How to Set Up Your Reader Feed

Reader’s feed feature turns a messy stream of newsletters and RSS posts into a manageable, “Goldilocks” reading workflow—by separating subscriptions from saved content, helping users subscribe efficiently, and then pruning the noise over time. The core idea is simple: use the Feed section for lower-signal, automatically delivered items (email newsletters, RSS feeds, and similar sources), while keeping the Library as a high-signal permanent store of items chosen for later reading.

A key distinction drives the setup. Library is where users manually save content they want to keep. Feed is where subscriptions land automatically, making it the right place for ongoing discovery and triage. That separation matters because it lets users review new items frequently without polluting the long-term archive.

On the subscription side, Reader supports multiple paths. Users can migrate existing RSS collections by exporting an OPML file from a feed service like Feedly, then uploading it into Reader in one step. They can also subscribe directly from within Reader: as Reader scans documents saved to the Library, it detects RSS feeds on the domain and surfaces a subscribe button in the right sidebar (which becomes an unsubscribe button if already subscribed). For newcomers, Reader’s Manage Feeds area includes a Suggested Feeds feature to jump-start a high-quality starting set.

Reader also classifies feeds after aggregation. It uses lightweight AI plus heuristics to label feeds as higher signal or lower signal, then recommends starting with all high-signal feeds at once and using unsubscribe later to prune sources that don’t deliver “delightful content.” The tutorial emphasizes an asymmetry in behavior: people tend to subscribe more easily than they unsubscribe, so dialing in the feed requires active pruning—especially when a feed floods hundreds of low-quality posts per day or when a politically charged source stops matching the reader’s interests.

Email newsletters are handled with the same goal—getting content into the Feed workflow. First, Reader checks whether a newsletter has a companion RSS feed; the tutorial claims this is true about 80% of the time for platforms like Substack, Ghost, and WordPress, and argues RSS is usually better because it parses more cleanly and provides higher-quality metadata. If no RSS exists, users can forward emails using a custom Reader email address (created in the web app and copied into the mobile app). From there, newsletters can be subscribed directly to, or set up for auto-forwarding from a primary email client.

Once the feed is populated, Reader’s workflow tools help users process items quickly. On desktop, keyboard shortcuts mark items as seen (J/K to move, Space to mark seen), save interesting items to the Library’s Later tab (L), and archive items (E). On mobile, a TikTok-style swipe UI advances through items, saves for later, and marks as seen as users swipe.

Finally, the tutorial recommends a habit-building feature: Reader Daily Digest. It sends a daily roundup with up to 25 documents—first 20 new items from the Feed (skimming down to the best using AI/heuristics) and then 5 previously saved items from the Library Later backlog. The intent is to read what matters now, save what matters later, and archive what no longer fits, keeping the Library backlog from becoming overloaded. The digest is mobile-first and can be enabled from the mobile app settings or the desktop home screen.