Subreddit rules check
r/indiehacker
Can you promote here?
The written rules take no clear position, which is NOT permission: unclear communities enforce norms through removals instead of rulebooks. Sort by top, study which builder posts survived and how they were framed, and when in doubt ask the mods.
From the rules · Every post must be about building products with AI; rules don’t state self-promo/link policy—ask mods before promotional posts.
Links
No explicit link policy. Default to no URL: link-plus-young-account is one of the most common automated removal patterns on Reddit.
What this community rewards
Dominant post formats: showcase, question, discussion
Headline: short and explicit (e.g., “Launched: AI tool that X” or “How I built X — metrics & lessons”). Use first person, concise post (short paragraph + screenshots/demo link, ~100–600 words). Tone: practical, technical, candid. Upvoted: tangible launches, clear learnings, technical deep dives, requests for feedback. Removed/downvoted: non-AI posts, vague marketing, or posts with no product/technical substance.
Arriving in the local format matters: cross-posting the same text everywhere reads as tourist instantly. The wider method is in the Reddit playbook.
Classified mechanically from the community's published rules and recent top posts, last checked July 2026. Rules change and moderators have the final say: verify at r/indiehacker's rules page before posting anything that matters.
Thread Otter checks this before every send
These profiles power the product: promo-banned communities never receive a promotional draft, drafts arrive in the local format, and a fact-check gate plus human pacing protect the account doing the talking.