Reddit announced on September 30, 2026, that it will cease support for RSS feeds on November 13, 2026, and will progressively shut down its public API access, with all remaining public access concluding by March 2027. The platform stated that these measures are necessary to address widespread scraping and automated abuse conducted by AI bots.
The company's announcement, made in its r/modnews and r/redditdev communities, detailed a phased approach to API access removal. New requests for public API access will no longer be accepted after October 31, 2026. Reddit plans to begin revoking API access for unregistered applications and users starting January 12, 2027, with a full shutdown for all remaining public access by March 2027. To aid developers and bots in transitioning, Reddit is offering a $1 million migration program.
Reddit's decision to retire RSS feeds stems from its observation that the feature has become a "common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse." For moderators who relied on RSS for alerts, Reddit recommends migrating to applications like Discord Relay, available through its Devvit platform. The company acknowledged that for users who employed RSS for purposes beyond moderation, there is no direct replacement.
In addition to ending RSS support and restricting API access, Reddit is also implementing changes to its legacy desktop interface, "Old Reddit." Over the coming months, access to Old Reddit will be limited to logged-in users who have actively used the site within the last six months. This measure is also aimed at curbing abusive scraping and automated traffic.
These changes align with Reddit's broader strategy to control access to its vast repository of user-generated content, which has become a valuable commodity for AI training data. In August 2025, Reddit had previously restricted the Internet Archive's ability to scrape posts and comments, citing similar concerns about AI companies acquiring content through third-party services. The company has also entered into data licensing agreements with entities such as Google and OpenAI.
Developers and app maintainers are advised to register their applications through Reddit's Developer Platform before the specified deadlines to avoid disruption. Reddit has stated that over 14,000 apps and bots have already registered, and the company is providing migration funding and technical assistance.