Repost bot
Also called: repost bots, reddit bot accounts, karma bot, spam bot
Definition
A repost bot is an automated Reddit account that reposts previously popular posts, and often copies old top comments, to build karma quickly. The aged, high-karma accounts it produces are typically used later for spam, scams or undisclosed promotion.
Repost bots are karma farming on autopilot. A script finds a post that did well before, posts it again, sometimes in the same subreddit, and lets real users upvote it a second time.
How it works
The pattern is consistent. The bot reposts content that was popular months or years earlier, usually images, memes or short text, with the original or a lightly changed title. Many also copy a top comment from the original thread into the new one, so the account gains comment karma as well. The same thing runs across many accounts at once, each building enough karma and age to pass subreddit filters.
The result is an account that looks established but has no real history of its own.
What Reddit's rules say
Several of Reddit's policies apply at once:
- The spam policy bans "repeatedly posting or sharing old content for the purpose of rapidly gaining karma" and using tools such as bots or generative AI that may break Reddit or help spread spam.
- The Don't break the site policy (Reddit Rule 8) says apps, including bots and AI agents, must not "mask as a human or fail to register as an app," and prohibits "creating accounts through automated or agentic means."
Reddit is also changing how this content is labeled. Its September 2026 changelog says that when it identifies an account using automation in violation of its rules and removes its content for spam, people visiting that content directly may see that it was removed for violating Rule 8, instead of a generic "Removed by Reddit" message. Reddit also said it would exclude posts and comments from accounts that were asked to verify they are human, or to register their automation, but had not, from recommendations.
How to spot one
- A post history made almost entirely of reposts in large general subreddits, then a sudden switch to product links or DMs.
- Comments that do not quite fit the thread, because they were written for another one.
- Account names that look generated, and long gaps followed by bursts of activity.
Moderators can mark these as spam and report them, and the spam filter learns from items marked as spam. Reddit says spam reports help improve its behind-the-scenes spam detection.
Why it matters for marketers
A brand rarely runs a repost bot itself, but it can still end up tied to one. If an account you post from was built this way, it carries that history: the reposts, the copied comments, and whatever else the same network did. When Reddit acts on a network of automated accounts, every account in it is exposed, along with the brand content posted from them. Reddit's User Agreement also says you will not license, sell or transfer an account without Reddit's prior written approval.
The durable alternative is an account with a real history in the communities where your buyers are; see account warming.
Frequently asked questions
Why do people make repost bots on Reddit?
To build karma and account age quickly, so the accounts can get past subreddit filters. Those accounts are then typically used for spam, scams or promotion.
Are bots allowed on Reddit?
Some are. Reddit requires apps and bots to register and follow its Developer Terms and Responsible Builder Policy, and prohibits bots that pretend to be human or spread spam.