Reddit will retire RSS feed support on Nov. 13, 2026, and end its remaining public Data API access in March 2027 as it moves third-party apps and bots toward its controlled Developer Platform.
The changes affect moderators using RSS alerts, developers maintaining third-party apps and bots, and organizations whose tools depend on programmatic access to Reddit data. The first developer deadline arrives Oct. 31, when Reddit stops accepting new requests for public API access.
In its Sept. 30 infrastructure update, Reddit said RSS has become a common route for large-scale scraping and automated abuse. The company is also tightening access to Old Reddit and continuing a broader transition away from its legacy public API infrastructure.
Reddit’s RSS and public API shutdown deadlines
The transition has four key dates:
- Oct. 31, 2026: Reddit stops accepting new requests for public API access.
- Nov. 13, 2026: Reddit stops supporting RSS feeds.
- Jan. 12, 2027: Reddit begins removing API access for apps and users that have not registered or engaged with the Developer Platform team.
- March 2027: Remaining public Data API access ends.
The January date is not a blanket shutdown of every third-party app. Reddit says developers should register existing apps and bots and begin planning migrations to the Developer Platform.
More than 14,000 apps and bots have already registered, according to Reddit’s developer migration update. Reddit identified DeltaBot, MagicEyeBot, and RemindMeBot among apps that have completed or nearly completed migration.
The company acknowledges that capability gaps remain. Developers whose tools depend on functions that are not yet available through the Developer Platform will need to work with Reddit as the migration proceeds.
Reddit is not alone in restricting programmatic data access as scraping and AI use increase. Strava also tightened its API access this year, adding new requirements around how developers can use its data.
RSS users have less room to migrate
RSS disappears first.
Moderators who use RSS feeds to monitor activity inside communities they manage have a replacement. Reddit recommends its Discord Relay Devvit app, which can forward moderation alerts to Discord or Slack.
The company has published a migration guide for mod alerts and advises moderators to move their workflows before Nov. 13.
The replacement has an important limitation. Reddit says there is no replacement for RSS feeds used outside a community that a person moderates.
That affects users who follow subreddits through standalone RSS readers, as well as monitoring workflows built around public Reddit feeds. Those uses cannot simply be transferred to Discord Relay.
Third-party apps are moving to Reddit’s Developer Platform
Reddit’s longer-term plan is to move supported third-party apps and bots away from the legacy public Data API and onto its Developer Platform, also known as Devvit.
The Developer Platform provides Reddit-hosted storage, event-based triggers, app settings, plugins, and other tools for building directly on Reddit. The company has also been expanding APIs and migration support in response to requests from existing bot and app developers.
Developers that have not yet requested public API access face the earliest cutoff. Reddit says it will stop accepting new public API access requests after Oct. 31.
Reddit is also offering financial incentives for the transition. Apps registered by Nov. 30 may qualify for a $1,000 porting bounty through the company’s $1 million Developer Platform App Migration Program. Developers that migrate may also qualify for Reddit Developer Funds and free hosting.
Registration alone does not preserve legacy public API access indefinitely. Reddit’s app registration page states that remaining public access ends in March 2027.
That distinction is important for organizations with Reddit-dependent products. Registering an existing app can prevent an earlier disruption beginning Jan. 12, but developers still need to determine whether their workflow can operate through the Developer Platform after the legacy API closes.
Old Reddit is getting new access restrictions
Reddit is also restricting its legacy desktop interface as part of the same effort to curb automated scraping.
The company already requires users to log in before accessing Old Reddit. In the coming months, it will further restrict access to logged-in users who have used Old Reddit within the previous six months.
Logged-in moderators are exempt from the recent-use requirement and can continue accessing Old Reddit even if they have not used the interface during that six-month window.
Reddit says the restriction is intended to reduce automated traffic while keeping the legacy interface available to people who regularly use it.
The move fits a broader shift toward tighter control over how online content is accessed by automated systems. Publishers and infrastructure providers have also begun experimenting with ways to block or charge AI crawlers instead of leaving content freely available for large-scale collection.
What developers and organizations should do now
Organizations should first identify every tool that depends on Reddit RSS feeds or its public Data API.
Developers that still need new public API access have the shortest window because Reddit stops accepting new requests after Oct. 31. RSS-dependent workflows follow next, with support ending Nov. 13.
Moderators using RSS for community alerts can test Discord Relay now, while RSS users outside communities they moderate will need to find another monitoring approach.
Developers running API-based apps or bots should register them with Reddit, document which legacy API functions they depend on, and determine whether the Developer Platform currently supports those functions. Apps seeking migration funding should also review the Nov. 30 eligibility date.
Organizations that buy Reddit-dependent services, including analytics, monitoring, research, or AI products, should ask vendors how they plan to maintain access after March 2027 rather than assuming existing integrations will continue unchanged.
Reddit has made the shutdown schedule clear, but migration options still depend on the workflow. RSS users outside moderator use cases have no official replacement, while app developers have several months to determine whether Devvit can support what their existing tools do today.
Also read: Reddit has also been reconsidering its AI data relationship with Google as access to its user-generated content becomes increasingly valuable.