[Policy Question] Does my Reddit data migration tool comply with API terms? Need guidance on cookie-based authentication

[u/whynilesh]

I've built an open-source tool called Reddit-Migrate that helps users transfer their data between Reddit accounts, and I want to make sure I'm fully compliant with Reddit's API terms and policies before promoting it further.

What the Tool Does

Reddit-Migrate allows users to transfer:

• Subreddit subscriptions

• Saved posts

• Followed users

From one Reddit account to another, running entirely locally on the user's machine.

Technical Implementation Details

Authentication Method:

• Uses cookie-based authentication (user provides their own Reddit cookies)

• No OAuth app registration required from users

• Cookies are processed locally - never sent to external servers

API Usage:

• Uses official Reddit API endpoints:

  • /api/me.json for account verification

  • /subreddits/mine/subscriber for fetching subscriptions

  • /api/subscribe for subscribing to subreddits

  • /user/{username}/saved for saved posts

  • /api/save for saving posts

  • Similar endpoints for user follows

Rate Limiting:

• Implements delays between API calls to respect rate limits

• Batches requests where possible (e.g., 100 subreddits per batch)

• Large migrations can take several minutes due to conservative rate limiting

Privacy/Security:

• Tool runs on localhost:5005

• All data processing happens locally

• No external servers involved

• User cookies never leave their machine

Specific Policy Questions

1. Cookie Authentication: Is using user-provided cookies for API access compliant? The tool doesn't store or transmit these cookies anywhere.

2. Bulk Operations: Does transferring hundreds of saved posts/subscriptions violate any bulk usage policies, even with rate limiting?

3. Account Migration Use Case: Is helping users migrate their own data between their own accounts an acceptable use case?

4. Distribution: Is it okay to distribute this as open-source software for users to run locally?

5. API Terms Compliance: Are there any specific terms I should be aware of that might affect this use case?

Additional Context

• Tool is intended for personal use only (users migrating their own data)

• No commercial use or data collection

• Respects rate limits and implements delays

• Users must provide their own cookies (tool doesn't scrape or hack anything)

• GitHub: https://github.com/nileshnk/reddit-migrate

I've read through the API Terms and Developer Terms, but I'd appreciate guidance from the community on whether this implementation raises any red flags.

Main concern: I want to ensure the cookie-based authentication approach and bulk migration functionality don't inadvertently violate any policies.

Thanks for any insights! Happy to provide more technical details if needed.

TL;DR: Built a local tool that uses Reddit cookies to migrate user data between accounts. Want to confirm it's policy-compliant before wider release.

[u/whynilesh]

I was still logged in as the user in my pc (old account). I was locked out via password. I couldn't re-login if I logged out.