Last Verified: November 3, 2026 — read the README, install guide and login code; we chose not to install it
Paste a YouTube link into Claude Code and ask for the main points, and it will usually come back with the title and a guess. The words are in the video, and the agent has no way to hear them. Reddit threads behind a login have the same problem. Agent Reach is a free, open-source add-on that installs the missing tools so agents like Claude Code and Codex can pull transcripts, threads and repo pages themselves.
In this guide: what it reads · install in one line · checking it works · what it can’t do · logins and safety · how to remove it · FAQ
Quick Start
- What it is: a toolbox your AI agent installs and uses to search and read sites it normally can’t reach.
- Works with: any agent that can run commands, such as Claude Code or Codex. Needs Python 3.10 or newer.
- Cost: free, MIT license. YouTube speech-to-text needs your own Groq or OpenAI key.
- Read-only: it searches and reads. It never posts, comments, likes or sends messages.
- Made by: an independent developer (Panniantong). Not made by Anthropic or OpenAI.
On this page (9 sections)
What It Can Read
From the project’s own table. “Built in” works right after install; “optional” you switch on by asking; “experimental” works but may break, because those sites push back harder on automated access.
| Site | Level | What your AI can do | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Built in | Video info, search, subtitles, speech-to-text | Nothing; speech-to-text needs a Groq or OpenAI key |
| GitHub | Built in | Search repos, read READMEs, issues and pull requests | Nothing |
| Any web page | Built in | Web search and page reading | Nothing |
| Optional | Search posts, read posts and comments | Login | |
| Optional | Search and read job posts | Public jobs need no login | |
| X (Twitter) | Experimental | Search posts, profiles, threads | Login |
| Instagram, Facebook | Experimental | Search accounts, read profiles | Login |
The list also covers several Chinese platforms (Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, V2EX, Xueqiu and more). The main README is written in Chinese; there’s also an English version.
Before you install: logins and a separate browser
Sites that need a login (Reddit, X, Instagram, Facebook and others) work differently from YouTube or GitHub. For those, Agent Reach copies that site’s login cookie from your Chrome into its own browser, and it prefers to install an extra browser called CloakBrowser, made to look less like a bot to those sites. Using your account this way can go against a site’s rules and could get the account limited.
Our advice: stick to the sites that need no login. If you do switch on a login site, use a separate spare account and a separate browser profile, never your main one. We didn’t install Agent Reach for this reason.
Install: One Line to Your Agent
You don’t type install commands yourself. Per the README, you send this one line to your AI agent, and it does the rest:
Install Agent Reach: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/main/docs/install.mdThe same line also updates it later. Along the way your agent may ask you to:
- Allow it to run commands. If it says it can’t, turn on command running in its settings.
- Install uv, a small tool for installing command-line programs. No admin password needed.
- Pick extra sites. It tells you what already works and what you can add, like “add Reddit”.
Only install from GitHub
The README warns that a package called agent-reach on PyPI is not this project. Use only the GitHub link in the line above. The author also says there is no official token, coin or wallet connection: anything crypto using the name is a scam.
Seen an older guide with pip install?
Versions up to 1.5 were installed with pip or pipx, and some guides still show that. Since 1.6 the official install uses a tool called uv, through the one line above. If you have an old copy, the same line moves it over and keeps your keys and settings.
Check What’s Working
Right after installing, your agent shows a short report of which sites already work. Any time later, ask:
Check Agent Reach statusIt tells you which sites work now, and which worked last time but have broken since. To see every site and what each can do, the command is agent-reach channels. To update everything at once, say “update Agent Reach” (the command behind it is agent-reach update).
Try It
Once it’s installed, just ask your agent in plain English:
Use Agent Reach to get the transcript of this YouTube video and give me the 5 main points: <link>Use Agent Reach to search Reddit for what people say about <product>, and summarize the top complaints.What It Can’t Do
- No posting. It’s read-only by design, so it can’t reply, post or DM for you.
- No guarantees on X, Instagram and Facebook. Those are marked experimental and can stop working any time.
- No logging in for you. It never asks for your password. Sites that need a login use one you already have (below).
- Not every video. Speech-to-text on YouTube needs a Groq or OpenAI key you set yourself.
Logins and Safety
This is the part to read before you switch on any site that needs a login. Per the README:
- For login sites, Agent Reach runs its own separate browser in the background. The first time you use a site, it copies that one site’s login from your Chrome. Your Chrome stays the same, and it doesn’t read your saved passwords.
- That copied login is usually your main account, and sites may limit accounts that look automated. The author recommends switching to a spare account; your agent can do it if you ask.
- Its browser only accepts connections from your own computer.
- Never paste API keys into the chat. Set them in your own terminal with
agent-reach configure groq-key.
How to Remove It
Everything it installs lives in one folder, ~/.agent-reach/. Tell your agent:
Uninstall Agent ReachPer the README, it lists what it will delete and waits for you to confirm. It only removes its own files, and at the end tells you how to remove the program itself. To drop just one site, say “remove Reddit”: that switches it off and clears its login.
Official Links
- Panniantong/Agent-Reach on GitHub (README, MIT license)
- English README
- install.md (the file your agent follows)
- Troubleshooting
FAQ
Is Agent Reach free?
Yes, it’s MIT-licensed open source. The only extra is optional: your own Groq or OpenAI key, for YouTube speech-to-text.
Does it work with Claude Code?
Yes. The README names Claude Code, Codex and other command-line agents. Your agent needs permission to run commands.
Will it touch my Chrome or my accounts?
It copies one site’s login from Chrome into its own browser the first time you use that site, and leaves Chrome unchanged. Use a spare account if you’re worried.
Can it post on Reddit or X for me?
No. It only searches and reads.
Did you test it?
No. We read the README, install guide and login code on November 3, 2026, and chose not to install it because of the login copying described above.
Related
More free AI tools on our guides page, like Free Find #1: Automaton.
Agent Reach by Panniantong and contributors, MIT: github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach