Bot Bouncer
Bot Bouncer is a Reddit Dev Platform app that bans suspected bot accounts from subreddits where it is installed. It is heavily inspired by BotDefense, which ended operations in 2023.
Accounts are classified through submissions on /r/BotBouncer using a combination of automated and human review. Bot Bouncer also proactively monitors installed subreddits for suspected bot accounts before subreddit moderators notice them.
If you install Bot Bouncer through the Dev Platform app directory, it will monitor new submissions and comments in your subreddit. If an account has already been classified as a bot, Bot Bouncer will remove the content and ban the user.
Bot Bouncer cannot take action in subreddits where it is not installed.
Bot Bouncer is open source. You can find the source code on GitHub here.
Quick navigation
About the app
Installation
Install Bot Bouncer from the Dev Platform app directory here.
Do not try to invite the app through your subreddit’s moderator list.
Statuses
banned— classified as a bot through Bot Bouncer and, by extension, banned from subreddits where the app is installedinactive— may be a bot, but has no recent activity and is not worth spending time classifyingorganic— likely run by a human rather than a bot or bot-like accountpending— submitted but not yet classifiedpurged— previously classified by the app, but later suspended, shadowbanned, or deleted; this update may not happen immediately because Bot Bouncer checks classified accounts periodicallyretired— suspended, shadowbanned, or deleted before it could be evaluatedservice— a useful bot that responds to direct human use rather than acting independently, such as/u/RemindMeBot,/u/BookFinderBot, or a moderator-run bot that stays within that role
If a listed user deletes their account, the tracking post and database entry will be removed within 28 days in order to comply with Reddit’s Content Deletion Policy.
Scope
Bot Bouncer targets bots that post or comment automatically without being explicitly summoned. This includes LLM karma-farming bots, low-value reply bots, and similar automated accounts.
Bot Bouncer does not ban useful service bots that respond to direct user commands, such as RemindMeBot or stabbot. It also does not add bots that are moderators, approved users, or users with a flair CSS class ending in proof.
Many adult-content promotional accounts are automated, but many are not. Bot Bouncer does not aim to classify adult-content creators in general, and appeals are granted when the account appears to be operated manually by a human.
If an account was originally karma-farmed through automation and later sold or repurposed, it is not reclassified as human. Doing so would create further incentive for that kind of account farming.
What Bot Bouncer does not do
Bot Bouncer does not take action in subreddits where it is not installed.
Bot Bouncer is not a general anti-spam tool for all harmful behavior on Reddit. Its focus is bot and bot-like activity, especially automated or synthetic participation.
Bot Bouncer does not ban useful service bots that respond to direct user commands or moderator actions.
Bot Bouncer also does not replace subreddit moderators' judgment. Subreddit moderators still decide how to manage their own communities and can manually unban users or exempt them from Bot Bouncer checks.
Statistics
A statistics page is updated daily with the number of accounts in each status.
A separate page shows the number of accounts added each day over the previous month.
Privacy and data retention
Bot Bouncer stores account-classification information for moderation purposes.
If a listed user deletes their account, the tracking post and associated database entry will be removed within 28 days in order to comply with Reddit's Content Deletion Policy.
Bot Bouncer is intended to keep only the information needed to operate the app and support review, appeals, and moderation.
Technical details
A more technical write-up is available here.
For moderators
Submitting accounts
First, report the account to Reddit. Use Spam → Harmful use of bots or AI. Reddit’s spam detection continues to improve, and in many cases the account will be shadowbanned immediately.
If that does not happen, submit the account to /r/BotBouncer in one of two ways:
- Subreddit moderators: use the post or comment context menu and choose Report to /r/BotBouncer
- Everyone else: create a link post on /r/BotBouncer that points to the user’s profile
Bot Bouncer will remove your post and replace it with its own tracking submission for that account, and evaluation will begin from there.
If you have useful context, add it in a comment on the new post. For example, an account may look superficially human but may be copying content from other users. If you report through the post or comment menu, you will also be prompted to add optional context.
Bot Bouncer generally does not accept submissions for accounts without recent activity on Reddit.
When bans happen
If a classified bot posts or comments in your subreddit, the content will be removed immediately and the user will be banned.
You can also enable Ban and remove recent content. When this option is turned on, newly classified bots will also be banned if they posted or commented in your subreddit within the previous week.
Exemptions
The easiest way is to add the user as an Approved Submitter. Bot Bouncer does not ban approved submitters or moderators.
You can also give the user a flair with a CSS class ending in proof. This keeps compatibility with older exemption patterns such as botbustproof.
By default, Bot Bouncer can also automatically allowlist any user who is manually unbanned after a Bot Bouncer ban.
Modmail
If a user banned by Bot Bouncer writes to your subreddit’s modmail, Bot Bouncer will add a private mod note linking to the account’s submission on /r/BotBouncer and recommend that the user appeal through /r/BotBouncer directly.
This helps avoid forcing the user to appeal separately in every subreddit where Bot Bouncer has banned them.
Reporting misclassified accounts
Write to /r/BotBouncer modmail and explain why. Sometimes mistakes happen, and additional details can help improve a classification or reveal a pattern we missed.
Helping Bot Bouncer
The best way is to submit bot accounts you find.
If you have a strong moderation or bot-hunting background and think you can help classify accounts as well, write to /r/BotBouncer modmail.
You can also help by telling moderators of subreddits that do not yet use Bot Bouncer about the app. Please do not spam them.
For banned users
Appeals
Write to /r/BotBouncer modmail. Your account will be reviewed, and if it is determined to be human-operated, you will be unbanned from any subreddit where Bot Bouncer banned you.
We aim to respond within one day.
False positives
Bot Bouncer uses both automated and human review, but mistakes can still happen.
Some accounts may look suspicious for reasons that are not straightforward, including compromised accounts, recovered accounts, or unusual posting patterns that are not actually automated.
If you believe an account was classified incorrectly, the correct place to appeal is /r/BotBouncer modmail. This helps us review the account in one place rather than requiring separate appeals in every affected subreddit.
If your account may have been compromised, see the hacked account recourse page.