Developer listening
Replying to developers: community rules and disclosure
Developer communities set different rules for generated content, commercial promotion and affiliation disclosure. Check the policy for the specific channel, answer the technical question, and make your relationship to the product clear.
Takeaways
- Read the full thread, test the proposed steps and link the precise supporting documentation. Investigate incomplete evidence before presenting a fix as confirmed.
- Check technical accuracy, community permission and commercial disclosure separately. A working fix or affiliation disclosure does not establish compliance with a community's other rules.
- Hacker News guidelines prohibit generated and AI-edited comments.[1]
- r/programming's April trial restricted posts about large language models (LLMs). Its May update allows deeply technical implementation content; generated text remained separately prohibited.[2][3]
- DEV allows disclosed AI-assisted articles, restricts promotion in those articles and prohibits generated comments, with translation, grammar and accessibility exceptions.[4]
- US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidance calls for clear disclosure of employment when it is a material connection in a product endorsement.[5]
Accuracy, moderation and authorship policies
Stack Overflow cited incorrect answers and moderation volume when it introduced its ChatGPT restriction. Other communities have their own policies; do not assume they share one rationale.
In December 2022 it temporarily banned answers generated by ChatGPT. It said the rate of correct answers was too low and the volume threatened its volunteer curation.[6] The concern has spread since. In the 2025 Stack Overflow survey, 46% of respondents said they distrust the accuracy of AI tools, against 33% who trust it.[7]
Community rules on generated content
Check both content rules and authorship rules. A technically correct AI-edited comment can still violate a platform policy that prohibits AI-edited text.
What are the rules on each channel?
Check the current platform policy and any community-specific rules before drafting a reply.
Hacker News
Hacker News guidelines prohibit generated and AI-edited comments.[1] Write every comment yourself. Disclose your affiliation in the comment. Answer the technical question before you mention anything you sell.
Reddit, starting with r/programming
The moderators' April 1, 2026 announcement trialed a restriction on posts about LLMs for two to four weeks. It explicitly distinguished that topic restriction from the existing ban on LLM-generated text. On May 23, moderators ended the trial and made AI and LLM topics off-topic except for deeply technical implementation content.[2][3] Check the current subreddit policy before participating.
Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow's ban on ChatGPT-generated answers started in December 2022 and said it would act against people posting them.[6] Answers should be your own work, tested, and complete without a link. If you link your docs, put the working code in the answer too.
DEV
DEV allows AI-assisted articles if the author discloses AI use, fact-checks the content and can stand behind it.[4] Its AI-content policy prohibits generated comments, with exceptions for basic translation, grammar and assistive tools. AI-assisted articles must not promote a business. The backlink restriction also lists exceptions for personal blogs and company-blog posts shared under the company's DEV organization. Violations can lead to reduced visibility, suspension or a ban.
| Channel | AI-written posts | Self-promotion | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hacker News | Prohibited in comments[1] | Read the guidelines | Write it yourself, disclose, answer first |
| r/programming | Generated text banned; AI topics restricted[3] | Per subreddit rules | Read the sidebar, add real substance |
| Stack Overflow | Generated answers banned[6] | Answer must stand alone | Put tested code in the answer |
| DEV | Allowed with disclosure; no bot comments[4] | AI-assisted articles cannot promote a business | Teach, disclose, no sales posts |
Do you have to disclose that you work there?
For US product endorsements, FTC guidance treats employment as a connection that may affect how readers evaluate the recommendation. Disclose that connection clearly when it would not otherwise be apparent.[5] The FTC explains that readers may see an individual endorsement without visiting the author's profile. Put the relevant disclosure in the endorsement itself rather than relying on a biography.[5]
For example, identify your role in plain language: "I work on the software development kit (SDK) team at Acme." Place the disclosure where readers will see it with the recommendation; adequacy depends on context.
Technical reply checklist
Start with the developer's problem and the evidence needed to solve it. Mention your product when it is relevant, and identify unsupported behavior or limitations explicitly.
- Read the whole thread. Understand what they tried and what failed.
- Disclose first. One line, at the top.
- Answer the actual question. Give the fix, the command or the config. Test it.
- Show your evidence. Link the exact doc section or the GitHub issue that confirms the behavior.
- Admit limits. If your product cannot do it, say so and suggest what can.
- Skip the pitch. No pricing, no demo links, no "DM me".
- Write it yourself. Research with any tool you like. The words in the comment should be yours, especially on Hacker News.
- Check the rules once more. Subreddit sidebar, Hacker News guidelines, DEV policy.
EarShots reply workflow
EarShots finds the threads and sorts them. On X, LinkedIn and Reddit it drafts a reply grounded in your docs for a person to review. It never posts for you.
A teammate reads the draft, rewrites it in their own words, adds their disclosure, and posts from the original thread. EarShots does not draft replies for Hacker News, Stack Overflow or DEV. There, it surfaces the thread and your team writes the reply from scratch.
FAQ
Can I use AI to draft replies on Hacker News?
Hacker News guidelines prohibit generated and AI-edited comments. Use research tools to find the facts, then write the comment yourself.
Do I have to say I work for the company when I reply?
For US endorsements, FTC guidance calls for disclosure of a material employment connection when it would not otherwise be apparent. Include it with the endorsement; a profile biography may not be seen by the reader.
Can I link to my own docs in a Reddit reply?
Usually, when the link answers the question and the subreddit allows it. Check each subreddit's rules first, disclose your affiliation, and put the answer in the comment itself.
For where to find these conversations in the first place, read Where developers talk about your product in 2026. For the background on community bans, read Developer marketing in the age of AI.
Sources
- Hacker News Guidelines. Y Combinator.
- Announcement: Temporary LLM Content Ban. r/programming moderators, April 1, 2026.
- Announcement: We've Updated The Rules, and April Is Finally Over. r/programming moderators, May 23, 2026.
- Guidelines for AI-assisted Articles on DEV. DEV Community.
- The FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking. Federal Trade Commission.
- Policy: Generative AI is banned. Meta Stack Overflow.
- 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey. Stack Overflow.
Last verified October 22, 2026.