How the TaskCoop Lead Finder Turns Casual Scrolling Into Paid Work
The free TaskCoop browser extension watches Nextdoor, Facebook, Craigslist, and Reddit as you browse and surfaces task requests automatically. Here's how it works and what to expect.
If you do handyman work, cleaning, moving, assembly, or any other skilled service in Austin, you already know the drill: finding jobs takes almost as much time as doing them. You're checking Facebook Groups, scrolling Nextdoor, searching Craigslist, hoping to catch something before five other people reply.
The TaskCoop Lead Finder is a free browser extension that does that watching for you.
What it does
Install it once, and it runs quietly in the background while you browse. When you visit a Facebook Group, scroll Nextdoor, search Craigslist, or browse Reddit, the extension scans the page for posts that look like someone needs help. If it finds something relevant, it shows up in the extension popup the next time you click the icon.
No extra tabs. No separate app. You scroll, it notices.
When you spot a lead worth pursuing, click "Offer to help." The Lead Feed page opens with the post pre-loaded, and you set your price. TaskCoop generates a ready-to-paste reply with your booking link, your price, and a note that payment is held in escrow. You paste it directly into the original post.
Why route through TaskCoop at all
A reply like "I can help, DM me" gets lost. Dozens of people say the same thing.
A reply with a direct booking link, a stated price, and escrow-backed payment stands out. The person posting knows exactly what they're getting and what it costs. You know you're not showing up for free, because payment is held before the job starts. And if your ID is verified through TaskCoop, they can see you're a real person with a real profile, not just a random reply in the comments. That's the difference between getting ignored and getting hired.
If you haven't verified your ID yet, do it. It takes a few minutes and it's one of the highest-leverage things you can do to improve your chances of being picked.
Every job you complete through TaskCoop also builds your profile. Reviews compound. The tenth job is easier to land than the first.
What platforms it covers
- Nextdoor — neighborhood posts where locals ask for help with home tasks, yard work, and more
- Facebook Groups — community groups are one of the most active sources of local service requests in Austin
- Craigslist — the gigs section still generates real leads, especially for handyman and labor work
- Reddit — local subreddits occasionally surface requests worth pursuing
The honest limitations
The extension is not magic. A few things worth knowing:
It only sees what you browse. The extension reads pages you visit. It doesn't crawl the internet on your behalf. If you never open Craigslist, it won't find Craigslist leads.
Relevance scoring isn't perfect. The extension looks for keywords and phrases that suggest someone needs a service done. It will occasionally surface posts that aren't actually jobs, and miss ones with unusual phrasing. Use your own judgment.
Platforms change their layouts. Facebook, Nextdoor, and Craigslist update their HTML regularly. The extension may occasionally stop picking up posts on a specific platform until we push an update. If something stops working, check for an extension update.
Craigslist on Firefox is limited. Due to how Firefox handles browser extensions, the Craigslist scraper doesn't work on Firefox. Chrome and Edge work fully.
You still have to reply. The extension finds leads and generates your reply text. But you paste it yourself, on the original platform. We can't post on your behalf, and you'd want to review the message anyway before sending.
Getting started
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons. Sign into taskcoop.org first, and it starts working immediately on any supported page you visit.
If you're not a member yet, sign up free. It takes about two minutes, and there's no cost to join.