Update Reddit Watchlist

Modify an existing Reddit watchlist without losing its ID or collected posts. Every field is optional, send only the properties you want to change. The endpoint accepts two body shapes. Either patch fields (documented below) or send a new prompt to have OutX regenerate the entire keyword set in the background (Prompt mode at the bottom of this page).

Plugin requirement. Like all /api-reddit-watchlist methods, updates require at least one team member to have had the OutX browser extension active within the last 48 hours, otherwise the request returns 403 Plugin installation required. Teams with global data sharing enabled are exempt.

Request Body (patch mode)

string

required

Watchlist ID to update.

name

string

New watchlist name.

fetchFreqInHours

number

New fetch frequency. Allowed values: 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72.

keywords

array

Patch the tracked keywords on the watchlist. Accepts the same shape as the Create endpoint, simple strings or advanced keyword objects with required_keywords, excluded_keywords (NOT), and include_all_required (AND vs OR over the required keywords).Simple format:

["self-hosted crm", "indie hacker"]

Advanced format:

[
  {
    "keyword": "crm",
    "required_keywords": ["self-hosted", "open source", "indie"],
    "excluded_keywords": ["salesforce", "enterprise"],
    "include_all_required": false
  }
]

By default this replaces the set: the watchlist’s existing keywords and associated reddit_tracking tasks are deleted and recreated from the new list (set append: true to add instead). Updating keywords does not change existing labels. Omit the field to leave keywords untouched.

append

boolean

default:"false"

When true, the supplied keywords are added to the existing set instead of replacing it. Existing keyword tracking rows and tasks are kept, and only keywords whose primary keyword is not already on the list (case-insensitive) are created. Labels are left untouched unless labels is also provided.

labels

array

Replace the custom labels on the watchlist. Same shape as Create.

[
  { "name": "buying intent", "description": "Threads asking for tool recommendations" },
  { "name": "competitor", "description": "Competitor mentions" }
]

Labels are only changed when this field is sent. Updating keywords alone leaves your existing labels untouched, so a keyword edit will never wipe a hand-built label set. Omit labels to leave them as they are.

disable

boolean

Set to true to pause tracking, false to resume.

slack_webhook_url

string | null

Update or clear the Slack webhook URL for this watchlist. Pass null to clear.

Semantics

Keyword replacement is wipe-and-recreate (default). Existing keyword_tracking rows and their reddit_tracking tasks are deleted, then new ones are created from the payload. Posts already collected are not deleted, they remain attached to the watchlist and visible via the Posts API.
Append mode keeps what you have. With append: true, existing keywords and tasks are kept and only the new, not-yet-present primary keywords are added.
Labels are preserved unless you send labels. Updating keywords alone never overwrites existing labels. To change labels, pass a labels array.
Keyword replacement only deletes reddit_tracking tasks. Other task types on the same watchlist are not removed by a keyword update. (disable is broader: pausing or resuming a watchlist applies to all of its tasks regardless of type.)
Partial updates are safe. Sending only { "id": "...", "name": "new name" } changes just the name; keywords, labels, and tasks are untouched.

curl -X PUT \
  "https://api.outx.ai/api-reddit-watchlist" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "name": "Updated Reddit Watchlist",
    "fetchFreqInHours": 12
  }'

{
  "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "name": "Updated Reddit Watchlist",
  "fetchFreqInHours": 12,
  "disable": false,
  "updated": true,
  "message": "Watchlist updated successfully"
}

Response Fields

string

Watchlist ID that was updated.

name

string

Updated watchlist name (only present when name was in the request).

fetchFreqInHours

number

Updated fetch frequency (only present when fetchFreqInHours was in the request).

disable

boolean

Current active/disabled status (only present when disable was in the request).

keywords

array

Array of primary keywords after the update (only present when keywords was in the request).

results

array

Per-keyword creation result (only present when keywords was in the request). Each entry has success, keyword, and either keyword_id or error.

labels

array

Labels persisted on the watchlist (only present when labels or keywords was in the request).

updated

boolean

Whether the update was successful.

message

string

Success message.

Error Responses

Status Code	Error Message	Description
400	Missing required parameter: id	Watchlist ID is required
400	No valid update fields provided	Body did not include any updatable fields
400	keywords array is required and must not be empty	`keywords` was passed but empty or not an array
400	No valid keywords provided after cleaning	All keywords were empty strings after normalization
400	Invalid fetchFreqInHours. Allowed values: 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 (hours)	Unsupported fetch frequency
400	disable must be a boolean value	`disable` sent as a non-boolean
400	Name cannot be empty	`name` was an empty or whitespace-only string
401	Missing API Key / Invalid API Key	Missing or invalid `x-api-key` header
403	Plugin installation required	No team member has had the OutX browser extension active in the last 48 hours. Exempt if global data sharing is enabled.
404	Watchlist not found or access denied	Watchlist does not exist, is not a Reddit list, or is not yours

See Error Codes for the full list.

Prompt mode

Replace the prompt on an existing Reddit watchlist. OutX wipes the existing keywords and labels and regenerates them from the new prompt in the background. Use this when you want to redirect a watchlist to a different angle without recreating it.

If you send prompt together with patch fields (name, keywords, labels, disable, fetchFreqInHours, slack_webhook_url), the patch fields are silently ignored, prompt takes precedence. Unlike create (POST), update does not return an error when both are sent.

Request Body

string

required

Watchlist ID to update.

prompt

string

required

New natural-language prompt. OutX regenerates keywords and labels from this, replacing the current set.

curl -X PUT \
  "https://api.outx.ai/api-reddit-watchlist" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "prompt": "Track Reddit threads about Postgres-based vector databases and indie projects building with pgvector"
  }'

{
  "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "prompt": "Track Reddit threads about Postgres-based vector databases and indie projects building with pgvector",
  "updated": true,
  "message": "Prompt updated. Keywords and labels are being regenerated in the background."
}

Same wipe-and-recreate semantics as a keywords patch: existing keyword_tracking rows and pending reddit_tracking tasks are deleted, but historical posts remain attached to the watchlist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What properties can I update on a Reddit watchlist?

name, fetchFreqInHours, keywords, labels, disable, and slack_webhook_url, any combination. Every field except id is optional; unspecified fields are left unchanged.

What happens to my existing keywords when I update them?

When you pass a keywords array, the API deletes the watchlist’s existing keyword_tracking rows and their associated reddit_tracking tasks, then creates new ones from your payload. The watchlist ID stays the same, and previously collected posts remain accessible via the Posts API.

Does updating a Reddit watchlist reset existing collected data?

No. Changing the name, fetch frequency, keywords, or labels does not delete posts that have already been collected. If you update fetchFreqInHours, the new interval takes effect from the next scheduled fetch cycle.

Can I update labels without changing keywords?

Yes. Send only id and labels. The existing keywords and their tasks are untouched.

Do new or changed labels re-label posts I already collected?

No. Each post is classified into a label once, when it is first enriched, so updating or adding labels only changes how future posts are classified, already-classified posts keep their tags. See how intent labels are calculated.

​Request Body (patch mode)

​Semantics

​Response Fields

​Error Responses

​Prompt mode

​Request Body

​Frequently Asked Questions

Request Body (patch mode)

Semantics

Response Fields

Error Responses

Prompt mode

Request Body

Frequently Asked Questions