rss-reader
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.
When & Why to Use This Skill
The RSS Reader skill enables Claude to programmatically fetch, parse, and monitor RSS and Atom feeds from across the web. It streamlines the process of tracking updates from news outlets, blogs, and technical platforms like GitHub, converting raw XML data into structured information. This tool is essential for users looking to automate content discovery and maintain a real-time pulse on specific information sources without manual browsing.
Use Cases
- Automated News Monitoring: Track breaking news and specific topics across multiple global news organizations simultaneously.
- Technical Update Tracking: Monitor GitHub releases, commit logs, or engineering blogs to stay informed about software updates and security patches.
- Content Curation and Aggregation: Collect and summarize the latest posts from niche blogs or Reddit communities for research or newsletter production.
- Competitive Intelligence: Follow competitor press releases and corporate blogs to gather timely insights on market movements and product launches.
| 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
python 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 -jsonortext(default: text)
Examples:
# 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
| Type | Example Feed Pattern |
|---|---|
| Blogs | /feed, /rss, /atom.xml |
| News | /rss/headlines, /feeds/all |
| GitHub | /releases.atom, /commits.atom |
/.rss, /top/.rss |
Processing Guidelines
- Check feed validity: Ensure URL returns valid XML
- Handle encoding: Most feeds use UTF-8
- Parse dates: Use ISO 8601 format when available
- Respect rate limits: Cache results when possible
- Handle errors gracefully: Some feeds may be temporarily unavailable