Find the conversations worth joining on Reddit and Hacker News.
Kanso looks for recent Reddit threads and Hacker News discussions that matter to your business, explains why, and gives you something to work from. On Reddit it drafts a reply you can post. On Hacker News it researches only.
Free to start · No credit card required. See how it works
At a glance
Conversations move faster than you can watch
Relevant discussions appear and fade quickly, and a reply added late rarely gets read.
Searching is repetitive
The same searches, across communities that each surface posts differently, again and again.
Context takes time
A comment only makes sense with its parent, the story and the replies around it.
Deciding is the hard part
Whether to join, and what you could usefully add, is a judgment that is easy to rush.
From scanning by hand to a short list with reasons
Kanso does the searching and the first read. You keep the judgment.
- Searching subreddits and Hacker News by hand
- Opening each thread to work out whether it is relevant
- Writing every reply from a blank page
- Recent threads collected in your Agents Feed with the reasoning shown
- Reddit replies drafted from your company context for you to edit
- Hacker News notes on what to address, or an idea for your own submission
Two communities, two different agents
They work alike up to a point, then differ: Reddit gives you a draft to post, Hacker News gives you research only.
Reddit Agent
Checks recent posts in up to eight subreddits chosen for your business, or a thread you paste, and drafts a reply only when one would add something.
- It produces
- A reply draft with its reasoning and a flag on any claim to verify.
- Where it fits
- Discover, draft, review, post.
Hacker News Agent
Searches Hacker News for the keywords you set, gathers the context around each conversation and judges whether it is worth your time.
- It produces
- A recommendation with reasoning and research notes, never finished text.
- Where it fits
- Discover, filter, recommend.
From a thread to your decision
The two agents share a shape. The last step is where they differ.
- 01You
Set what to look for
Kanso infers the subreddits to watch from your website when you start. For Hacker News you choose up to eight keywords, as words or short phrases, and can change them any time. With no keywords, Hacker News recommends nothing.
- 02Kanso
Discover
Reddit: the newest posts from the last 48 hours in your subreddits, skipping threads already handled. Hacker News: stories and comments from the last 48 hours for each keyword, plus the first five stories of its top, new, best, Ask HN and Show HN lists.
- 03Kanso
Filter and gather context
At most 15 candidates are examined per run. Kanso reads the thread and the replies around it, and your company context, and drops many threads as not worth a reply.
- 04Kanso
Recommend
Reddit: a drafted reply, with a flag on any claim to check. Hacker News: a recommendation with its reasoning and cautions, as research notes, either points a reply could address or an idea for a submission title.
- 05You
Decide and take part
Read the thread yourself. On Reddit, edit the draft and press Post to Reddit, or copy it and post it yourself. On Hacker News, anything you post is written by you.
What you receive
Each recommendation waits in your Agents Feed with its reasoning.
Reddit reply drafts
A reply written from your product information and brand voice, with the reasoning behind it and a note on any claim to verify.
A draft from a thread you paste
Paste a link and title for a conversation you found yourself. If there is nothing useful to add, Kanso says so.
Hacker News research notes
The keywords that matched, why the conversation matters, what to be careful about and the evidence used. Points to address, not a finished comment.
An idea for a submission
For a story worth starting yourself, a title idea and framing notes.
You take part. Kanso does the looking.
Nothing reaches either community without you.
Kanso does
- Searches and filters recent conversations
- Gathers context and explains its reasoning
- Drafts Reddit replies and writes Hacker News research notes
You decide
- Which conversations to join
- What to change in a Reddit draft before posting
- Whether to post, and what to write on Hacker News
Kanso never
- Publishes a Reddit reply you have not chosen to post
- Posts, comments, replies or votes on Hacker News
- Writes finished Hacker News text
Where this fits
Situations, not results. What turns up depends on your keywords and communities.
Someone asks for recommendations in your category
A Reddit scan can surface the thread and draft a helpful reply for you to edit before posting.
Your topic comes up on Hacker News
You get the context and the points a useful comment could address, then write your own.
You are weighing a submission
Hacker News research can include a title idea and framing notes, based on what is already being discussed.
How Kanso approaches community research
Each point is something the product does today.
It judges before it drafts
Many threads are dropped as not worth a reply, and a keyword match alone never produces a Hacker News recommendation.
Context travels with the thread
The thread, your company documents and, where available, web sources.
Hacker News stays research only
Its guidelines say not to post generated text, so Kanso gives research notes and never finished comments.
What Kanso does not do here
Finding, drafting and posting are separate jobs. Reddit and Hacker News differ on the last two.
It never posts to Hacker News
Kanso does not post, submit, comment, reply or vote on Hacker News, and it never logs in.
It does not write your Hacker News comment
You get research notes. Anything you post is in your own words.
It does not post to Reddit by itself
A reply goes out only when you press Post to Reddit, exactly as it reads then. Kanso does not submit new posts, vote or message anyone.
It does not read subreddit rules
Kanso does not read or enforce a subreddit's posted rules. Check them before you post, especially if a reply mentions your product.
It does not watch Reddit by keyword
Reddit discovery works from subreddits, not keywords.
It does not measure results
Kanso does not track karma, votes, replies or other outcomes.
Related use cases
Research a Product LaunchComing soon
Find the conversations around a launch and check your launch page. Kanso has no launch mode; you post yourself.
Use the same agents to look at the conversations around a launch.
Build Your Founder Voice
Draft founder-voice posts for LinkedIn and X from your marketing context, then edit and publish them yourself.
For posts of your own on LinkedIn and X, rather than replies in other people's threads.
Questions about this use case
Does Kanso post to Hacker News?
No. Kanso does not post, submit, comment, reply or vote on Hacker News, and it never logs in. Anything under your name is something you wrote and posted yourself.
Does Kanso post to Reddit for me?
No. Scans produce drafts when you run them, and a daily schedule is built in but currently paused. Nothing is published until you press Post to Reddit on a specific reply. Kanso publishes replies to existing threads. It does not submit new posts, vote, or message anyone.
How does Kanso find relevant threads?
On Reddit, the newest posts from the last two days in up to eight subreddits chosen from your website. On Hacker News, your keywords across stories and comments from the last 48 hours, plus five of its lists.
Do I need accounts?
Not to find conversations. A Reddit connection is needed only to post from Kanso. Hacker News needs no account.
What if nothing relevant turns up?
Nothing appears for that run. On Hacker News the agent needs at least one keyword to recommend anything, so check your keywords first.
How often does it run?
Runs happen when you start one with Run HN Agent. A daily scheduled run is built in and currently paused.
See plans and pricing · All use cases
Find the conversations your audience is already having.
Enter your website. Kanso picks subreddits to watch, you choose Hacker News keywords, and you review what turns up.
Get started free · No credit card required