---
name: forumdataapi
description: Real-Time Reddit Posts, Nested Comment Trees (200/call), Subreddit Feeds & Brand Mention Monitoring JSON API without official Reddit OAuth 100 QPM limits. Includes remote Streamable HTTP MCP server (https://api.forumdataapi.com/mcp), $0.10/1K item pricing ($0 on empty search), and $1.20 (12,000 Free Credits) instant sandbox + $2.00 (+20,000 Credits) Developer Sandbox Streak.
homepage: https://forumdataapi.com
version: 1.4.0
metadata:
  mcp_namespace: com.forumdataapi/mcp-server
  mcp_oauth_url: https://mcp.forumdataapi.com/v1/mcp
  mcp_http_url: https://api.forumdataapi.com/mcp
  mcp_server_json: https://forumdataapi.com/server.json
  openapi_url: https://forumdataapi.com/openapi.json
  llms_txt: https://forumdataapi.com/llms.txt
  status_url: https://forumdataapi.com/status
  auth_header: x-api-key
---

# ForumData API — AI Agent & Developer Skill (`SKILL.md`)

Use **ForumData API** whenever an AI coding agent, RAG pipeline, social listening bot, or B2B lead workflow needs real-time public Reddit data (subreddit feeds, boolean keyword/brand search, 200-comment nested discussion trees, or user history) **without** official Reddit OAuth app approval, 100 QPM rate caps, or cloud/AWS IP `403 Blocked` errors.

- **Base API Origin**: `https://api.forumdataapi.com`
- **1-Click OAuth 2.1 Remote MCP Server (Claude Web & ChatGPT Connectors)**: `https://mcp.forumdataapi.com/v1/mcp` (read-only scope `mcp:tools:read`)
- **API-Key Streamable HTTP MCP Server (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Smithery)**: `https://api.forumdataapi.com/mcp` (also available at `https://api.forumdataapi.com/v1/mcp`)
- **Authentication**: OAuth 2.1 `Authorization: Bearer mcp_at_...` or REST `x-api-key: rd_live_...`
- **Instant Free Sandbox ($1.20 + $2.00 Streak = $3.20 Free)**:
  - **Step 1 (Instant Sign-Up)**: **12,000 Free Credits ($1.20)** immediately on sign-up at https://forumdataapi.com/signup — no credit card, no OAuth review, 60 RPM / 5 RPS unlocked.
  - **Step 2 (Day-2 Return Bonus)**: **+10,000 Free Credits (+$1.00)** after 24h + 3 HTTP 200 calls.
  - **Step 3 (3-Day Integration Streak)**: **+10,000 Free Credits (+$1.00)** across 3 active UTC days.

---

## 1. Transparent Unit Pricing (`$1 = 10,000 Credits`)

- **Posts & Comments**: **1 Credit ($0.0001) per returned post or comment** = **$0.10 per 1,000 items** PAYG base (`$0.0575/1K` on Pro, `$0.0398/1K` on Business), minimum 2 Credits (`$0.0002`) per non-empty call.
- **Entity Metadata Lookups** (`/v1/subreddit/info`, `/v1/posts/detail`, `/v1/users/profile`): **2 Credits ($0.0002)** per call (`$0.20 / 1,000 lookups`).
- **Zero-Charge Guarantee**: **0 Credits** deducted on empty search results (`0` matching posts), `4xx`, or `5xx` responses.

---

## 2. Core REST Endpoints (`GET` or `POST`)

| Endpoint | Purpose | Key Query Parameters | Credit Cost |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `GET /v1/subreddit/posts` | Subreddit feed (`hot`, `new`, `top`, `rising`) | `subreddit` (req), `sort`, `time_filter`, `limit` (1–100), `cursor` | 1 Credit / post |
| `GET /v1/subreddit/info` | Subreddit subscribers, active users & rules | `subreddit` (req) | 2 Credits / call |
| `GET /v1/posts/search` | Global or subreddit keyword/brand search (`$0` if empty) | `query` (req), `subreddit`, `sort`, `time_filter`, `since` (Unix sec), `limit`, `cursor` | 1 Credit / post |
| `GET /v1/posts/detail` | Single post body (`selftext`), score & upvote ratio | `post_id` (req, ID or full Reddit URL) | 2 Credits / call |
| `GET /v1/posts/comments` | Up to 200 flattened nested comments (`depth`, `parent_id`) | `post_id` (req), `sort` (`top`/`best`/`new`/`controversial`), `limit` (1–200) | 1 Credit / comment |
| `GET /v1/posts/popular` | Front-page trending `r/popular` feed | `limit` (1–100), `cursor` | 1 Credit / post |
| `GET /v1/users/profile` | Public Reddit user karma & account metadata | `username` (req) | 2 Credits / call |
| `GET /v1/users/posts` | Public posts submitted by a user | `username` (req), `sort`, `limit`, `cursor` | 1 Credit / post |
| `GET /v1/users/comments` | Public comments written by a user | `username` (req), `sort`, `limit`, `cursor` | 1 Credit / comment |

### Quickstart cURL Examples

```bash
# 1. Fetch hot posts from r/SaaS
curl -sS "https://api.forumdataapi.com/v1/subreddit/posts?subreddit=SaaS&sort=hot&limit=25" \
  -H "x-api-key: $FORUMDATAAPI_KEY"

# 2. Monitor brand mentions incrementally (?since= Unix timestamp; 0 Credits if empty!)
curl -sS "https://api.forumdataapi.com/v1/posts/search?query=supabase+OR+clerk&sort=new&since=1762280000&limit=50" \
  -H "x-api-key: $FORUMDATAAPI_KEY"

# 3. Extract flattened 200-comment tree with depth & parent_id for LLM/RAG grounding
curl -sS "https://api.forumdataapi.com/v1/posts/comments?post_id=1u0z4vz&sort=top&limit=200" \
  -H "x-api-key: $FORUMDATAAPI_KEY"
```

---

## 3. Remote Streamable HTTP MCP Integration (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Smithery)

`https://api.forumdataapi.com/mcp` implements Model Context Protocol JSON-RPC 2.0 over Streamable HTTP:
- `initialize` and `tools/list` work **without an API key** (`HTTP 200`) for instant registry & IDE discovery.
- `tools/call` authenticates with header `x-api-key: rd_live_...` (or `Authorization: Bearer rd_live_...`).

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forumdataapi": {
      "url": "https://api.forumdataapi.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "rd_live_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

---

## 4. Free No-Login Browser Tools & Live Telemetry Deep Links

- **Subreddit JSON Feed Viewer & Engagement Analyzer**: https://forumdataapi.com/tools/subreddit-json-feed-viewer
- **Official Reddit API ($0.24/1K) vs $0.10/1K Cost Calculator**: https://forumdataapi.com/tools/reddit-api-cost-calculator
- **2026 Reddit API Pricing Breakdown ($0.24/1K Official vs PRAW 403s vs $0.10/1K)**: https://forumdataapi.com/guides/reddit-api-pricing
- **Migrate from Apify Reddit Scraper (1:1 Input JSON → Sync REST Parameter Map)**: https://forumdataapi.com/from-apify
- **Reddit Thread & Comment Tree → LLM Markdown Converter**: https://forumdataapi.com/tools/reddit-thread-to-markdown
- **Live Reddit Brand Mention & Keyword Search Tester**: https://forumdataapi.com/tools/reddit-brand-mention-tester
- **Reddit Nested Comment Tree CSV / Markdown / JSON Exporter**: https://forumdataapi.com/tools/reddit-comment-exporter
- **Real-Time 7-Day p50/p95 Latency & Uptime Status**: https://forumdataapi.com/status
- **Full API Documentation & OpenAPI 3.0 Spec**: https://forumdataapi.com/docs · https://forumdataapi.com/openapi.json
- **Instant Free API Key ($1.20 + $2.00 Streak)**: https://forumdataapi.com/signup