🚔 OfficialModRelay - Mod Team Escalation & Shift Handoff Tool

Reddit "Mod Tools & Migrated Apps" Hackathon Submission

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What is OfficialModRelay?

OfficialModRelay is a Devvit-powered mod team CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) that solves the #1 coordination problem for large subreddit mod teams: information dying when a shift ends.

Right now, when a mod signs off, there's no native Reddit way to:

• Tell the next mod who to watch out for
• Leave notes on specific users and posts that all mods can see
• Auto-generate a structured handoff so nothing falls through the cracks

OfficialModRelay fills that gap entirely.

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Features

👀 Watch Flags

Flag problem users with four escalation levels:

Level	Meaning
🟡 Low	Minor concern, keep an eye
🟠 Medium	Recurring issues
🔴 High	Serious repeat offender
🚨 Critical	Imminent ban / safety concern

• Set optional auto-expiry (24h, 7 days, 30 days)
• Automatically logs a note when a flag is set or cleared
• Cleared flags are archived (not deleted) for full audit trail

📝 Mod Notes

Leave structured notes on users and posts:

• Categories: General, Rule Violation, Escalation, Ban Warning, Positive/Resolved, Shift Note
• Notes persist in Redis — visible to all mods, all shifts
• Each note has a unique ID for easy resolving
• Notes show: author mod, time ago, target, category icon

🔄 Shift Handoff Generator

One click generates a full handoff:

• Mod writes a shift summary + manual open items
• App auto-compiles all unresolved notes + active watch flags
• Posts a distinguished mod post to the subreddit
• Handoff is also stored in Redis so the dashboard can surface the last 3

📊 Live Dashboard (Custom Post)

A pinned interactive dashboard post showing:

• Watch List tab – all active watch flags with level, reason, flagging mod
• Mod Notes tab – 30 most recent notes, resolved/unresolved status, note IDs
• Handoffs tab – last 3 shift handoffs with summaries and open item counts

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How Mods Use It

During a shift:

1. See a problem user on a post → Post menu → "🚨 OfficialModRelay: Flag User for Watch"
2. Need to leave context on a post → Post menu → "📝 OfficialModRelay: Add Note to Post"
3. Need to note something about a user → Post menu → "👤 OfficialModRelay: Add Note to Post Author"

At end of shift:

5. Subreddit menu → "🔄 OfficialModRelay: Generate Shift Handoff" → type summary → post is auto-created

Any time:

6. Subreddit menu → "📊 OfficialModRelay: Open Dashboard" → pinned post with live data
7. Subreddit menu → "✅ OfficialModRelay: Clear User Watch Flag" → clear a resolved situation
8. Dashboard → Mod Notes tab → tap "✔ Resolve" on any note to resolve it directly

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Project Impact

Communities that would benefit immediately:

1. r/AskReddit (34M+ members) – Massive mod team across timezones. Shift handoffs are a constant coordination challenge.
2. r/worldnews (32M+ members) – Fast-moving news events require rapid escalation of bad actors across shifts.
3. r/gaming (39M+ members) – Regular drama events, ban waves, and watch-listed users need cross-mod tracking.

Time savings estimate:

• Average large subreddit mod spends 15–30 minutes per shift on "catch-up" from reading modmail and mod logs.
• OfficialModRelay's handoff post + dashboard reduces this to 2–3 minutes of reading.
• Watch flags eliminate duplicated work where multiple mods unknowingly handle the same user.

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Technical Architecture

modrelay/
├── devvit.yaml          # App name & version
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── src/
    ├── main.tsx         # All Devvit menu items, forms, custom post component
    ├── types.ts         # TypeScript types + Redis key helpers
    └── redis-helpers.ts # All Redis read/write operations

Data Model (Redis)

Key Pattern	Type	Purpose
modrelay:notes:{sub}	Sorted Set (score=createdAt)	All mod notes
modrelay:watchflags:{sub}	Hash (field=username)	All watch flags
modrelay:handoffs:{sub}	Sorted Set (score=createdAt)	Shift handoffs
modrelay:lasthandoffpost:{sub}	String	Last handoff post ID

Devvit APIs Used

• Devvit.addMenuItem – 7 menu items across post and subreddit contexts
• Devvit.createForm – 6 interactive forms for data entry
• Devvit.addCustomPostType – Live dashboard with 3-tab navigation
• context.redis – All persistent storage (sorted sets, hashes, strings)
• context.reddit – Post submission, user resolution, post distinguishing
• useState / useAsync – Reactive dashboard state

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Installation (Developers)

# Prerequisites: Node.js 18+, devvit CLI
npm install -g devvit

# Clone and install
git clone <your-repo>
cd officialmodrelay
npm install

# Authenticate
devvit login

# Upload to Reddit Developer Platform
devvit upload

# Test in your dev subreddit
devvit dev

Installation (Moderators)

1. Go to developers.reddit.com
2. Search for OfficialModRelay
3. Click Install and select your subreddit
4. Go to your subreddit → click "📊 OfficialModRelay: Open Dashboard" from the subreddit menu to create your pinned dashboard post

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Devvit Rules Compliance

• ✅ No external HTTP calls (all data stays in Reddit's Redis)
• ✅ Moderator-only menu items (forUserType: 'moderator')
• ✅ No user data collected beyond what mods explicitly enter
• ✅ No automated moderation actions — all actions are mod-initiated
• ✅ No spam or unsolicited messaging

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Roadmap (Post-Hackathon)

• Modmail integration – link notes to modmail threads
• Discord webhook notifications for critical-level watch flags
• Note search by username across the dashboard
• Weekly digest auto-post (scheduled job)
• Reddit Developer Funds milestone tracking

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Built for the Reddit Mod Tools & Migrated Apps Hackathon 2026