AutoMod Playground

A Devvit-powered moderation sandbox that helps Reddit moderators safely test AutoMod-style rules, regex filters, and moderation logic before deploying them to live communities.

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Inspiration

Moderation on Reddit communities often depends heavily on AutoModerator rules, but testing those rules safely can be difficult. Small mistakes in regex patterns, keyword filters, or moderation logic can accidentally remove valid posts or fail to catch harmful content.

I wanted to build a safer and more interactive way for moderators to experiment with AutoMod-style rules before deploying them to live communities. The idea behind AutoMod Playground was to create a sandbox where moderators could test moderation behavior, preview actions, and better understand how rules respond to different post inputs.

The project was also an opportunity to explore Reddit’s Devvit platform and build something directly integrated into the Reddit ecosystem instead of creating a standalone external tool.

What it does

AutoMod Playground is a Devvit-powered moderation sandbox for Reddit.

The app allows moderators to:

  • test AutoMod-style rules
  • simulate moderation logic
  • experiment with regex filters
  • validate keyword matching
  • preview moderation actions
  • safely debug moderation behavior

Users can input moderation rules alongside sample post titles and bodies, then run simulations to see how the rules behave in different scenarios.

The sandbox helps moderators understand why certain rules trigger while others do not, reducing mistakes before deployment to live communities.

How we built it

The project was built using:

  • Devvit
  • TypeScript
  • Reddit WebView
  • Custom moderation simulation logic

The frontend interface was designed as a clean interactive playground where moderators can:

  • paste rules
  • test sample posts
  • review moderation outcomes

The app runs directly inside Reddit using Devvit custom posts and webviews, allowing the moderation sandbox to feel native to the Reddit platform.

A custom splash screen, branded UI, README documentation, and public subreddit demo were also added to improve onboarding and usability.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was understanding the Devvit workflow and how Reddit app publishing works. Setting up custom posts, app installation flows, webview integration, and public app publishing required a lot of experimentation and debugging.

Another challenge was designing moderation simulations that were simple enough to demonstrate clearly while still feeling useful and realistic for moderators.

We also faced issues during the review process because the initial onboarding flow was not obvious enough for reviewers. Improving the README, adding clearer launch instructions, and creating a public demo workflow helped solve this problem.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully building and publishing a public Devvit application
  • Creating a fully interactive moderation sandbox inside Reddit
  • Designing a clean and accessible UI for moderation testing
  • Implementing rule simulation behavior for moderation workflows
  • Integrating the project directly with Reddit communities using Devvit
  • Creating a public demo environment for testing and showcasing the app

What we learned

This project helped deepen understanding of:

  • Reddit Devvit architecture
  • WebView integrations
  • Moderation workflows
  • TypeScript-based frontend development
  • Public app deployment and review processes

It also reinforced the importance of onboarding, documentation, and user experience when building tools for moderators and communities.

What's next for AutoMod Playground

Future improvements may include:

  • advanced regex validation
  • YAML AutoModerator parsing
  • live rule importing from subreddit configurations
  • improved moderation analytics
  • unsupported rule detection
  • rule sharing/exporting
  • enhanced moderation simulation accuracy

The goal is to continue improving the sandbox into a more complete moderation testing toolkit for Reddit communities.

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