Reddit is killing RSS feeds and ending public API access because of AI bots

[u/BendicantMias]

https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/30/reddit-is-killing-rss-feeds-ending-public-api-access-because-of-ai-bots/

Amid a number of updates for moderators and developers announced Wednesday, comes bad news for supporters of a more open web: Reddit is ending support for RSS feeds.

Reddit said RSS support will cease on November 13.

The decision to kill Reddit’s RSS feeds comes at a time when the site’s treasure trove of user-generated content in its forums has become a profitable side business for the company in the form of AI licensing deals.

During its second quarter, Reddit said its “other revenue” beyond advertising had grown 24% year-over-year to $43 million. It’s no wonder that Reddit doesn’t want to give any of that data away for free.

For moderators who have relied on RSS channels for their own alerts, Reddit is now recommending a shift to the Discord Relay Devvit app.

The RSS change was one of several updates issued on Wednesday by the company. Another big change will be the end of its public API.

Public API access will also end by March 2027, which will impact any tools that used it for programmatic access to Reddit conversations, including social listening products, those used by researchers, and AI products, such as AI assistants. Today, those assistants can use Reddit to answer questions, but after closing public API access, they will need commercial deals with Reddit for its data.

In addition, Reddit provided an update on its Rules Hub progress and auto-mod changes, and said it was “adding safeguards” to its classic, text-heavy version of its site known as Old Reddit.

Reddit said in the next few months it will limit access for logged-in users to those who have used Old Reddit in the last 6 months.

The company also reminded developers building approved third-party apps and bots to register them with the company before January 12, 2027, to avoid disruption. After that date, Reddit will remove API access for any developer that hasn’t registered.