_id": "t5_2qhmg",
            "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/marketing",
            "collapsed": false,
            "is_submitter": false,
            "replies": {
              "items": [],
              "more": {
                "has_more": false,
                "next_cursor": null
              }
            }
          }
        ],
        "more": {
          "has_more": false,
          "next_cursor": null
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "more": {
    "has_more": false,
    "next_cursor": null
  }
}

Response fields

Every field in a successful response, and what it means. A name with [] belongs to each item of a list: post.crosspost_parent_list[].id is the id of every item in post.crosspost_parent_list. null means there's no value.

Show all 94 fields

Field	Type	Description
success	true	Always true here; errors have `success: false`.
credits_remaining	number	Your balance after this call. On anonymous playground calls: free tries left today.
credits_charged	number	Credits this call cost; 0 on free endpoints. On anonymous playground calls: tries used (1).
post	objectcan be null	The post. null on cursor responses.
post.id	string	Post id, e.g. `1wtfnyr`.
post.name	string	Fullname, `t3_` + id. Subreddit listings paginate with it.
post.title	string	Post title.
post.author	stringcan be null	Username, without u/; null if unknown.
post.author_fullname	stringcan be null	Author's account fullname, `t2_` + id; null if unknown.
post.subreddit	string	Subreddit name without r/, e.g. `marketing`.
post.subreddit_id	stringcan be null	Subreddit fullname, `t5_` + id.
post.subreddit_name_prefixed	stringcan be null	Subreddit name with the r/ prefix, e.g. `r/marketing`.
post.permalink	string	Path on reddit.com; prepend https://www.reddit.com.
post.url	string	The link a link post points to (the original post for crossposts), or the post itself for text posts.
post.url_overridden_by_dest	stringmay be missing	Outbound link, on link posts only.
post.domain	stringcan be null	`self.<subreddit>` for text posts, else the linked site.
post.selftext	string	Post body as plain text. Empty for link, media and crosspost posts.
post.selftext_html	stringcan be null · may be missing	Post body as HTML. Omitted with trim=true.
post.score	number	Upvotes minus downvotes.
post.ups	number	Same as score.
post.upvote_ratio	numbercan be null	Share of votes that are upvotes, 0–1.
post.num_comments	number	Comment count when fetched.
post.created	number	Posted at, Unix seconds.
post.created_utc	number	Posted at, Unix seconds.
post.is_self	boolean	A text post rather than a link.
post.is_video	boolean	A video post.
post.is_gallery	booleanmay be missing	Present (true) on image galleries; absent otherwise.
post.over_18	boolean	Marked NSFW.
post.spoiler	boolean	Marked as a spoiler.
post.stickied	boolean	Pinned by moderators.
post.locked	boolean	Locked: no new comments allowed.
post.link_flair_text	stringcan be null	Post flair, e.g. "Question"; null without flair.
post.link_flair_background_color	stringcan be null	Flair color as a hex code, e.g. #94E044; null without flair.
post.thumbnail	stringcan be null	Preview image URL; null for posts without media.
post.total_awards_received	number	Awards the post received.
post.crosspost_parent_list	object[]can be null	On crossposts, the original post as a one-item list (Reddit's shape), with what the card shows: no author or body. null otherwise.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].id	string	The original post's id, e.g. `1ww1x9d`.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].name	string	Its fullname, `t3_` + id.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].title	string	Its title.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].subreddit	string	Its subreddit, without r/.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].subreddit_name_prefixed	string	Its subreddit with the r/ prefix, e.g. `r/soccer`.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].permalink	string	Its path on reddit.com. Pass it to post comments for its body and replies.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].score	numbercan be null	Its upvotes minus downvotes; null if the card doesn't show them.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].num_comments	numbercan be null	Its comment count; null if the card doesn't show it.
post.crosspost_parent_list[].created_utc	numbercan be null	Posted at, Unix seconds; null if the card doesn't show it.
post.poll_data	objectcan be null	Poll options and votes; null for other posts.
post.poll_data.options	object[]	Options in display order.
post.poll_data.options[].id	stringcan be null	Option id; null on closed polls, which reddit.com shows without ids.
post.poll_data.options[].text	string	Option text.
post.poll_data.options[].vote_count	numbercan be null	Votes for this option; null while the poll is open (Reddit shows them once it closes).
post.poll_data.total_vote_count	numbercan be null	Votes cast.
post.poll_data.voting_end_timestamp	numbercan be null	When voting closes, Unix milliseconds as in Reddit's JSON; null once closed.
post.gallery_data	objectcan be null	Every image of a gallery post (on crossposts, the original's); null otherwise.
post.gallery_data.items	object[]	Images in gallery order.
post.gallery_data.items[].url	string	Full-size image URL (i.redd.it), or a preview if that's all the page has.
post.gallery_data.items[].width	numbercan be null	Original width in pixels.
post.gallery_data.items[].height	numbercan be null	Original height in pixels.
post.media	objectcan be null	Reddit-hosted video (v.redd.it; on crossposts, the original's); null otherwise, including YouTube and other embeds.
post.media.reddit_video	object	The video's streams.
post.media.reddit_video.hls_url	string	HLS playlist with video and audio, as reddit.com plays it.
post.media.reddit_video.fallback_url	stringcan be null	Largest MP4 with audio. A signed link that expires within hours; null when reddit.com offers none.
post.media.reddit_video.width	numbercan be null	That MP4's width in pixels.
post.media.reddit_video.height	numbercan be null	That MP4's height in pixels.
post.media.reddit_video.duration	numbercan be null	Length in seconds.
comments	object[]	Top-level comments, each with nested `replies`.
comments[].id	string	Comment id, e.g. `pcrhmoe`.
comments[].name	string	Fullname, `t1_` + id.
comments[].author	stringcan be null	Username, without u/; null if unknown.
comments[].author_fullname	stringcan be null	Author's account fullname, `t2_` + id.
comments[].body	string	Comment text, plain; an image or GIF becomes its URL. Empty for deleted and collapsed comments.
comments[].body_html	stringcan be null	Comment text as HTML; null for deleted and collapsed comments.
comments[].score	number	Upvotes minus downvotes.
comments[].ups	number	Same as score.
comments[].created	number	Posted at, Unix seconds.
comments[].created_utc	number	Posted at, Unix seconds.
comments[].created_at_iso	string	Posted at, ISO 8601.
comments[].depth	number	0 for top-level comments, 1 for their replies, and so on.
comments[].parent_id	stringcan be null	`t3_…` for top-level comments, else the parent comment's `t1_…`.
comments[].link_id	stringcan be null	The post's fullname.
comments[].permalink	string	Path to this comment on reddit.com.
comments[].url	string	This comment on reddit.com.
comments[].subreddit	string	Subreddit name without r/.
comments[].subreddit_id	stringcan be null	Subreddit fullname, `t5_` + id.
comments[].subreddit_name_prefixed	string	Subreddit name with the r/ prefix, e.g. `r/marketing`.
comments[].collapsed	boolean	Collapsed by default on Reddit (low score, deleted or moderated). reddit.com loads its text only when expanded, so `body` is empty.
comments[].is_submitter	boolean	Written by the post's author.
comments[].replies	object	Replies to this comment.
comments[].replies.items	RedditComment[]	Direct replies, each with its own replies.
comments[].replies.more	object	More comments that weren't loaded yet.
comments[].replies.more.has_more	boolean	Whether there are more comments to load here.
comments[].replies.more.next_cursor	stringcan be null	Pass as `cursor` (with the same url) to load them; null when has_more is false.
more	object	More comments that weren't loaded yet.
more.has_more	boolean	Whether there are more comments to load here.
more.next_cursor	stringcan be null	Pass as `cursor` (with the same url) to load them; null when has_more is false.

Pagination

Results come in pages. To load more, pass the cursor from the previous response as cursor (When to use this says which field holds it). Each call costs 1 credit.

Cost and freshness

Each call costs 1 credit. Calls turned away before they reach the platform (invalid parameters, a key or balance problem, a rate limit) are free, and so are 5xx errors. A not_found is charged, since the platform was checked. How charging works.

Answers are cached for up to 1 minute. A repeat call within that time can return the same data, and costs the same.

Errors

A failed call returns success: false, an error message, a code your program can check, and a docs link. These are the errors this endpoint can return. All error codes.

Status	Code	Meaning
401	`missing_api_key`	No API key was sent. Put it in the `x-api-key` header.
401	`invalid_api_key`	This key doesn't exist or was revoked.
402	`insufficient_credits`	Not enough credits for this call. Buy a pack, or wait for tomorrow's free top-up.
402	`over_max_credits`	This call would cost more than the `max_credits` you set. The error says what it needs; raise `max_credits` to allow it. Not charged.
403	`account_suspended`	This account is suspended. Email support@lurkapi.com. Not charged.
404	`not_found`	What you asked for (a post, an ad, a subreddit) doesn't exist, or there's no endpoint at that path. Charged if the platform was checked.
405	`method_not_allowed`	Endpoints only take `GET`, with parameters in the URL.
429	`rate_limited`	Too many calls in a short time. Wait as many seconds as the `retry-after` header says, then retry.
500	`internal_error`	Something broke on our side. Retry. Not charged.
502	`upstream_error`	The platform didn't send a usable answer. Retry. Not charged.
503	`upstream_busy`	All our connections to the platform are busy. Retry in a few seconds. Not charged.
504	`upstream_timeout`	The platform took over 30 seconds to answer (90 for web pages). Retry. Not charged.

Use it in Claude

Connect LurkAPI to Claude and ask in plain English. This endpoint is the reddit_post_comments tool. For example:

Ask Claude

Use LurkAPI's reddit_post_comments tool with url "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/", then summarize what you find.

Claude calls reddit_post_comments with arguments like these, and each call costs 1 credit:

Tool arguments

{"url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/comments/1wsx466/want_to_become_an_llm_expert_in_marketing_where/"}

To save tokens, tool results leave out empty fields, keep one URL per image or video, and give transcripts as plain text unless you pass timestamps=true. A result over 45,000 characters comes in parts. Its _note gives the offset for the next part, and later parts are free for 15 minutes. Pass trim=false for the full response.

From the blog

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