Reddit Modlog Wiki Publisher

Automatically publishes Reddit moderation logs to a subreddit wiki page with modmail inquiry links.

Features

• 📊 Publishes modlogs as organized markdown tables with unique content tracking IDs
• 📧 Pre-populated modmail links for removal inquiries (formatted as clickable markdown links)
• 🗄️ SQLite database for deduplication and retention with multi-subreddit support
• ⏰ Configurable update intervals with continuous daemon mode
• 🔒 Automatic cleanup of old entries with configurable retention
• ⚡ Handles Reddit's 524KB wiki size limit automatically
• 🧩 Fully CLI-configurable (no need to edit config.json)
• 📁 Per-subreddit log files for debugging and monitoring
• 🔒 Configurable moderator anonymization (AutoModerator/HumanModerator)
• 📝 Complete removal reason transparency - AutoModerator rule text, addremovalreason descriptions, all actual removal text (never generic messages or template numbers)
• 🔗 Links directly to actual content (posts/comments), never user profiles for privacy
• 🆔 Unique content IDs - comments show comment IDs, posts show post IDs for precise tracking
• ✅ Multi-subreddit database support - single database handles multiple subreddits safely

Deployment Options

Choose your preferred deployment method:

• 🐳 Docker (Recommended) - Containerized deployment with s6-overlay init system. See Docker Deployment
• ⚙️ Systemd (Production) - Native Linux service with automatic restart and log rotation. See Systemd Service
• 🐍 Python Native (Development/Testing) - Direct Python execution. See Quick Start below

Quick Start (Python Native)

1. Install dependencies

pip install praw

2. Create Reddit App

   • Visit: https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
   • Click "Create App" → Choose "script"
   • Note client_id and client_secret

3. Copy and edit config

cp config.template.json config.json
# Edit your credentials and subreddit info

4. Test connection

python modlog_wiki_publisher.py --test

5. Run

# Run once and exit
python modlog_wiki_publisher.py

# Run continuously
python modlog_wiki_publisher.py --continuous

Configuration

Create config.json:

{
  "reddit": {
    "client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
    "client_secret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
    "username": "YOUR_BOT_USERNAME",
    "password": "YOUR_BOT_PASSWORD"
  },
  "source_subreddit": "YourSubreddit",
  "wiki_page": "modlog",
  "ignored_moderators": ["AutoModerator"],
  "update_interval": 300,
  "batch_size": 100,
  "retention_days": 30,
  "anonymize_moderators": true
}

Configurable via CLI

| CLI Option | JSON Key | Description | Default | Min | Max | |------------|----------|-------------|---------|-----|-----| | --source-subreddit | source_subreddit | Subreddit to read and write logs | required | - | - | | --wiki-page | wiki_page | Wiki page name | modlog | - | - | | --retention-days | retention_days | Keep entries this many days | 90 | 1 | 365 | | --batch-size | batch_size | Entries to fetch per run | 50 | 10 | 500 | | --interval | update_interval | Seconds between updates in daemon mode | 600 | 60 | 3600 | | --config | – | Path to config file | config.json | - | - | | --debug | – | Enable verbose output | false | - | - | | --show-config-limits | – | Show configuration limits and defaults | false | - | - | | --force-migrate | – | Force database migration | false | - | - | | --no-auto-update-config | – | Disable automatic config file updates | false | - | - |

CLI values override config file values.

Configuration Limits

All configuration values are automatically validated and enforced within safe limits. Use --show-config-limits to see current limits and defaults.

Automatic Config Updates

The application automatically updates your config file when new configuration options are added, while preserving your existing settings. A backup is created before any changes. Use --no-auto-update-config to disable this behavior.

Database Migration

The database will automatically migrate to the latest schema version on startup. Use --force-migrate to manually trigger migration.

Wiki Output

Sample wiki table output:

## 2025-08-09

| Time | Action | ID | Moderator | Content | Reason | Inquire |
|------|--------|----|-----------|---------|--------|---------|
| 08:15:42 UTC | removecomment | n7ravg2 | AutoModerator | [Comment by u/user123](https://www.reddit.com/r/opensignups/comments/1ab2cd3/title/n7ravg2/) | Possibly requesting an invite - [invited] Offers must be [O] 3x Invites to MyAwesomeTracker | [Contact Mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/opensignups&subject=Comment%20Removal%20Inquiry...) |
| 07:45:18 UTC | addremovalreason | 1ab2cd3 | Bakerboy448 | [Post title here](https://www.reddit.com/r/opensignups/comments/1ab2cd3/title/) | Invites - No asking | [Contact Mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/opensignups&subject=Removal%20Reason%20Inquiry...) |
| 06:32:15 UTC | removelink | 1xy9def | AutoModerator | [Another post](https://www.reddit.com/r/opensignups/comments/1xy9def/another/) | No standalone URL in post body | [Contact Mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/opensignups&subject=Post%20Removal%20Inquiry...) |

Logging

Each subreddit gets its own log file under logs/:

logs/
└── yoursubreddit.log

Use --debug to enable verbose output.

Command Line Options

python modlog_wiki_publisher.py [options]

Options:
  --config FILE            Path to config file (default: config.json)
  --source-subreddit NAME  Subreddit to read from and publish to
  --wiki-page NAME         Wiki page to update (default: modlog)
  --retention-days N       Days to keep processed entries
  --batch-size N           Number of modlog entries to fetch
  --interval N             Seconds between updates (daemon)
  --debug                  Enable debug logging
  --test                   Run a test and exit
  --continuous             Run continuously
  --force-modlog           Fetch ALL actions from Reddit API and rebuild wiki
  --force-wiki             Update wiki even if content appears unchanged
  --force-all              Do both --force-modlog and --force-wiki

Force Commands Explained

--force-modlog: Complete rebuild from Reddit

• Fetches ALL recent modlog actions from Reddit API
• Stores them in database
• Rebuilds entire wiki page from database
• Use when: Starting fresh, major updates, or troubleshooting

--force-wiki: Force wiki update only

• Uses existing database data
• Forces wiki update even if content hash matches
• Use when: Format changes, modmail updates, or cache issues

--force-all: Complete refresh (replaces old --force)

• Combines both --force-modlog and --force-wiki
• Fetches from Reddit AND forces wiki update
• Use when: Major changes, troubleshooting, or unsure which force to use

# Complete rebuild from Reddit API
python modlog_wiki_publisher.py --source-subreddit usenet --force-modlog

# Update wiki with current database data (bypass cache)
python modlog_wiki_publisher.py --source-subreddit usenet --force-wiki

# Do both (equivalent to old --force)
python modlog_wiki_publisher.py --source-subreddit usenet --force-all

Database

Uses modlog.db (SQLite) for deduplication and history:

# View recent actions with removal reasons
sqlite3 modlog.db "SELECT action_id, action_type, moderator, removal_reason, subreddit, created_at FROM processed_actions ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 10;"

# View all columns including removal reasons and target author
sqlite3 modlog.db "SELECT * FROM processed_actions ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 10;"

# View actions by subreddit
sqlite3 modlog.db "SELECT action_type, moderator, target_author, removal_reason FROM processed_actions WHERE subreddit = 'usenet' ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 5;"

# Track content lifecycle by target ID
sqlite3 modlog.db "SELECT target_id, action_type, moderator, removal_reason, datetime(created_at, 'unixepoch') FROM processed_actions WHERE target_id LIKE '%1mkz4jm%' ORDER BY created_at;"

# View removal reasons that are text (not numbers)
sqlite3 modlog.db "SELECT action_type, removal_reason FROM processed_actions WHERE removal_reason NOT LIKE '%[0-9]%' AND removal_reason != 'remove' LIMIT 5;"

# Clean manually
sqlite3 modlog.db "DELETE FROM processed_actions WHERE created_at < date('now', '-30 days');"

Database Schema

The database includes comprehensive moderation data with full transparency:

• removal_reason column: Stores actual removal reason text from Reddit's API
  • AutoModerator actions: Full rule text (e.g., "Possibly requesting an invite - [invited] Offers must be [O]")
  • addremovalreason actions: Readable removal reason (e.g., "Invites - No asking") instead of template numbers
  • Manual removals: Moderator-provided text or rule details
• target_author column: Actual usernames of content authors (never shows [deleted])
• subreddit column: Multi-subreddit support with proper data separation
• Unique content IDs: Comments show comment IDs (e.g., n7ravg2), posts show post IDs

Docker Deployment

Quick Start with Docker

The recommended approach is to use a config file for all settings:

# 1. Create config directory structure
mkdir -p ./config/data ./config/logs

# 2. Create config.json from template
cp config_templa