Reddit MCP: Connect Claude or Cursor to Reddit Data Without API Keys

A Reddit MCP server is a Model Context Protocol server that gives an AI agent such as Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT tools to search Reddit, read subreddits and pull comment threads while you chat. The quickest Reddit MCP setup in 2026 is the hosted Scrape.ly MCP server: your agent runs a ready-made Reddit scraper in the cloud, with no Reddit app, client secret or account of your own.

That matters more this year than ever. Below is why the usual open-source servers now need Reddit API credentials, how to connect Scrape.ly in Claude, Cursor and other clients, the four tool calls the agent makes, and a real run from 22 October 2026: the 10 newest posts in r/Python in 5.8 seconds for $0.014.

Why most Reddit MCP servers need credentials now

The top Google result for "reddit mcp" on 22 October 2026 was jordanburke/reddit-mcp-server, a capable open-source server with read tools such as search_reddit, browse_subreddit and get_post_comments, and write tools for posting and replying. Its README spells out what changed on Reddit's side:

Anonymous mode no longer works. As of mid-2026, Reddit blocks all unauthenticated API requests with HTTP 403. OAuth credentials are now required for any API access.

The same README says Reddit closed self-service OAuth app creation in November 2025, so new developers have to request access through Reddit's developer support and wait for approval. Without credentials, the server falls back to public RSS feeds at about one request per minute, with only two tools available. The write tools also need your Reddit username and password in the config.

Another common result, adhikasp/mcp-reddit, is a small server for fetching hot threads and post content with comments, installed locally with uvx.

Both are local processes that talk to Reddit from your machine. The Scrape.ly route works differently: the agent calls the hosted Scrape.ly server, which runs a Store Actor that reads public Reddit pages on Scrape.ly's infrastructure and proxies and returns flat JSON.

The open-source server is the right pick if you need to post and reply as yourself. For reading and researching Reddit, which is what agents do most, the hosted route has nothing to apply for and nothing to wait on.

How to connect the Scrape.ly MCP server

The Scrape.ly MCP server is hosted, speaks MCP's streamable HTTP transport, and signs in with OAuth or a Scrape.ly API token. A free account includes $5 of usage every month, no card needed.

Claude Code. One command, then run /mcp inside Claude Code and choose scrapely to sign in with OAuth:

claude mcp add --transport http scrapely https://api.scrape.ly/mcp

Cursor. Add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json in a project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scrapely": {
      "url": "https://api.scrape.ly/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Drop headers and Cursor offers to sign in with OAuth. If you use a token, create it under Settings → API & Integrations.

Claude Desktop. Add https://api.scrape.ly/mcp as a custom connector under Customize → Connectors.

ChatGPT, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline, Zed. Any client with streamable HTTP support uses the same URL with OAuth or a Bearer header. The VS Code config and a local stdio server for clients without remote support are in the MCP docs.

The Reddit scrapers your agent can use

The agent finds Reddit Actors in the Scrape.ly Store on its own, but it helps to know what's there:

Prices are pay per result, from each Store page on 23 October 2026, plus a fraction of a cent of platform usage per run. None of them needs a Reddit account, an API key or cookies. The Reddit Posts Scraper is the one we recommend for agents, because its rows already carry the numbers an agent would otherwise compute: scorePerHour, commentsPerHour, upvoteRatio and an isHighEngagement flag.

The four tool calls

Every Reddit request goes through the same tools:

1. search-actors with words like "reddit posts" finds the scrapers.
2. fetch-actor-details returns the input schema, so the agent knows the fields: searchTerms, startUrls, subredditUrls, maxPostsCount, crawlCommentsPerPost, date filters and sort.
3. call-actor starts the run and waits up to 45 seconds. Subreddit pages and searches usually finish inside that window; for long comment crawls the agent follows up with get-actor-run.
4. get-actor-output reads the results page by page, with only the fields it asks for.

Results never land in the call-actor reply itself, which keeps a 2,000-comment thread from filling the context window in one go.

A real run: the newest posts in r/Python

The prompt: "Use scrapely to get the 10 newest posts in r/Python and tell me which ones are getting traction."

The agent picks echofield/reddit-posts-scraper and sends this call-actor request: the core fields of the Store's "Newest posts in r/python, 10 posts" preset, plus a cap on the charge:

{
  "actor": "echofield/reddit-posts-scraper",
  "input": {
    "subredditUrls": ["r/python"],
    "maxPostsCount": 10,
    "searchSort": "new",
    "crawlCommentsPerPost": false
  },
  "waitSecs": 45,
  "callOptions": { "maxTotalChargeUsd": 0.1 }
}

Our run of the full preset input on 22 October 2026 finished in 5.8 seconds with "Saved 10 results (10 posts) from 1 targets." The log needed two requests and no retries:

2026-10-22T15:23:09.681Z [scrapely.actor] INFO  Starting 1 targets (proxy DATACENTER).
2026-10-22T15:23:11.584Z [scrapely.actor] INFO  Saved 10 results (10 posts) from 1 targets. Requests: 2, retries: 0.

The agent then reads the dataset with only the fields it needs for the answer:

{
  "runId": "5627bef50d6a46138",
  "fields": "title,flair,score,commentsCount,createdAt,scorePerHour"
}

Five of the ten posts that came back:

The authors are private people, so we left usernames out of this table; the dataset has them as authorName. The answer to "which ones are getting traction" is in the data: the security post had a scorePerHour of 12.4 and a 0.92 upvote ratio after 3.6 hours, while the "Numpy Pandas" thread had 11 comments on a score of 0, a discussion rather than a hit. Each post row also carries the body, flair, media and gallery fields, crosspost and award counts, and removal status.

The run was charged $0.0142 in total: $0.014 for 10 results and less than two hundredths of a cent for compute, storage and datacenter proxy traffic. The Reddit scraping guide covers every input and output field.

Prompts that work well

Tell the agent what to search, how much to collect and the cap:

• "Use scrapely to search Reddit for 'notion alternative' posts from the past month, 25 posts, and summarize the top complaints."
• "Get the full comment thread of this post, up to 200 comments, and group the replies by opinion: [post URL]."
• "Search Reddit comments mentioning our product name this week, 50 comments, and flag anything that reads like a bug report."
• "Pull the top posts of the week from r/dataengineering and r/MachineLearning, 20 each, and list the tools people mention most."
• "Get the community profile and rules of r/webscraping."
• "Keep every run under $0.25."

The agent turns that last line into callOptions.maxTotalChargeUsd. For the subreddit profile, the Actor returns the community with its rules when maxPostsCount is 0.

Spending control for agents

• Cap every run. maxTotalChargeUsd stops a run at a dollar amount that covers Actor fees, compute, storage and proxy.
• Give the agent its own key. A scoped API key with actors:run and runs:read and a daily charge limit means a looping agent can't drain your balance.
• Prepaid balance. Usage draws from your balance, so there's no surprise invoice.

What to watch out for

• Usernames are personal data. Posts and comments are public, but their authors are private people. Store usernames only if you need them, and pseudonymize them in reports.
• Reddit's rules still apply. Collect public content for research, monitoring or analysis, keep volumes reasonable, and read the legal notes in our Reddit scraping guide. This isn't legal advice.
• NSFW is off by default. Set includeNSFW only if your use case needs it.
• Comment crawls take longer. Full threads with nested replies can run past 45 seconds; the agent polls get-actor-run, which is normal.
• Context size. Ask for specific fields. get-actor-output cuts text values over 1,000 characters, but 100 rows of every field is still a lot of tokens.

If you'd rather call Reddit data from code than from a chat, the Reddit API page puts a Reddit scraper behind a REST endpoint. For a wider comparison of scraping servers for agents, see the best MCP servers for web scraping.

FAQ

What is a Reddit MCP server?

It's an MCP server that exposes Reddit as tools an AI agent can call: search, subreddit listings, posts, comments and profiles. Some wrap Reddit's official API with your OAuth credentials; the Scrape.ly MCP server runs a Reddit scraper in the cloud and needs no Reddit credentials.

Do I need Reddit API credentials for a Reddit MCP server?

For servers built on Reddit's API, yes: the jordanburke/reddit-mcp-server README says unauthenticated API requests have been blocked since mid-2026 and new OAuth apps need Reddit's approval. With the Scrape.ly MCP server, you need only a Scrape.ly account.

Can the agent read full comment threads?

Yes. Set crawlCommentsPerPost with a maxCommentsPerPost limit, or pass a post URL. Comments come back in thread order with depth, parent and original-poster flags.

Can it post to Reddit for me?

No. The Scrape.ly Reddit Actors read public content and never log in. If you need to post or reply from an agent, you need a server that uses your own Reddit credentials.

How much does it cost?

The server is free to connect. The Reddit Posts Scraper charges $1.40 per 1,000 results, so our 10-post run cost $0.014, and the free plan's $5 a month covers roughly 3,500 results at that rate.

Does it work with ChatGPT and Cursor?

Yes. Cursor, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, VS Code and other clients that support remote MCP servers over streamable HTTP all connect to https://api.scrape.ly/mcp.