RSS and API Phase-Out

Reddit is ending support for RSS feeds as part of a series of updates announced for developers and moderators, citing concerns over an open web.

The company stated that RSS has evolved into a frequent target for large-scale data scraping and automated platform abuse, prompting the decision to wind down the feature.

While acknowledging the historical role of RSS on the web, Reddit scheduled the complete shutdown of its public API for March 2027.

Support for RSS feeds is scheduled to cease entirely on November 13.

Monetization and AI Licensing

The termination of free RSS access coincides with an era where user-generated forum content has developed into a commercial revenue stream for the company via lucrative AI training data licensing agreements.

During the second quarter, Reddit reported that non-advertising revenue grew 24% year-over-year to $43 million, decreasing the incentive to distribute platform data without charge.

Impact on Moderators

For moderators utilizing RSS channels for administrative alerts, the platform recommends migrating workflows to the Discord Relay Devvit app prior to the November 13 deadline, though general-purpose external RSS feeds will lack a direct replacement.

Moderators and regular users have raised concerns regarding how the removal of RSS and workflow tools will affect daily management and content consumption.

Broader Platform Restrictions

The removal of RSS is accompanied by plans to sunset the public API entirely.

The termination of public API access in March 2027 will affect programmatic tools, social listening software, academic researchers, and third-party AI assistants, which will now require formal commercial agreements to access platform data.

Old Reddit and Third-Party Apps

Additional measures include new safeguards on the text-heavy Old Reddit interface, limiting access strictly to logged-in moderators and active recent users to mitigate automated traffic.

Access to Old Reddit will be restricted to users who have actively utilized the interface within the previous six months.

Developers maintaining approved third-party applications and bots must register their software with the company by January 12, 2027, to prevent API disconnection.

The company subsequently adjusted its activity threshold window for Old Reddit access from an initially stated 90 days to a six-month period.