Free AutoMod simulator
AutoModerator removes posts that match rules a subreddit's mods wrote: keywords, link domains, missing flair, or account checks like karma, account age, and Contributor Quality Score. Paste your draft below and the simulator estimates the removal risk against that subreddit's public rules.
If your post already vanished, check the removal type first: a filtered post is waiting in the mod queue and can still be approved, so a polite modmail is often faster than a rewrite.
Paste your content below
Results will appear here
Simulate AutoMod
Fill in your subreddit and post, then click Simulate AutoMod to see the prediction.
r/Entrepreneur
"Check out my new SaaS tool that helps founders post on Reddit"
What to do with this result
The simulator tests one post against one ruleset. MediaFast checks every draft against each community's rules before it goes live, so fewer posts vanish.
Not sure which one fits? Compare every plan side by side further down this page.
What is AutoMod
AutoMod is the invisible gatekeeper between your post and the community. Understanding it is the first step to posting without fear.
AutoModerator evaluates posts and comments submitted to a subreddit as they come in, usually before any human mod sees them. Moderators write YAML config files that define what to look for, and AutoMod enforces those rules within seconds of posting.
There is no single AutoMod config for all of Reddit. Each subreddit's moderator team writes its own rules. A post that sails through r/SideProject may be instantly removed in r/Entrepreneur. That is why testing your post against the specific subreddit matters so much.
When AutoMod removes a post, Reddit often does not send a notification. Your post appears to exist on your end, but other users cannot see it. This is sometimes called a ghost removal. Tools like MediaFast check a subreddit's rules and draft posts that fit them, so fewer of these surprises happen after you hit submit.
Moderators write rules in YAML format (a structured text format). Each rule block defines what to check (author karma, title content, post type, domain, etc.) and what action to take (remove, filter, report, flair, or send a message).
A rule can check many conditions at once: account age, karma, post type (link vs text), title matching a regex pattern, body containing specific phrases, or the domain of the submitted link.
Subreddits often stack multiple rule blocks. A post might pass the karma check but fail the keyword filter. Each rule block is evaluated independently, so your post needs to clear every active rule in the config, not just one.
AutoMod does not only remove posts. It can also approve posts, add flair, leave a comment with instructions, report to mods for review, or send a message to the author. Removal is the harshest action, but partial interventions are common.
AutoMod by the numbers
Figures from Reddit's own transparency reporting, the official AutoModerator documentation, and peer-reviewed research.
Sources: Reddit's transparency reporting, the official AutoModerator documentation, and peer-reviewed research.
71.9%
of all content removed by Reddit moderators in the first half of 2024 was removed proactively by AutoModerator, not a human review.
View the report208M
pieces of content were removed across Reddit in just six months (H1 2024), the bulk of it filtered before a human moderator ever saw it.
View the report1,013
wrongly-removed posts AutoModerator restored on r/gaming in a single week, reversing Reddit's default spam filter, per a peer-reviewed case study.
View the study"On the popular social media site Reddit, moderators heavily rely on a configurable, automated program called 'Automoderator' (or 'Automod')."
Shagun Jhaver et al., "Human-Machine Collaboration for Content Regulation: The Case of Reddit Automoderator," ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (2019)
This walkthrough covers the same kind of keyword and regex rules the simulator above is built to detect, including a copy-paste spam filter rule.
Top triggers
The pattern families moderators configure most often in marketing and startup communities. Exact thresholds live in each subreddit's private config.
| # | Trigger | Common in | Threshold | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Account signals in community rules | Varies by subreddit | Read the current sidebar and rules | Confirm the community's current requirements before posting |
| 2 | Keyword or regex match | Configured per community | A moderator-defined phrase or pattern | Rewrite the draft for clarity and remove unnecessary promotional language |
| 3 | Promotional wording | Configured per community | A moderator-defined phrase, domain, or pattern | Lead with the community value and disclose affiliation |
| 4 | Link or domain rule | Configured per community | A blocked, restricted, or review-only URL | Use the format and destination the rules permit |
| 5 | URL shortener or redirect | Some communities | A moderator-defined domain or redirect pattern | Use a transparent canonical URL when links are allowed |
| 6 | Title or body formatting | Configured per community | A community-specific style or regex rule | Use normal sentence case and follow the posting format |
| 7 | Low-context submission | Configured per community | A moderator-defined minimum or quality filter | Add the context needed to answer the community's question |
| 8 | Self-promotion rule | Configured per community | A community rule, megathread, or moderator filter | Use the designated promotional format or do not post the promotion |
| 9 | Missing post flair | Configured per community | Required flair is not selected | Select the current required flair before submitting |
| 10 | Repost or duplicate detection | Configured per community | A recent or substantially similar submission | Search the community and add a genuinely new contribution |
| 11 | Post type restriction | Configured per community | The selected type is not allowed for the topic or day | Use the permitted post type and current schedule |
| 12 | Report or moderation action | Configured per community | A moderator-defined review or report condition | Resolve the underlying issue and ask moderators when appropriate |
Founders who post on Reddit
Real founders who got traction on Reddit by posting where their product fit, within each community's rules.
"Hey Arthur, I fell in love with how clearly RedditFa guides me with every step! It's even better than I expected."
"Reddit is like a big boss to fight. Thanks to @mediafa_st, it helps me a lot. Thanks man"
"It's a fun product man. I like having the very concise tasks. I'll start another project for my own business."
Field lookup, from Reddit's docs
These are the real field names from Reddit's AutoModerator documentation. When a sidebar says 'karma requirement', one of these is doing the work.
| Field | What it checks | Documented behavior | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
account_age | How old the author's account is | Accepts minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. A bare number means days. | A day-old account can fail a rule a week-old account passes. Wait it out, never make a new account. |
comment_karma / post_karma / combined_karma | Sitewide karma of the author | Karma floors at -100 for comment and combined karma, and 0 for post karma, so a very negative score reads as the floor. | Comment karma is often the gate. Helpful comments in smaller communities build it fastest. |
comment_subreddit_karma (and post_ / combined_) | Karma earned inside that one subreddit only | Separate from sitewide karma, so a big account can still fail in a new community. | Participate in the target community first. Sitewide karma does not transfer. |
contributor_quality | Reddit's Contributor Quality Score for the author | Five tiers: highest, high, moderate, low, lowest. Example rule: contributor_quality "< moderate" with action filter. | A low tier can hold posts with no keyword involved at all. Verify your email and post consistently. |
has_verified_email | Whether the account has a verified email | Also matches accounts verified by phone. | Verifying takes a minute and removes one easy filter. |
is_contributor | Whether the author is an approved user | Mods often exempt approved users from strict rules. | Asking to be approved is legitimate for regular contributors. |
satisfy_any_threshold | How multiple author checks combine | Defaults to false, meaning every threshold in the rule must be met, not just one. | Meeting the karma bar is not enough if the same rule also checks age. |
domain | The link's domain | Matches the exact domain or any subdomain. A text post's domain is self.subredditname. | A blocked domain stays blocked on every subdomain of it. |
body_shorter_than / body_longer_than | Length of the post or comment body | Ignores spacing and punctuation at the ends when counting. | Padding with dots or spaces does not help. Add real context. |
is_edited | Whether the rule runs on edits | With false, new submissions are checked but not re-checked on edit. | Editing a removed post rarely brings it back. Ask the mods. |
Source: Reddit's AutoModerator full documentation. The docs also list the text search modifiers mods can stack on any field: includes-word (the default for most fields), includes, starts-with, ends-with, full-exact, full-text, and regex. That is why one banned word can catch "buy" but not "buying" in one subreddit, and both in the next.
Illustrative YAML
Illustrative YAML in the shape mods use, each followed by a plain-English translation. Real thresholds are private to each community.
type: submission
author:
combined_karma: "< configured minimum"
action: remove
action_reason: "Karma too low"Some communities compare account karma with a local condition. The exact field, threshold, and action are community-specific. Read the current rules and build genuine participation rather than trying to evade the condition.
type: submission
author:
account_age: "< configured age condition"
action: remove
action_reason: "Account too new"Some communities compare account age with a local condition. There is no Reddit-wide age cutoff. If a rule applies, comply with it or ask the moderators for the permitted format.
type: submission
url:
domain: ["bit.ly", "tinyurl.com", "amzn.to", "cutt.ly"]
action: remove
action_reason: "URL shorteners not allowed"A community may block or review domains, redirects, or referral links. Use a transparent canonical URL only when the current rules permit links, and do not assume a clean URL overrides a self-promotion rule.
type: submission
title (regex): "(?i)(buy now|limited offer|check out my|DM me|link in bio)"
action: remove
action_reason: "Promotional title detected"A moderator-defined regex can match wording or structure, but the example is only a teaching pattern. A simulator cannot see private YAML, so revise the draft for clarity and verify the community's current rules.
type: comment
parent_submission:
is_removed: true
action: remove
action_reason: "Parent post removed"Some communities configure follow-on actions when parent content is removed. The behavior is not universal, so check the community's help text or ask moderators if a comment disappears with its parent.
Actions and what they mean
The action on the rule, not the trigger, decides whether your post is gone for good or just waiting for a human. Here is each one from your side of the screen.
action: removeThe post is taken down. You still see it, others do not.
Your move: Fix the cause and modmail if you think it was a mistake.
action: filterRemoved, but kept in the mod queue and unmoderated pages for a human to approve. Unique to AutoMod.
Your move: Best case of the bad outcomes. A polite modmail often gets it approved.
action: spamRemoved and marked as spam instead of a normal removal.
Your move: Do not repost the same thing. Ask the mods what went wrong first.
action: reportThe post stays live but lands in the mod queue with a report reason.
Your move: Nothing to do yet. A mod will review it.
action: approveAutoMod approves the item. It only works on items the spam filter removed, or on reported items when the rule checks reports.
Your move: No action needed. Some communities auto-approve trusted users.
Source: AutoModerator full documentation.
Mod perspective and posting strategy
Understand the moderator's side first. The posting habits on the right follow directly from it.
Scale: A busy subreddit can receive more submissions than human moderators can review immediately. AutoMod handles configured filtering so moderators can focus on edge cases.
Consistency: Human moderators have different tolerance levels and availability. AutoMod applies the same rules at 3 AM on a Sunday as it does on a Tuesday afternoon, removing the inconsistency that leads to moderator fatigue and community complaints.
Spam control: Without AutoMod, large subreddits would fill with spam, affiliate links, and low-effort self-promotion fast. Karma and account age rules are a common first line against throwaway accounts.
Rule enforcement: When a subreddit says no self-promotion, mods cannot enforce that by hand on every post. AutoMod detects configured self-promotional patterns automatically.
Build a genuine history before you need it: Participate helpfully in the target community before you post anything promotional. Karma or account age may be part of a local rule, but there is no Reddit-wide clearance number.
Read the rules sidebar: Every subreddit has a rules sidebar or a pinned mod post. Read it before posting. If the rules say no self-promotion, that rule is often enforced by AutoMod, not just a mod opinion.
Use transparent URLs only: When a community allows links, use a transparent canonical URL and disclose the destination. Redirects, tracking links, and referral URLs may be restricted by local rules.
Write a substantive body: Short posts with little context can look like spam. Explain the problem, your experience, or the question for the community, then follow any local length or format rule.
Remove sales-first language: Phrases such as 'check this out', 'buy now', 'discount code', 'link in bio', and 'DM me' can match local promotional filters. Lead with the useful contribution and follow the current rules.
Who removed it
Knowing which system removed your post tells you exactly what to fix.
Trigger reference
Common categories to inspect, not universal thresholds. AutoMod rules are configured by each community, and a private rule can change the outcome.
| Trigger | Pattern AutoMod looks for | Removal probability | Where to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account signal | author fields compared with a community-defined condition | No universal probability | Read the current community rules |
| Account age condition | author age compared with a local condition | No universal probability | Read the current community rules |
| Blocked domain | domain matches a moderator blocklist or review list | Depends on the configured action | Check the current link rules |
| Redirect or shortener | URL domain matches a local redirect rule | Depends on the configured action | Check the current link rules |
| Affiliate or tracking URL | URL contains a local tracking or referral pattern | Depends on the configured action | Check the current link rules |
| Repeat title pattern | title matches a saved moderator regex or duplicate filter | Depends on the configured action | Check the current posting rules |
| Excessive formatting | caps, punctuation, or style matches a local rule | Depends on the configured action | Check the current title rules |
| Title regex | title matches a moderator-defined regular expression | A matching rule may remove or review the post | Check the current rules or ask moderators |
| Body regex | body matches a moderator-defined phrase or pattern | A matching rule may remove or review the post | Check the current rules or ask moderators |
| Post type restriction | link, text, image, or video type is not permitted | Depends on the community format | Check the current post-type rules |
| Schedule restriction | post type or flair is not permitted at that time | Depends on the community schedule | Check the current schedule |
| Report or review condition | reports or a moderation signal reaches a local condition | Depends on the configured action | Check the current moderation guidance |
| Comment cascade | parent content is removed and a local cascade rule applies | Depends on the configured action | Community-specific |
| Brand or spam blocklist | text or domain matches a local blocklist | Depends on the configured action | Community-specific |
| Crosspost restriction | crossposting is disabled or limited in the destination | Depends on the destination rules | Check the destination rules |
Not AutoMod
If your draft passes every keyword and link check but still lands in the queue, one of Reddit's built-in filters is the likely cause. They judge the account, not the words.
| Filter | What it looks at | Levels | How to get through legitimately |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reputation filter | The account's behavior and Contributor Quality Score (karma, verification, other account signals), not the post text | High or Moderate | Approved users are not caught. Build history, verify your email, or ask to be approved. |
| Ban evasion filter | Signals about how accounts connect to Reddit, over the past few weeks, months, or year | High or Moderate, set separately for posts and comments | Filtering stops after a mod approves your content three times, or adds you as an approved user. Reddit says it is not 100% accurate. |
| Crowd Control | Accounts not yet trusted in that community: negative karma, new accounts, or non-members, depending on level | Moderate, High, or Maximum | Participate in that community or ask the mods to approve you. |
| Harassment filter | Comments likely to be harassing, using an LLM trained on moderator actions | Set by the mods | Rephrase heated comments. Criticize ideas, not people. |
| Mature content filter | Potentially mature content posted in the community | Set by the mods | Mark content correctly and follow the community's content rules. |
| Adult content promoters filter | Accounts that appear to promote adult content | Set by the mods | Keep promotional links out of communities that do not allow them. |
Reddit describes the reputation filter as a more nuanced approach than AutoMod karma or account age limits, which is why many communities now use it in place of hand-written karma gates. The same Contributor Quality Score is available to AutoMod as the contributor_quality field, so a single low score can trip both systems. The list of filters comes from Reddit's Safety Filters overview (updated April 2026). If your whole account seems hidden, not just one community, run the shadowban checker instead.
Decision tree
Follow the branches to estimate your removal risk before you post. Red means likely removal, amber means likely review, green means better prepared.
If the account fails a current community requirement
The account condition may trigger removal or review. Check the exact local rule; there is no Reddit-wide threshold.
If the account is too new under a current local rule
Wait or use the permitted format. Do not try to evade an account-age condition.
If the title or body matches a local promotional phrase or regex
Rewrite the draft around a real question or contribution, then re-check the current rules.
If the destination URL is blocked, restricted, or a redirect
Use a transparent URL only when links are allowed. A clean URL does not override a self-promotion rule.
If the post includes undisclosed affiliate or referral language
Disclose the relationship and follow the community's commercial-link policy, or do not post it.
If the title or formatting violates a local style rule
Use the required title, flair, post type, and formatting for that community.
If the body lacks the context required by the community
Add the details needed to make the post useful on its own, without relying on a click.
If crossposting is disabled or limited in the destination
Create a permitted original submission or choose a community that explicitly allows the format.
If no public rule explains the result
Treat the simulator as an estimate and ask the moderators rather than assuming the post is safe.
If the draft follows the public rules and contributes genuine value
The draft is better prepared, but private rules and human moderation can still change the outcome.
Subreddit thresholds
There is no reliable Reddit-wide threshold table. Use these communities as a reminder to read the current rules, not as a shortcut around them.
| Subreddit | Account rule | Age rule | Alternate account | Promotion posture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| r/SaaS | Community-specific | Community-specific | Not a bypass | Varies |
| r/Entrepreneur | Community-specific | Community-specific | Not a bypass | Varies |
| r/startups | Community-specific | Community-specific | Not a bypass | Varies |
| r/marketing | Community-specific | Community-specific | Not a bypass | Varies |
| r/smallbusiness | Community-specific | Community-specific | Not a bypass | Varies |
AutoMod blind spots
AutoMod is powerful but has hard limits. These patterns need human moderators or Reddit's own systems.
A post that tells a compelling founder story while subtly promoting a product reads as genuine content to AutoMod. Only an experienced human mod can spot the promotional intent embedded in narrative framing.
When multiple accounts are controlled by one person to vote and comment in unison, AutoMod sees normal activity. Reddit's anti-vote-manipulation systems handle this, not AutoMod's rule engine.
A well-written post that is irrelevant to the subreddit's subject passes every AutoMod rule check. Relevance requires contextual understanding that YAML rules cannot encode.
When an outside group floods a post with coordinated votes, AutoMod cannot detect the coordinated origin. Human mods and Reddit's tools must investigate.
A post that meets the karma, account age, length, and formatting rules but adds zero value sails through AutoMod. Quality judgment belongs to humans.
A post asking 'where can I buy this?' is fine in a shopping community but breaks rules in a frugal-living one. AutoMod cannot read the same phrase differently by context without explicit rules per subreddit.
When spammers find a new phrasing pattern mods have not added to the YAML yet, AutoMod cannot catch it until the config is updated. There is always a lag.
Illustrative examples
Three illustrative drafts built from common removal patterns, not real users' posts: the likely signal, and what would have had a better chance.
Draft
"Just launched [Product] after 6 months of building. Check it out at bit.ly/xyz. Would love your feedback!"
Likely signal
Possible triggers include a moderator-defined redirect blocklist and promotional wording. The private rule, if any, determines whether the post is removed, filtered, or sent for review.
Better approach
Use a transparent canonical URL only if the community permits it, and replace the launch pitch with a specific question or useful lesson.
Draft
"I started a newsletter about indie hacking. Here is my first issue." (New account with limited community history)
Likely signal
A local account-age, subreddit-karma, or contributor_quality condition could apply, but the public page does not reveal a universal threshold.
Better approach
Read the target community's current rules, participate genuinely, and ask moderators which launch format is permitted.
Draft
"I struggled for years with cold outreach. Then I built my own tool (link in bio). Our product has a discount this week."
Likely signal
Possible signals include promotional wording, a referral or discount claim, and a local self-promotion rule. The account history and private configuration determine the actual outcome.
Better approach
Remove the sales framing, share the useful learning directly, disclose affiliation, and use only the link format the community permits.
Moderation layers
Three separate systems act on posts. Knowing which layer removed you determines how to fix it.
| Layer | What it catches | Speed | Reversible |
|---|---|---|---|
| AutoModerator | Karma and account age conditions, keyword matches, URL shorteners, affiliate link parameters, regex title patterns, crosspost restrictions, missing flair | Seconds after submission | Often. A mod can approve it from the queue; otherwise repost a compliant version if the rules allow. |
| Human Moderators | Nuanced self-promotion, off-topic posts, low-value content, community culture violations, ban evasion attempts, sock puppet patterns | Minutes to days depending on mod activity | Sometimes. Polite modmail appeal may restore the post. |
| Reddit Anti-Spam and Safety | Vote manipulation, coordinated brigading, shadowbans, platform-wide spam patterns, bulk link posting, plus the Safety Filters mods switch on | Instant to days, sometimes retroactive | Rarely for account-level actions. Appeal at reddit.com/appeal within six months. |
Template and checklist
A filtered post needs a human to approve it. This is the short, specific message that gets read, and the checklist that keeps you from needing it.
Subject: Post held by AutoModerator, could you take a look? Hi mods, My post "[post title]" ([link to post]) was removed or held by AutoModerator a few minutes after I submitted it. I read the sidebar rules before posting. I think it may have hit [the rule you suspect, e.g. "the link rule"], but I'm not sure. If it breaks a rule, could you tell me which one so I can fix it? If it's fine, I'd appreciate an approval. Thanks for moderating, u/[your_username]
Send it once, through the subreddit's modmail link, not a DM to one mod.
Doing this for every community by hand gets slow. MediaFast finds subreddits that fit your product, checks their rules, and drafts posts for you to edit, then flags threads worth commenting in. You still write and post your own comments.
Keep going
Passing AutoMod is not the same as earning trust. These pages cover the next step.
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Answers on AutoModerator removals, filters, edits, and what this simulator can and cannot see.
AutoModerator (AutoMod) is a sitewide moderation tool that community moderators configure with rules. Reddit's current documentation says it can send modmail, reply to posts, highlight comments, remove or flair content by domain or keyword, filter content for review, and identify potential spammers or low-quality contributors. Its behavior is community-specific, and the current rules are the source of truth.
When you enter your subreddit and draft post, the tool fetches the subreddit's public description and up to 10 of its public rules from Reddit in real time. It then sends that context plus your post content to an AI model instructed with common AutoMod rule patterns. The model returns a removal probability score (0-100), a list of likely trigger patterns with severity ratings, a fix for each trigger, and an AutoMod-safe rewrite of your post.
Common AutoMod patterns include keyword or regex matches, domain and link rules, required words or flair, content filters, and community-specific account signals such as karma, account age, or Contributor Quality Score. Exact thresholds and actions are private to the moderation team, so a simulator can only estimate from public rules and common patterns. Use the result to improve the draft, then confirm the live subreddit rules before posting.
You should not try to bypass AutoMod rules. Subreddits set those rules for a reason, and attempts to evade them can lead to removal or account action. The right approach is to understand which rules you are violating and fix your post to comply with them. This simulator helps you identify possible patterns, then confirm the result against the live rules.
No tool can guarantee the result because AutoMod rules are private configurations that only the subreddit's moderators can see. This simulator uses the subreddit's public rules and description plus common AutoMod patterns to make an estimate. Custom regex, private conditions, human review, and later rule changes may not surface. Treat the prediction as a signal, not a guarantee.
New accounts can encounter community-specific restrictions, but there is no Reddit-wide threshold to rely on. Read the target subreddit's current rules, avoid assuming that a karma or age requirement exists, and build a genuine participation history instead of trying to work around a filter. The simulator can flag patterns, not reveal a private configuration.
Per Reddit's AutoModerator documentation, remove takes the post down, while filter is an action unique to AutoMod that removes the post but keeps it in the mod queue and unmoderated pages so a human moderator can approve it. A filtered post is waiting for review, so a short, polite modmail is worth sending.
Usually not. AutoMod rules can be set to skip edited items, and a rule with is_edited set to false checks new submissions but does not re-check them on edit. Other rules do re-check edits. Either way, a removal stays in place until a moderator approves it, so ask the mods or repost a compliant version if the rules allow reposting.
They are different systems. AutoMod runs YAML rules written by that subreddit's mods. Reddit's Safety Filters, such as the reputation filter, ban evasion filter, and Crowd Control, are built-in settings mods switch on, and they judge the account rather than the words in your post. If your draft is clean but still held, a Safety Filter is the likely cause, and the fix is the same: message the mods for approval.
MediaFast finds subreddits that fit your product, checks their rules, and drafts posts you edit and publish yourself.
No time to do Reddit yourself?
