Features Guide

LightRSS is a modern RSS reader that helps you aggregate all your favorite feeds in one place. This documentation provides detailed instructions on how to use all features of LightRSS.

Feed Management

Starter Feeds During Onboarding

New accounts can choose one curated starter feed pack during the second setup step. The selected pack is added only when every new feed fits within the account's remaining subscription limit; feeds that are already subscribed do not count twice. Installation can be retried safely.

This step is optional. Select Skip for now to finish setup without adding subscriptions and add feeds manually later. Starter-pack installation does not fetch articles during setup, so use Fetch Articles afterward if articles have not appeared yet.

Adding a Single Feed

Go to the Feed Management page (/app/feeds)
In the "Add Feed" tab, enter the RSS Feed URL
(Optional) Select or create a category to organize your feed
Click the "Add Feed" button

The system validates the Feed URL, creates the subscription, and attempts an initial article fetch before the request finishes. If the publisher is temporarily unavailable, the subscription may still be saved so you can refresh it later.

Adding Multiple Feeds

If you have multiple feeds to add, you can use the batch add feature:

Switch to the "Batch Add" tab
In the text box, enter one Feed URL per line
(Optional) Select a category for all feeds
Click the "Batch Add" button

The system validates up to 100 URLs, removes duplicates, skips subscriptions you already have, and saves as many new feeds as your remaining plan quota allows. It reports how many were added and why any entries were skipped.

Batch Add does not fetch each source during the request. After the batch is saved, click Fetch Articles on the Feed Management page to start loading articles. Each manual refresh processes a bounded group of sources, so a large batch may take more than one refresh cycle to populate fully.

OPML Import

If you previously used another RSS reader, you can import all your feeds at once using an OPML file:

Switch to the "OPML Import" tab
Click the "Select File" button and choose your OPML file
- Or paste the OPML file content directly into the text box
Click the "Import" button

The system parses supported feed entries and imports as many as your remaining plan slots allow. A feed title and category are imported when the entry includes supported attributes.

Notes:

Feeds beyond your remaining subscription limit are skipped, and the result reports how many were imported or skipped
Existing feeds will be automatically skipped
A category is read only from a supported category attribute on the feed entry; nested OPML folder structure is not currently preserved
Imported feeds are not fetched automatically; use Fetch Articles after the import
OPML export is not currently available

Editing a Feed

You can edit feed information at any time:

Find the feed you want to edit in the feed list
Click the "Edit" button on the right side of the feed row
In the popup dialog, modify:
- Title: Customize the display name of the feed
- Category: Change the category the feed belongs to
Click the "Save" button

Deleting a Feed

If you no longer need a feed:

Find the feed you want to delete in the feed list
Click the "Delete" button on the right side of the feed row
Confirm the deletion

Note: Deleting a feed will also delete all articles under that feed. This operation cannot be undone.

Category Management

The category feature helps you better organize and manage feeds:

Creating a Category

When adding a feed, you can directly enter a new category name, and the system will automatically create that category. You can also:

Click the category selection box
Select "Create New Category"
Enter the category name
Click "Create"

Editing a Category

Find the category in the Categories section
Click its edit button
Enter the new category name and save

Renaming a category updates every feed currently assigned to it. Editing the category on an individual feed changes only that feed.

Removing a Category

Use the delete button in the Categories section to remove that category assignment from its feeds. This does not delete the feeds themselves.

Subscription Limits

LightRSS offers two subscription plans:

Free Plan: Up to 100 feeds
Pro Plan: Up to 1,500 feeds

At the top of the Feed Management page, you can view your current subscription usage:

Number of subscribed feeds / Subscription limit
Usage percentage progress bar
Warning prompts when approaching the limit

If you reach the subscription limit, you can:

Delete feeds you no longer need
Upgrade to the Pro plan to increase your subscription limit

Manually Refreshing Feeds

LightRSS attempts an initial fetch when you add a feed individually. When the service scheduler is enabled, it refreshes enabled subscriptions in bounded background batches. Batch Add and OPML imports do not trigger an immediate fetch, so use a manual refresh when you want to start loading those subscriptions or check for newer articles:

Go to the Feed Management page
Click Fetch Articles at the top of the page

Each request processes a bounded batch of subscribed sources. The result may report that more sources remain for a later refresh.

Article Reading

Browsing the Article List

Go to the Article List page (/app/feeds/articles)
Articles are sorted by publication date in descending order, with the newest articles at the top
Each article displays:
- Title
- Summary (if available)
- Publication date
- Source feed
- Category tag

Searching Articles

Use the search feature to quickly find content you're interested in:

Enter keywords in the search box at the top of the article list page
The system will search for matches in article titles and feed-provided descriptions
Search results update in real-time

Search Tips:

Supports both Chinese and English search
Case-insensitive search
Can search article titles and feed-provided descriptions

Filtering Articles

You can filter articles in multiple ways:

Filter by Category

Click the "Category" dropdown
Select the category you want to view
Select "All" to view articles from all categories

Filter by Feed

Click the "Feed" dropdown
Select the feed you want to view
Select "All" to view articles from all feeds

Filter by Reading State

Use the Article state filter to view all visible articles, unread articles, read articles, starred articles, or hidden articles. Hidden articles stay out of the normal list until you restore them from the Hidden view.

Combined Filtering

You can use category and feed filters together, along with the search function, to precisely locate the articles you want.

Reading State and Saved Articles

Opening an article marks it as read automatically.
Use Mark unread when you want to return to it later.
Star important articles and find them again with the Starred filter.
Hide articles you do not want in the normal list; hiding is reversible.
Article detail links can be copied or bookmarked and reopen the same article.

Reading Articles

Clicking any article in the article list will open a reading panel on the right (desktop) or bottom (mobile):

Desktop: Article content is displayed in a right-side drawer
Mobile: Article content is displayed in a bottom drawer

The reading panel displays:

Article title
Publication date and source
Full article content (if included in the RSS feed)
Original article link button

Click the "Open Original" button to open the original article in a new tab.

Pagination

The article list supports pagination:

Find the pagination controls at the bottom of the page
Click page numbers or "Previous"/"Next" buttons
Each page displays 20 articles by default

Account Settings

General Settings

In the Settings > General page, you can:

Update profile information
Modify display name
Change avatar (if supported)

Security Settings

In the Settings > Security page, you can:

Change password
Enable/disable two-factor authentication (2FA)
Manage logged-in devices
View login history

Billing Settings

In the Settings > Billing page, you can:

View current subscription plan
Upgrade to Pro plan
Manage payment methods
View billing history

Danger Zone

In the Settings > Danger Zone page, you can:

Delete account

Warning: Account deletion cannot be undone. Please proceed with caution.

Feed URL is invalid or inaccessible
Feed format is incorrect
Subscription limit has been reached

Solutions:

Check if the Feed URL is correct
Confirm the feed is accessible
If you've reached the limit, consider upgrading your plan or deleting feeds you no longer need

Articles not updating?

Possible reasons:

The feed source itself hasn't been updated
The feed hasn't been refreshed recently, or the latest refresh failed
Feed has been disabled