What you can do
- Index feed entries: Each item in the feed (article, blog post, release note) becomes a document. Titles, bodies, and publication dates are searchable.
- Cover RSS and Atom: Standard RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 feeds are supported. Most public feeds use one of these formats.
- Stay in sync automatically: Circuit re-checks the feed periodically. New entries appear in the index on the next sync.
Before you start
- A public RSS or Atom feed URL. You can find it linked from a site’s footer or RSS icon, or by viewing the page source for a
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">tag. - An index in Circuit where the entries should live. See Indexes if you need to create one.
Connect an RSS feed
RSS feeds are anonymous: you provide a URL and Circuit fetches it.Copy the feed URL
Find the RSS or Atom feed URL for the source you want to track (for example,
https://example.com/blog/feed.xml).Open the RSS integration in Circuit
In Circuit, open the index that should receive the feed entries, choose Integrations > New integration, and select Import from RSS.
Paste the feed URL
Enter the feed URL and click Connect. Circuit fetches the feed, validates it, and shows the first few entries so you can confirm it is the right source.
What Circuit accesses
| What Circuit reads | Notes |
|---|---|
| The feed XML at the URL you provide | Fetched over HTTPS at each sync cycle. |
| Entry contents linked from the feed | If the feed includes only summaries, Circuit may follow each entry’s link to fetch the full content. |
For IT and security teams
Circuit fetches the configured feed URL over HTTPS at each sync interval. No credentials are stored for this integration, and no credentials are sent to the feed host. If the feed lives on a network that requires allow-listing, allow outbound HTTPS from Circuit’s egress range to the feed’s host. For credential handling and transport security across Circuit’s other integrations, see Integration security and admin consent.Disconnect or rotate access
Open the index’s Integrations tab, select the RSS feed, and click Remove. Circuit stops fetching the feed. Already-imported entries stay in the index until you delete them. There is no token or key to rotate for this integration.Troubleshooting
"Could not parse feed" or "invalid XML"
"Could not parse feed" or "invalid XML"
The URL returned a page that is not a valid RSS or Atom feed. Open the URL in a browser; you should see XML, not an HTML page. Some sites publish the feed at a different URL than the link they advertise. Look for a
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"> tag in the site’s page source.The feed connects but no documents appear
The feed connects but no documents appear
The feed is empty, or every entry has been filtered out (for example, because the feed only includes future-dated items). Open the URL in a browser to confirm entries exist.
New entries are missing from the index
New entries are missing from the index
Entries appear on the next sync cycle, usually within a few hours. If a published entry has been in the feed for longer than that and is still missing, force a re-sync from the feed’s settings.
"403 Forbidden" or "404 Not Found" when connecting
"403 Forbidden" or "404 Not Found" when connecting
The host is blocking Circuit’s request or has moved the feed. Confirm the URL works in a private browser window. If the host requires a user-agent allow-list or other access control, the feed cannot be used as a public RSS source.
Reference
- Authentication: None (public feeds only)
- Supported formats: RSS 2.0, Atom 1.0
- Transport: HTTPS