Why AutoModerator removed your Reddit post

AutoModerator read your post the second you pressed Post. It may have removed it before a single person saw it.

Whether it told you depends on how that subreddit's mods set it up. Plenty of them don't.

Here is what it checks and how to get past it, in 4 parts, with 5 things you can copy.

Save this. You'll want it the next time a post vanishes.

Short answer

AutoModerator is a rules bot built into Reddit. Each subreddit's mods write its rules, and it runs them on every new post and comment. It usually removes posts from accounts under a karma or age minimum, posts with banned links or keywords, and posts missing a required flair. Read the removal message if you got one, fix that one thing, check the rules and post again later. Don't repost the same thing straight away.

Key takeaways

• AutoModerator follows rules each subreddit writes for itself, so the same post can pass in one subreddit and fail in the next.
• The usual triggers are karma and age minimums, links and domains, keywords in the title or body, and missing flair.
• It can check karma earned inside that one subreddit, not only your total.
• Some removals are holds. The post waits in the mod queue until a person approves or removes it.
• Most subreddits keep the rules private, so read the sidebar and check the draft before you post.

1. What is AutoModerator on Reddit?

AutoModerator is a tool built into Reddit that lets mods write rules: if a post or comment matches these checks, do this. Each subreddit keeps its rules on a wiki page. The rules run the moment something is posted or edited, and they can remove it, hold it for review, report it, flair it, reply to it or message the author.

Reddit's own AutoModerator page lists what it can do, including removing posts by domain or keyword and spotting likely spammers. It also lists what it can't do. It only acts on new posts, comments, reports and edits, so a post that sat fine for a week won't suddenly get caught by it, unless it is edited or reported.

The removal you got was one of these actions, from Reddit's full AutoModerator documentation:

• Remove. The post is gone from the subreddit.
• Filter. The post is removed but kept in the modqueue for a mod to look at. It can come back.
• Spam. Removed and marked as spam.
• Report. The post stays up, with a report for the mods.

That second one matters. A filtered post isn't a no. It's a "not yet".

Reddit is also moving new subreddits to newer tools. Its page says subreddits that are new, or never used AutoModerator, no longer get its remove and filter actions, and use Reddit's Rules and Automation tools instead. The checks below still describe what most rooms look at.

If your posts keep tripping these rules, the account often needs a slower start. Rankhog warms up accounts you own, slowly, in your own browser.

2. What does AutoModerator check before it removes a post?

It checks two things: who you are and what you posted. On the account side it can compare your karma, the karma you earned in that subreddit, your account age, a verified email and a quality score Reddit gives every account. On the post side it reads the title, body, link domain and flair. Each subreddit picks its own mix and its own numbers.

Here is the list, straight from the documentation, with what I would change for each. Copy it.

The karma in one subreddit is the one people miss. AutoModerator can check comment, post or total karma earned inside that subreddit only. A big total from elsewhere doesn't count there. How to get karma on Reddit covers how to build it.

The quality score is real. Reddit's documentation says every account gets one of five scores, from highest to lowest, and mods can filter on it. Reddit builds it, not the mods.

Keyword checks ignore capitals by default, and they can look at the title and body together. If a subreddit bans a word, writing it with different capitals won't get past the check.

A new-account hold is the age row plus the filter action. Your post isn't gone. It's waiting for a mod.

3. How do I know AutoModerator removed my post?

Look for a message or a reply from u/AutoModerator, often titled "Automoderator notification". If there is none, open the post in a private window while logged out. If it is missing there but shows on your profile when you are logged in, it was removed. A removal seconds after posting points to AutoModerator. One hours later points to a mod.

The message is optional. The documentation lets mods add a reply comment, a private message to the author, both or neither. Some subreddits explain every removal. Some say nothing.

When there is a message, read it slowly. Mods often put the exact rule in it. Here is what I check in a removal message. Copy it.

1. Which rule does it name? Find that rule on the subreddit's rules page.
2. Does it mention karma, age or email? Then it's about the account, not the post.
3. Does it mention a link, a domain or a word? Then it's about the post.
4. Does it say the post is waiting for review? Then wait, don't repost.
5. Does it say to message the mods? Then do, once.

If there is no message at all, Reddit's own Why can't I see my post? page gives a short list. Sort the subreddit by new, since a new post often isn't on the hot page yet. Read the rules again. And if the account is new or has little karma in that subreddit, a spam filter may have caught it.

Not every vanished post is AutoModerator's doing. A removed post can also come from a mod by hand or from Reddit's spam filter. If every post and comment you make goes missing in every subreddit, it's bigger than one bot. Run the shadowban checks.

These removals are common, and often silent. When I audited Rankhog's own warm-up accounts in October, about one in nine of their comments, replies and posts had been removed by a filter, and none of them had said so. The story is in the Reddit rules that get marketers banned.

4. What should I change, and how do I check the next post first?

Fix the one thing the removal points to, then post a new version later. Don't post the same text again straight away, since the same rule will catch it and repeats look like spam. If the post was held for review, wait or send the mods one short message. Before the next post, check the rules, the flair and any links.

If the post was filtered and you think it is fine, here is a short modmail you can copy.

Hi mods, I think AutoModerator held my post "[title]" for review. I've read the rules, set the [flair] flair and removed the link. No rush, but could you take a look when you have a minute? Thanks.

If you can't tell which rule it was, the rules post has a message for that case.

For the next post, use the checks Reddit and Rankhog give you before you press Post.

Reddit's Poster Eligibility Guide opens when you click Create a post in a subreddit with limits. It tells you if you fall short on karma, account age or a verified email, without the numbers.

The Reddit post checker is Rankhog's free tool. You pick the subreddit and paste the draft, and it compares the draft with that subreddit's published rules. It can't see the private AutoModerator page. No outside tool can.

Here is the pre-post check I run. Copy it.

1. The account passes the eligibility window for this subreddit.
2. The post has the flair the rules ask for.
3. Any link is allowed here, or the post is text only.
4. The title follows any format in the rules, like a tag in brackets.
5. No word in the post is one the rules ban.
6. The draft went through the post checker, and I fixed what it flagged.

Many subreddits limit link posts. When in doubt, post text, and share the link in a comment only if someone asks for it.

What I don't know yet

• Most subreddits keep their AutoModerator page private, so I can't tell you any one subreddit's numbers or banned words.
• Reddit doesn't say how it builds the contributor quality score, beyond that every account has one.
• I don't know how fast Reddit will move older subreddits from AutoModerator to its newer tools. The checks may move with them, or change.

Who this is not for

If you moderate a subreddit, you know your AutoModerator page better than I do. This post is for the people on the other side of it.

If your posts vanish in every subreddit at once, this is the wrong post. Check for a shadowban first.

What to do next

Today, in this order:

1. Open the removed post in a private window to confirm it's gone.
2. Find any message from u/AutoModerator and run the five removal questions on it.
3. Fix the one thing it points to.
4. Run the next draft through the pre-post check and the post checker.
5. Post the new version later, as text if you are unsure about links.

Confirm. Read. Fix. Check. Post.

Thanks for reading. If the account keeps falling short of the minimums, that is the job I built Rankhog for. Rankhog warms up accounts you own, slowly, in your own browser.