Vox Pop

Your LLM knows what textbooks say.

This tells it what people *actually* think.

9 platforms • Semantic routing • LLM intelligence layer • Works without API keys

Install • Quick Start • Platforms • How Routing Works • MCP Server • Claude Code Plugin • Roadmap

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Why?

Without vox-pop

> How do I debloat my face?

Lymphatic drainage, reduce sodium, cold compress, drink water, sleep elevated...

(correct but soulless — same answer as every health blog since 2015)

With vox-pop

★ Searched: Reddit, 4chan /fit/, SE Fitness

Consensus (70%+ of threads): → Reduce sodium + 3L water/day → Sleep elevated on back

Controversial: → Gua sha: loved on Reddit, mocked on /fit/ as placebo

What actually worked: → "Cut dairy for 2 weeks — face visibly deflated" (847↑ r/SCA) → "Minox bloat is real, went away month 3" (/fit/, recurring)

⚠ Some suggestions are unvetted.

Install

pip install vox-pop

That's it. All 9 platforms work with zero API keys. Optional LLM key unlocks smarter routing (see How Routing Works).

Quick Start

CLI — search all 9 platforms in one command:

vox-pop search "should I learn Rust or Go"

Perspective mode — see how opinions evolved over time:

vox-pop search "rust vs go" --perspective --platforms hackernews,reddit

## hackernews — Then vs Now

Historical (1+ year ago):

"Rust vs. Go"

— hackernews | +481 points | 580 replies | 2017-01-18

Recent (last 6 months):

"Rust vs. Go: Memory Management"

— hackernews | +2 points | 2025-11-15

reddit — Then vs Now

Historical:

"Experienced developer but total beginner in Rust..."

— reddit | +124 points | 34 replies | 2025-03-14

Recent:

"I rebuilt the same API in Java, Go, Kotlin, and Rust — here are the numbers"

— reddit | +174 points | 59 replies | 2026-03-19

The shift tells a story: 2017 was a flame war. 2026 is domain-specific pragmatism.

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Standard search — flat results from all platforms:

vox-pop search "should I learn Rust or Go" --limit 3

### hackernews (45 found)

"I am a full stack TypeScript dev looking to broaden my skill set..."

— hackernews | +78 points | 42 replies | by throwaway_dev Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41907717

4chan /g/ (12 found)

"Rust is a mass psychosis. Go is boring but you'll actually ship..."

— 4chan /g/ | 129 replies | by Anonymous

reddit (8 found)

"After 2 years with both: Rust for systems, Go for services..."

— reddit | +234 points | 87 replies | by senior_dev_42

Python — embed in your own tools:

import asyncio

from vox_pop.core import search_multiple, format_context, get_default_providers

async def main(): results = await search_multiple( "best laptop for programming", providers=get_default_providers(), ) print(format_context(results))

asyncio.run(main())

Platforms

No tokens, no OAuth, no rate-limit headaches. Status is measured, not aspirational — vox-pop platforms --check re-runs this against live endpoints.

Reddit and Lobsters are currently blocked. Both sit behind Anubis

proof-of-work interstitials that serve a challenge page instead of content.

This is not a configuration issue and no header change defeats it. Reddit

support is being moved to the official OAuth API; Lobsters now reports the

block explicitly rather than returning an empty result.

How Routing Works

Queries can be anything — a single word, a paragraph, an essay-length D&D rules question. vox-pop understands them all through a four-tier routing system:

User query: "i was looking into a solid laptop for linux

something from hp, what would a savvy person pick" │ ┌───────────────────────────────▼──────────────────────────────┐ │ Tier 1: MCP Hints │ │ Calling LLM provides routing_hints directly │ │ (skips all other tiers) │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Tier 2: LLM Query Rewrite ← like Perplexity │ │ Cheap LLM call rewrites query to search-optimized form │ │ "hp laptop linux compatibility" + routes to communities │ │ Supports: Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama (local/free) │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Tier 3: Semantic Embeddings ← free, no API key │ │ FastEmbed (33MB model) understands meaning, not keywords │ │ Dynamic catalog: 77 4chan boards + 180 SE sites + static │ │ "contradictory spell behaviour" → SE:rpg, r/DnD, /tg/ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Tier 4: Broad Defaults │ │ Search popular destinations everywhere │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ▼ Routes to: r/buildapc, r/linux, r/hardware │ /g/ SE:hardwarerecs, SE:askubuntu │ lemmy:linux@lemmy.ml

Tier 2 works like Perplexity/ChatGPT Search — the LLM rewrites your conversational query into a clean search string and picks the right communities. Set any of these env vars to enable:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=...   # Uses Claude Haiku (~$0.0003/query)

OPENAI_API_KEY=... # Uses GPT-4o Mini OLLAMA_HOST=... # Uses local Ollama (free)

Tier 3 runs entirely locally with zero API keys. A 33MB embedding model understands that "contradictory spell behaviour on a creature" means tabletop RPG rules — zero shared keywords needed. On first run, it fetches all 4chan boards and Stack Exchange sites dynamically, embeds everything, and caches to disk.

No configuration needed. If an LLM key is set, Tier 2 is used. Otherwise Tier 3 handles it. If fastembed isn't installed, Tier 4 (broad search) still works.

Routing examples

MCP Server

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client.

{

"mcpServers": { "vox-pop": { "command": "python", "args": ["-m", "vox_pop.server"] } } }

Your LLM gets four tools:

The routing_hints parameter lets the calling LLM specify exactly where to search:

routing_hints: "reddit:MechanicalKeyboards,4chan:g,stackexchange:hardwarerecs"

When no hints are provided, the routing system handles it automatically.

Claude Code Plugin

claude plugin add /path/to/vox-pop

The skill auto-triggers when your question would benefit from real opinions. Just ask naturally:

> "What do people think about living in Berlin?"    → activates

"Should I use Next.js or Remix?" → activates

"Best gym routine for beginners?" → activates

"What's the capital of France?" → does not activate

Manual search: /vox-search "your query"

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐

│ Layer 3: Claude Code / MCP Client │ │ Auto-triggering skill + /vox-search │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Layer 2: MCP Server │ │ search_opinions · perspectives · threads · list │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Layer 1: Python Library │ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Smart Router (4-tier) │ │ │ │ MCP hints → LLM rewrite → FastEmbed → broad │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ 9 Providers with fallback chains │ │ │ │ HN · Reddit · 4chan · SE · Telegram │ │ │ │ Lobsters · Lem