Reddit switches off RSS feeds on 13 November 2026 and ends public API access in March 2027. It names large-scale scraping by AI bots as the reason. This closes the last open entrances to a site whose content became a commodity on the training-data market.
Key takeaways
- RSS feeds stop working on 13 November 2026
- Public API access ends in March 2027
- Developer app registration is mandatory by 12 January 2027
- Old Reddit is limited to logged-in users who used it in the past six months
- Moderators are exempt from the activity requirement
The shutdown calendar
RSS goes first. Reddit calls it a common surface for large-scale scraping?scraping: Automated bulk downloading of a site’s content by a program, usually without the site owner’s consent. and automated abuse, while adding:
RSS has been a beloved part of the open web for a long time, and we're grateful to everyone who used it.
Reddit, in its notice on shutting down RSS feeds.
| Date | What changes |
|---|---|
| 13 November 2026 | RSS feeds switch off |
| 12 January 2027 | final deadline for developer app registration — unregistered apps lose access that day |
| March 2027 | end of public API access |
Per TechCrunch, this hits social-listening tools, research projects and AI assistants that pull data from the site.
Old Reddit for the active and for moderators
In parallel the company narrows the door to the legacy interface. Per Engadget, access stays with logged-in users who used it within the last six months. New accounts will not get it, and anyone inactive for half a year loses it. Moderators are exempt.
Reddit argues the older interface is a significant source of AI scraping, and that the earlier logged-in-only rule already cut automated traffic.
A controlled platform instead of an open API
The direction is unambiguous: Reddit is winding down its open API in favour of a controlled developer platform. Moderators were pointed to the Discord Relay app on Devvit as an RSS replacement. No alternative was offered to external RSS consumers.
Why it matters
Reddit's open interfaces were, for years, infrastructure for researchers, tools and side projects. Closing them will not stop scraping, it will stop those who played by the rules. The real shift is contractual: access to the same content stops being a technical question and becomes a negotiated one. A signed licence gets the data. Everyone else is left with the web interface.
What next?
- 13 November 2026 — RSS feeds switch off
- 12 January 2027 — final deadline for developer app registration
- March 2027 — end of public API access
