---

name: rss-reader description: Read and parse RSS/Atom feeds to monitor news, blogs, and content updates. Use when you need to fetch RSS feeds, parse entries, or monitor content sources for updates.

RSS Reader

Fetch, parse, and process RSS/Atom feeds to monitor content sources and extract updates.

When to Use

• Monitoring news feeds for specific topics
• Tracking blog updates from multiple sources
• Aggregating content from various RSS sources
• Extracting structured data from feed entries

Feed Fetching

Using the Script

Copypython scripts/fetch_rss.py <feed_url> [--limit N] [--format json|text]

Arguments:

• feed_url: The RSS/Atom feed URL to fetch
• --limit N: Number of entries to return (default: 10)
• --format: Output format - json or text (default: text)

Examples:

Copy# Fetch latest 5 entries as text
python scripts/fetch_rss.py https://example.com/feed.xml --limit 5

# Fetch as JSON for processing
python scripts/fetch_rss.py https://example.com/rss --format json

Feed Entry Structure

Each feed entry typically contains:

• title: Entry headline
• link: URL to full content
• published: Publication date
• summary: Brief description or excerpt
• author: Content author (if available)

Common RSS Sources

Processing Guidelines

1. Check feed validity: Ensure URL returns valid XML
2. Handle encoding: Most feeds use UTF-8
3. Parse dates: Use ISO 8601 format when available
4. Respect rate limits: Cache results when possible
5. Handle errors gracefully: Some feeds may be temporarily unavailable