Reddit says it has to cut back access to ‘Old Reddit’ because of AI bots

Reddit is set to end RSS feeds on November 13, 2026, and terminate public API access in March 2027. This decision comes in response to automated scraping and will impact users who rely on outside tools to follow conversations and manage communities. RSS, which allows users to subscribe to website updates and read them in a feed reader, has become a common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse.

Reddit recommends that moderators move common alerts to Discord Relay, but for everyone else, there are limited options. Those who use RSS for feeds outside of a moderated community will have no replacement. Users are left frustrated, as they struggle to find alternative methods to keep up with Reddit content. The company's public API will also be shutting down, with new requests for access ending on October 31, and access removal for non-registered or unengaged apps and users beginning in January 2027.

Community bots can still exist on Reddit, provided they move to Devvit, the developer platform. Reddit's classic site will have more restrictions in the coming months, limiting access to logged-in moderators and users who have used it within the past six months. These changes follow Reddit's recent announcement that third-party apps must move to its developer platform.

Reddit's actions also include restricting the Internet Archive's ability to archive content, and partnerships with Google and OpenAI for AI products. Despite these measures, Reddit continues to seek tighter control over its conversations.