Reddit kills RSS feeds and public API access, citing AI bots

Reddit is ending support for RSS feeds and shutting off public API access, according to a report published by TechCrunch AI on September 30, 2026. The outlet frames the move as part of a continuing effort by the company to tighten access to its large body of user-generated content.

TechCrunch’s reporting ties the decision to concerns over AI bots, which have used RSS feeds and public API endpoints to pull Reddit content at scale. By closing these channels, Reddit removes two of the simpler, long-standing methods outside parties have used to read and collect posts and comments without a formal licensing arrangement.

The report situates this within Reddit’s broader pattern of restricting data access in recent years, including prior API changes that drew criticism from developers and users of third-party apps. The current move extends that posture to RSS, a decades-old syndication format many sites and services still rely on to track new posts without scraping pages directly.

According to the report, the practical effect is that outside developers, researchers and automated systems lose straightforward access to Reddit’s conversational data. TechCrunch notes this comes as demand for such data has grown among companies building and training AI systems, making Reddit’s discussions a valuable resource that the company is increasingly positioning behind controlled, likely paid, access points rather than open feeds.