docs: refresh community beta promotion drafts

docs/community/2026-07-18-community-research.md

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ re-check each destination immediately before requesting approval to post.
 | 1 | r/GenAiApps | Direct fit for a generative-AI iPhone workflow | Self-promotion must be contextual and useful, use the appropriate flair, and avoid duplicate or unsafe links. | Maintainer approves the exact link-free post and `iOS` flair. Add a beta link only after separate verification and approval. |
 | 2 | r/TestFlight | Direct access to beta testers | Link posts must point only to TestFlight; title should be the app name with at most a short message; use the app flair; keep comments on the beta; avoid repeat posts. | Hold until a public TestFlight link is tested, then maintainer approves the exact post. |
 | 3 | r/BetaTests | Focused product-beta feedback | Posting identities must be at least 24 hours old with at least 2 combined karma. Posts should explain the product and ask specific feedback questions. | Maintainer approves the exact post and confirms identity eligibility. Keep it link-free until a direct beta URL is verified. |
-| 4 | r/alphaandbetausers | Broad alpha/beta tester recruitment | No community-specific rules are visible, but recent moderation behavior and Reddit-wide authenticity rules still apply. | Maintainer approves the exact link-free post after a same-day rules and removals check. |
+| 4 | r/alphaandbetausers | Broad but likely low-signal alpha/beta tester recruitment | No community-specific rules are visible. Recent discussion reports weak follow-through, and active threads often encourage reciprocal testing, so a broad tester request may attract low-quality responses. Reddit-wide authenticity rules still apply. | Use only as a secondary experiment. A maintainer approves the exact link-free post and one measurable feedback question after a same-day rules and removals check. Do not promise reciprocal testing, incentives, or private contact exchange. |
 | 5 | r/AI_Agents | Coding-agent builders and users | Project promotion belongs in the weekly Project Display thread; links belong there rather than in standalone posts. Self-promotion should remain around one in ten contributions and must include useful context. | Hold until the identity has genuine non-promotional participation and the current thread is re-checked; then approve one no-link comment. |
 | 6 | r/SideProject | Broad maker feedback | No community-specific About-page rules are visible. A current thread explicitly invites project sharing, but community discussion rejects promotion-only accounts and low-effort link dropping. | Prefer one approved no-link thread comment after genuine participation and a same-day thread/removal check. |
 | 7 | r/ChatGPTCoding | AI coding users and agent-tool builders | Promotion belongs in the designated self-promotion thread; flair is required for main posts; promote a project only once in the thread's stated policy. Main-feed promotion requires moderator sponsorship through modmail. | Maintainer approval required. Use only the current self-promotion thread, not the main feed. |
@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@ re-check each destination immediately before requesting approval to post.
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | r/MacApps | Relevant to the menu-bar app, but the community requires 10 local karma and limits promotion to once per developer in 30 days. Main-feed promotion also requires an established trust signal or a public transparency path; other promotions belong in the monthly App Pile megathread. | Hold for the App Pile only. A maintainer must verify local-karma eligibility, the current megathread, and its required format. Never manufacture karma or expose a private identity to qualify. |
 | r/OpenAI | Relevant but broad. Self-promotion should remain under 10% of participation, must be a contextual text post rather than a direct-link post, and participation is expected before advertising. | Hold until the identity has genuine participation and a maintainer approves a contextual post. |
+| r/LLMDevs | Strong technical audience, but moderator-first for CodePilot's license | Source-available non-FOSS promotion requires prior moderator approval and a clear disclaimer; the free version must match every other version. Feedback requests must disclose their purpose, avoid PII collection and response monetization, and share findings back where appropriate. | Hold until moderator and maintainer approval, confirmation of no paid-feature distinction, and approval of a privacy-audited repository URL. Use the prepared technical draft, not a generic tester request. |
 | Show HN | A project must be personally built, directly usable, non-trivial, and ready for the author to discuss. Show HN discourages signup barriers and vote coordination. | Hold until the public beta is immediately testable and a maintainer can be present to answer questions. |
 | r/SwiftUI | Promotion is allowed only when source code is provided and the app is open source. CodePilot is source-available under a noncommercial license, not OSI open source. | Do not promote CodePilot there under the current rules. |
 | r/iOSApps | Requires 10 local karma, disclosure, ABC-format promotion, official App Store/TestFlight links, and either qualification or the monthly App Shelf megathread. More importantly, its current rules exclude generative-AI and AI-wrapped apps when AI is a core feature. | Do not promote CodePilot there under the current rules. Use r/TestFlight instead. |
+| r/iPhoneApps | A 2026-07-16 moderator update removed the Developer flair after repeated low-effort promotion. Maker mentions now require genuine community participation and must contribute contextual value rather than act as a standalone app advertisement. | Hold. Do not use a standalone launch post or generic prepared comment. Reconsider only after genuine participation, a same-day rules check, and approval of the exact conversational context. |
 
 ## Rule sources
 
@@ -35,12 +37,15 @@ re-check each destination immediately before requesting approval to post.
 - [r/BetaTests rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaTests/about/rules)
 - [r/BetaTests posting guidance](https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaTests/comments/1ufs2a9/community_rules/)
 - [r/alphaandbetausers rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/alphaandbetausers/about/rules)
+- [r/alphaandbetausers community-quality discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/alphaandbetausers/comments/1saowv5/honest_discussion_this_community_is_dead_if_not/)
+- [r/alphaandbetausers recent reciprocal-testing thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/alphaandbetausers/comments/1unh2mo/looking_for_cool_projects_comment_them_and_ill/)
 - [r/AI_Agents rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/about/)
 - [r/AI_Agents current Project Display thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/comments/1ukprfr/weekly_thread_project_display/)
 - [r/SideProject current self-promotion thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1utus1n/whats_everyone_working_on_lets_self_promote/)
 - [r/ChatGPTCoding rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPTCoding/about/rules)
 - [r/ChatGPTCoding promotion thread example](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPTCoding/comments/1ryqth6/self_promotion_thread/)
 - [r/Codex rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/about/rules)
+- [r/LLMDevs rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LLMDevs/about/rules.json)
 - [r/iOSProgramming rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSProgramming/about/rules)
 - [r/iOSProgramming App Saturday format update](https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSProgramming/comments/1pnivdy/proposed_update_to_app_saturday_feedback_requested/)
 - [r/iOSProgramming current missing-section enforcement example](https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSProgramming/comments/1utie4g/removed/)
@@ -50,6 +55,7 @@ re-check each destination immediately before requesting approval to post.
 - [r/SideProject rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/about/rules)
 - [r/SwiftUI rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftUI/about/rules)
 - [r/iOSApps rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/iosapps/about/rules)
+- [r/iPhoneApps self-promotion update](https://www.reddit.com/r/IPhoneApps/comments/1uy20l2/an_update_on_selfpromotion/)
 - [Show HN guidelines](https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html)
 
 ## Required approvals
@@ -71,6 +77,10 @@ re-check each destination immediately before requesting approval to post.
   comment rather than a standalone launch post.
 - r/Codex requires moderator confirmation because its published rules do not
   explicitly authorize project promotion.
+- r/LLMDevs requires moderator approval for source-available non-FOSS projects,
+  plus confirmation that the beta has no paid-feature distinction and that the
+  required maker, AI-assistance, feedback-purpose, no-PII, and no-monetization
+  disclosures remain intact.
 - r/iOSProgramming requires confirmation of Saturday timing, current account
   eligibility, genuine prior activity, the once-per-year allowance, and the
   required Tech Stack, Development Challenge, and AI Disclosure sections.

docs/community/2026-07-19-community-checkpoint.md

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ the first beta placements. The broader community survey remains in
 | `r/alphaandbetausers` | Good secondary tester pool | Its rules endpoint currently publishes no community-specific rules. Use only after a same-day review of rules and recent removals; do not offer incentives or reciprocal testing. |
 | `r/AI_Agents` | Good agent-workflow feedback pool, participation-gated | Project promotion belongs in the current weekly Project Display thread. The community permits limited self-promotion at roughly one in ten contributions, requires substantive context, and routes project links to that thread. Use the prepared no-link comment only after genuine non-promotional participation and a same-day thread check. |
 | `r/SideProject` | Broad secondary feedback pool | Its About page still publishes no community-specific rules, and a current thread explicitly invites projects and feedback. Prefer one prepared no-link comment in that thread over a standalone post, and use only after genuine participation plus a same-day thread and removal check. |
-| `r/ChatGPTCoding` | Good audience, restricted and gated | The community is restricted to approved contributors. Maker-authored service promotion belongs in the designated self-promotion thread, which still receives comments, but automated moderation removes or holds comments based on account karma. Main-feed placement requires moderator sponsorship. Do not request contributor status or sponsorship solely for this launch; use the thread only if the existing identity is already eligible. |
+| `r/ChatGPTCoding` | Good audience, restricted and gated | The community is restricted to approved contributors. Maker-authored service promotion belongs in the designated self-promotion thread, which allows only one promotion per project and still receives comments, but automated moderation removes or holds comments based on account karma. Main-feed placement requires moderator sponsorship. Do not request contributor status or sponsorship solely for this launch; use the thread only if the existing identity is already eligible. |
 | `r/Codex` | Best topical match, moderator-first | Posts must be directly about Codex, use the right flair, and must not use bots. The published rules do not explicitly authorize maker promotion, so send the prepared permission request manually and post only if moderators and a maintainer approve. |
 | `r/iOSProgramming` | Good technical retrospective, not recruitment-first | App promotion is limited to Saturday and one app per year. Current enforcement requires labeled Tech Stack, Development Challenge, and AI Disclosure sections. Use the revised technical draft only after account eligibility, timing, and the annual allowance are confirmed. |
 | `r/MacApps` | Relevant but currently held | Requires 10 local karma, official distribution links, relationship disclosure, no more than one developer promotion in 30 days, and either main-feed qualification or the current promotion megathread. Do not manufacture eligibility or disclose a private identity. |
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ plan. The following destinations add a community-specific gate:
 - `r/ChatGPTCoding`: confirm the existing identity is already an approved
   contributor, the designated thread is still open, and the identity can
   participate without an account-karma removal or manual-review hold. Do not
-  request contributor status or main-feed sponsorship solely for this launch.
+  request contributor status or main-feed sponsorship solely for this launch,
+  and do not use the thread more than once for CodePilot.
 - `r/Codex`: moderator permission, correct flair, maintainer approval, and a
   human-authored manual post with no automation.
 - `r/iOSProgramming`: Saturday timing, current account eligibility, genuine