New to tools like this? You're in the right place. This guide walks you through every step in plain English: install one free program, open a simple window, and paste a single line. That's it.
Pick your operating system so the instructions match exactly what you'll see on screen.
Node.js is a free, open-source program that our app runs on. Installing it also gives you npm, the tool that downloads and installs apps like ours. You only do this once.
Click the button below, then run the file it downloads:
Download Node.js (LTS)On Windows, open the downloaded .msi file and click
Next → Next → Install → Finish. The default options are exactly what you need.
You don't have to change anything.
On macOS, open the downloaded .pkg file and click
Continue → Install. Enter your Mac password if it asks. Then close the installer.
On Linux, the easiest way is your distribution's packages. On Debian / Ubuntu:
$ curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash - $ sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
On Fedora use sudo dnf install nodejs; on Arch, sudo pacman -S nodejs npm.
npx playwright install chromium in
the terminal to grab a bundled browser.
The terminal (also called the command line) is a plain window where you type commands. It looks technical, but don't worry. You'll only paste one line into it. Here's how to open it on :
A black window titled Command Prompt will open. (You can also use PowerShell. Either works.)
This opens Spotlight search and launches the Terminal app.
Or search for Terminal in your applications menu.
In the terminal window, copy the line below, paste it in, and press Enter. npm will download everything automatically. This usually takes a minute.
$ npm install -g reddit-sonar
To paste into the terminal: Windows, right-click or Ctrl+V. Mac, ⌘ Cmd+V. Linux, Ctrl+Shift+V.
sudo in front and run it again: sudo npm install -g reddit-sonar.
It'll ask for your Mac password (typing shows nothing, that's normal, just press Enter).
sudo in front: sudo npm install -g reddit-sonar, then enter your password.
-g mean?
It's short for "global": it installs the app so you can start it from any terminal window, anytime.
Start the app by typing its name and pressing Enter:
$ reddit-sonar
The first time you run it, a friendly setup wizard opens right inside the terminal. It checks everything is ready, helps you log in to Reddit, and (optionally) adds an AI key. Just follow the on-screen prompts. There are no files to edit by hand.
Next time you want to use it, you don't repeat any of this. Just open a terminal (Step 2) and type
reddit-sonar again.
Almost every install issue is one of these, and each has a quick fix.
sudo in front: sudo npm install -g reddit-sonar, then enter your password. On Windows, close the terminal and reopen it as Administrator (right-click → "Run as administrator").npm install -g reddit-sonar line, watching for any red error text. Fix that error (usually permissions, see above) and it'll work.npx playwright install chromium in the terminal to grab a bundled browser.