Reddit research

What people really say about something when they aren't talking to the brand: their problems, what they've tried, what they recommend and the words they use. Every finding links to the thread it came from.

Calling LurkAPI

With MCP (the LurkAPI plugin or connector), call the tools by name, like tiktok_profile; your client may prefix them (mcp__plugin_lurkapi_lurkapi__tiktok_profile). With only find_endpoints and call_endpoint, run a tool as call_endpoint with endpoint set to its name and params to its arguments. Results come trimmed: no nulls, one URL per image or video. A long result comes in parts: its _note gives the offset for the next part, which is free.

Without MCP (Codex, Cursor, scripts), every tool is GET https://api.lurkapi.com plus its path, with the same params as a query string (URL-encoded) and the key from LURKAPI_API_KEY in the x-api-key header:

curl -s "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/tiktok/profile?handle=nike" -H "x-api-key: $LURKAPI_API_KEY"

If LURKAPI_API_KEY isn't set but LURKAPI_KEY is (the name older docs used), use that. Raw answers are big: pipe them through jq to keep the fields you need. No key yet? Ask the user to create one at https://lurkapi.com/dashboard (100 free credits on sign-up, then a balance below 25 tops back up to 25 every day) and to set LURKAPI_API_KEY in their shell. Never ask for the key in the chat, and never print it.

Credits. Each call costs what the table at the end says, not_found included; failures on our side (5xx) are free. Every answer carries credits_remaining. Before a run of more than 20 calls, check the balance with account_credit_balance (free) and tell the user what the run will cost. If a call answers missing_api_key, insufficient_credits or signup_required, stop and pass on what it says.

Run

1. Search wide. Start with the plain name: reddit_search(query=<topic>, timeframe=year). Then one or two more phrasings, each short: the problem in the user's words ("<problem> recommendations"), "<competitor> alternative", "<x> vs <y>". Long queries, OR, and sort=comment_count drag in megathreads that only mention a word; drop any result whose title isn't about the topic. Results have title, subreddit, score, num_comments, created_at_iso and permalink, but no body text. Note which communities keep coming up. sort=top finds the classics; sort=new with timeframe=month what's current.
2. Go where it's discussed. In the one or two communities that recur, reddit_subreddit_search(subreddit=<name>, query=<topic>, sort=comments) finds the most argued-over threads. To size one up, or before posting there, reddit_subreddit_details(subreddit=<name>) gives weekly_active_users and its rules.
3. Read the threads. Pick 5 to 10 by num_comments and relevance, not score alone. reddit_post_comments(url=<thread url>, trim=true) returns the post (post.title, post.selftext) and its comments, best first, with replies nested. The thread URL is https://www.reddit.com plus the search result's permalink (subreddit search results carry a full url). When more.has_more is true on a rich thread, more.next_cursor as cursor loads the next batch.
4. Write it up (below).

Budget

Three searches and eight threads is about 11 calls; a deep look at one community adds two or three. Stay under about 25 calls unless the user wants more, and say so before going further.

What to pull out

Read for these, and count how many threads each theme shows up in:

• Pains: what people are stuck on, in their words.
• What they've tried: products and workarounds named, and what they liked or hated about each.
• Recommendations: what the community steers people toward, and why.
• Objections: price, trust, switching cost, missing features.
• Triggers: what made someone go looking.
• Language: phrases that recur, worth reusing in copy.

Report

# Reddit research: <topic>, <date>

<n> threads read across r/<a>, r/<b>, … from <searches run>.

## Themes
| Theme | Threads | Representative quote |
| --- | --- | --- |

## Alternatives people mention
| Product | Said for it | Said against it |

## Exact phrases
- "<verbatim>" ([thread](<url>))

## What this means
3 to 5 takeaways for the user's goal.

## Sources
- [<thread title>](<url>), r/<subreddit>, <score> points, <comments> comments

Pitfalls

• Search covers post titles and text, not comments: phrase queries the way people title posts.
• A loud thread is one sample. Report how many threads a theme appears in, not just the best quote.
• Upvotes measure agreement in that community, not the market.
• Quote content, not people: link threads and leave usernames out unless the user needs them.
• Deleted and removed posts answer not_found, and still cost a call.

Calls and credits

Each tool's link opens its docs as markdown: every param and its values, and a real response.