Reddit is tightening access to several of its oldest and most open tools. In a September 30 announcement, the company said it will stop supporting RSS feeds on November 13, 2026, restrict Old Reddit to recent users and moderators, and continue moving public-API apps and bots onto its controlled Developer Platform.
The changes are meant to reduce large-scale scraping and automated abuse, according to Reddit. They also create real deadlines for people who use RSS readers, community bots, classic Reddit, or Automoderator workflows.
Reddit RSS feeds end November 13
The clearest deadline is November 13, 2026. On that date, Reddit says it will stop supporting RSS feeds because they have become a common route for large-scale scraping and automated abuse.
For moderators who use RSS to send community alerts elsewhere, Reddit recommends migrating to a supported Devvit tool such as Discord Relay. Despite the name, Reddit staff said the tool can send alerts to Slack as well as Discord.
There is an important limitation: Reddit says there will be no replacement for ordinary RSS feeds used outside a community someone moderates. That means people who follow subreddits in an RSS reader, without being part of the mod team, will need another way to keep up with new posts.
Old Reddit will require recent use
Reddit already requires people to sign in before using the classic old.reddit.com interface. In the next few months, access will narrow again: a logged-in account will need to have used Old Reddit within the previous six months.
Reddit says that window covers the vast majority of current Old Reddit users. Logged-in moderators are exempt from the recent-use requirement, so they can continue reaching the classic interface even if they have not used it lately.
The company has not announced an exact rollout date for this restriction. It also has not said that Old Reddit is shutting down entirely. For now, the practical advice is simple: anyone who relies on the classic interface should log in and use it rather than assuming an inactive account will retain access indefinitely.
Bot and app developers have a January deadline
The same announcement adds dates to Reddit’s broader API transition. Developers who maintain an app or bot that uses Reddit’s public data API should register it with the Developer Platform before January 12, 2027, to avoid disruption.
Reddit says more than 14,000 apps and bots have already registered. All remaining public API access is scheduled to end in March 2027, according to The Verge’s report.
This does not mean every useful bot will disappear. Reddit says it is working with developers behind high-activity tools and trying to close capability gaps. Still, bots with no active maintainer—or bots that cannot move to the newer platform—face an uncertain future.
Automoderator changes begin with newer communities
Reddit is also changing how moderation automation works. Newly created communities and communities that have never used Automoderator will lose several Automod enforcement actions: Report, Filter, Remove, Mark as spam, and Approve. Rules Hub and Automations will become the default path for those jobs.
Established communities already using Automoderator are not affected by this phase. Reddit says it is continuing to improve Rules Hub and is exploring ways to carry community-specific enforcement logic into its newer tools.
That distinction matters because Reddit’s replacement tools do not yet cover every complex workflow moderators have built with years of regular expressions and custom rules. The company’s own follow-up comments acknowledge that filtering is one of the gaps it still needs to address.
What Reddit users should do now
- RSS reader users: plan for Reddit feeds to stop working after November 13. Reddit has not offered a general replacement.
- Moderators with RSS alerts: evaluate Discord Relay or another supported Devvit app before the cutoff.
- Old Reddit users: stay signed in and use the classic interface within the six-month activity window.
- Bot and app developers: register through Reddit’s Developer Platform before January 12, 2027.
- New moderators: learn Rules Hub and Automations, while checking carefully whether they cover the filtering and enforcement steps your community needs.
Why this matters
Reddit is balancing two competing goals: protecting its data and infrastructure from automated abuse while preserving tools that users and volunteer moderators have depended on for years. The September 30 update keeps Old Reddit alive for active users, but it closes off RSS and places more of the platform’s automation behind Reddit-managed systems.
For casual users, the most visible change will be the loss of RSS. For moderators and developers, the larger story is a shift toward tools Reddit can register, monitor and control. The announced dates provide time to migrate, but the company has also left some important questions open, including the precise Old Reddit rollout date and whether every long-standing bot or Automod workflow will have a full replacement.
Featured image: official Reddit brand artwork. Sources: Reddit’s announcement, The Verge, and Reddit’s brand page.