Pass 3: Platform Policy Deep Dive — Key Changes

🚨 HN: Complete Rewrite (Biggest Change)

March 11, 2026: Hacker News formally banned AI-generated and AI-edited comments. dang: "HN is for conversation between humans." 2,607 points, 956 comments.

The skill now says: don't post AI-generated comments on HN, period. It's not a high bar — it's a closed door. You can still use HN for reading, research, and upvoting.

Reddit: Stronger Anti-Bot Infrastructure

• Bot Bouncer (widely adopted Devvit app) actively bans bots making unsolicited comments
• StopBots deploys CAPTCHA challenges in participating subreddits
• Browser automation is a gray area — official Dev Platform API is the sanctioned path
• Skill now warns about all of this explicitly

X/Twitter: Major Upgrade (Was "Low Confidence")

X actually has the clearest bot policy of any platform researched:

1. Enable "Automated" profile label ✅
2. Disclose bot nature + operator in bio ✅
3. Link to human-managed account ✅
4. API only — browser automation = permanent ban ✅
5. AI-generated replies need prior X approval ✅

Section completely rewritten with concrete, sourced requirements.

Discord: Minor Tightening

• Bot tag recommendation added
• No major changes needed

New: Regulatory Note

• US state laws (CA, NJ, UT, ME, CO) require chatbot disclosure in commercial contexts
• EU AI Act requires AI interaction disclosure
• FTC penalties up to $53K/violation
• Mostly applies to commercial use, not forum participation — but trend is toward more disclosure

Files Updated

• references/platforms.md — complete rewrite of Reddit, HN, X sections
• SKILL.md — added HN ban warning in platform section
• Validated ✅ → Packaged ✅ → Synced to repo ✅

Ready for Pass 4 (test against real prompts) when you want it.