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Reddit says RSS support will end on November 13, 2026, and public API access will end by March 2027. The company cites scraping and automated abuse, while the API change could affect researchers, social-listening tools and AI products that access Reddit conversations.
Reddit plans to stop supporting RSS feeds on November 13, 2026, and end public API access by March 2027, changes that will restrict some ways users and outside services follow or programmatically access Reddit conversations. The company said RSS had become a common route for large-scale scraping and automated abuse, and cited similar concerns in changes to access to its Old Reddit interface.
Reddit announced the changes on September 30 as part of a wider set of updates for moderators and developers. RSS feeds deliver new posts from a site in a standardized format, allowing people to follow updates through feed-reading applications rather than visiting each site directly. Reddit said it was grateful to people who had used RSS, but would wind down support because the feeds had become a surface for scraping and abuse.
The company is also setting a deadline for developers who build approved third-party apps and bots: they must register with Reddit before January 12, 2027, or risk losing API access. Separately, Reddit said it would add safeguards to Old Reddit, its classic text-focused site. Access will be limited to logged-in moderators and users who have used Old Reddit recently; the company’s stated window is six months. The report said Reddit changed that period from 90 days in earlier materials.
For moderators who use RSS to receive alerts, Reddit recommends moving relevant workflows to Discord Relay, a Devvit app. It also said there is no replacement for RSS feeds used outside a moderator’s community. The company advised moderators to review their setups and migrate ahead of November 13 to reduce the risk of disruption.
What the Closures Mean for Users
The RSS shutdown removes a familiar, open-ended way to track Reddit posts in independent feed readers. People who rely on those tools may need to switch how they monitor communities, and moderators may have to rebuild alert workflows. Reddit’s suggested Discord Relay option is aimed at moderators; it does not replace every use of RSS, according to the company.
Ending public API access could have a broader effect on services that collect or analyze Reddit discussions. The reported uses include research, social listening and AI products. Reddit said the API change is planned for March 2027, but the report does not provide details on what access, if any, will remain through commercial arrangements. For AI assistants that currently draw on Reddit through public access, the closure could mean they need a commercial data agreement to continue using that material, as the report describes.
The decision also matters to the wider open-web ecosystem: RSS lets readers subscribe to updates without relying on a platform’s own feed or a commercial data agreement. Reddit’s stated rationale is preventing abuse, while the changes also place more control over access to its content with the company. That distinction matters: the timing of its AI licensing business provides context, but does not establish that AI licensing is the reason Reddit gave for ending RSS.
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Reddit Tightens Data Access
Reddit’s forums contain a large body of user-generated posts and discussions. The company has made data licensing deals with AI businesses, according to the report. In its second-quarter results, Reddit said its “other revenue” rose 24% year over year to $43 million. That figure covers revenue beyond advertising; the supplied material does not say how much came from AI licensing specifically.
RSS is a long-standing web standard that grew in popularity during the blogging era, enabling subscriptions to new posts through reader apps. Google shut down its popular Reader service in 2013, while other services, including Feedly and independent apps, continued to offer feed reading. Reddit’s planned shutdown will remove its feeds from that ecosystem, rather than ending RSS itself.
The September 30 announcement included other platform changes, including updates to moderator tools and a Rules Hub. Reddit also said it would restrict Old Reddit access because of scraping and automated traffic. The API registration deadline is distinct from the public API shutdown: developers building approved apps and bots must register by January 12, while public API access is scheduled to end by March 2027.
“RSS has now become a “common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse.””
— Reddit, in its announcement
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Access Rules Still Taking Shape
The dates and announced access changes are clear, but the practical terms of the public API closure remain incomplete in the supplied report. Reddit has not detailed which services might qualify for commercial data deals, how those agreements will work, or whether any forms of limited public access will continue after March 2027.
It is also not clear how many users, moderators, researchers or third-party services depend on RSS or the public API, or what alternatives they will adopt. Reddit’s explanation for the RSS and Old Reddit restrictions is scraping and automated abuse. The report places those decisions alongside Reddit’s AI licensing business, but does not establish that licensing revenue caused the changes. The six-month Old Reddit access window was updated from an earlier 90-day period, so users should check Reddit’s latest guidance as implementation approaches.
Reddit API access management tools
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Deadlines for Developers and Moderators
Moderators who rely on RSS alerts can review their workflows and, where suitable, test Discord Relay before November 13, 2026, when Reddit says RSS support will cease. Those using RSS outside their own communities should expect no direct replacement from the option Reddit recommended.
Developers of approved third-party apps and bots should register by January 12, 2027, under Reddit’s announced timetable. The next major milestone is the planned end of public API access by March 2027. Reddit’s detailed rules for any commercial access, and the full effect on research and AI services, remain to be clarified.
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Key Questions
When will Reddit RSS feeds stop working?
Reddit says RSS support will end on November 13, 2026.
When is Reddit ending public API access?
Reddit has announced that public API access will end by March 2027. The supplied report does not give a specific day in March.
Why is Reddit ending RSS support?
Reddit said RSS had become a common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse. The company has not stated that its AI licensing business is the reason for the RSS shutdown.
What should moderators using RSS alerts do?
Reddit recommends that moderators review their workflows and consider its Discord Relay Devvit app for alerts within their communities. The company says there is no replacement for RSS uses outside those communities.
Will AI assistants lose access to Reddit data?
The planned public API closure could affect AI products that use the API to access Reddit conversations. The report says those products may need commercial agreements with Reddit, but the company’s future access terms have not been detailed.
Source: fediverse
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