---
title: "VidBee RSS: Auto-Queue Channels and Podcasts"
description: "Subscribe to RSS feeds in VidBee to auto-queue videos and podcasts. Covers pod.link, RSSHub instances, filters, latest-only mode, and common fixes."
canonical: "https://vidbee.org/docs/rss/"
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vidbee.org/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# VidBee RSS: Auto-Queue Channels and Podcasts

RSS watches a feed and queues new items for [download](./download) while VidBee is running. Use it for channels, playlists, podcasts, or any creator who publishes on a schedule. Each subscription can have its own folder, filename template, keyword filter, and auto-download rules.

## Core features

- **Auto-queue** — new items go to Downloads while VidBee is running
- **Per-feed rules** — folder, keywords, tags, filename template
- **Latest-only** — skip the backlog and take the newest unseen item
- **Podcasts** — look up the host RSS with [pod.link](https://pod.link/)
- **RSSHub** — generate a feed when the site has no public one
- **Manual queue** — add a skipped item later

![RSS page with channel avatars and queued feed items](/docs/rss/rss-overview.png)

Avatars across the top are your feeds. The green/gray/red dot is status (**Up to date**, **Checking**, **Idle**, **Failed**). Hover an avatar for last checked time and the latest error if a fetch failed. Items below belong to the selected feed.

**Queued** means VidBee already added that item to Downloads. **Not queued** is waiting, was filtered out, or **Auto download** is off. A tooltip on the badge shows the live download status (pending, downloading, completed, failed) when the item is in the queue.

## Add a subscription

1. Open **RSS** in the sidebar.
2. Click **Add RSS**.
3. Paste a feed URL. After a short pause VidBee **detects** the platform (YouTube, Bilibili, or custom) and shows the resolved feed.
4. Optional: set a **Custom directory** (Browse). The default is `Downloads/Subscriptions`.
5. **Auto download** (on by default) queues matching items without extra clicks.
6. **Download only the latest video** skips backlog and takes the newest unseen item.
7. Open **Advanced Options** for:
- **Keyword filter** (comma-separated). Only titles that match at least one keyword queue.
- **Auto tags** stored on queued downloads.
- **Custom filename template** (yt-dlp-style placeholders). Subscription templates override the global filename style.
8. Click **Add**. VidBee starts an immediate refresh so the first batch appears without waiting for the next timer.

![Add RSS dialog with a YouTube feed URL](/docs/rss/rss-add-dialog.png)

![Add RSS advanced options: keyword filter, auto tags, and filename template](/docs/rss/rss-add-advanced.png)

New subscriptions pick up **Download only the latest video** from **Settings** if you changed that default.

## Manage a feed

Right-click an avatar:

- **Refresh** — fetch the feed now
- **Edit** — change directory, auto download, latest-only, keywords, tags, template
- **Enable / Disable** — a disabled feed stays in the list but is not checked
- **Remove** — drop the subscription (already downloaded files stay on disk)

![Channel avatar context menu: Refresh, Edit, Disable, Remove](/docs/rss/rss-context-menu.png)

On a feed item:

- Open the video in the browser
- **Add to download queue** if it was not auto-queued (keyword miss, auto download off, or latest-only skipped it)

![Feed item menu: add to download queue or open in browser](/docs/rss/rss-item-menu.png)

Queued items use your normal [download](./download) settings: one-click quality, container, cookies, concurrency. They show a **Subscription** badge on the home list.

## Get an RSS feed URL

If you already have an RSS or Atom link, paste it. YouTube channel feeds look like:

```
https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
```

You can often paste the **channel or profile page** instead; VidBee resolves it to a feed when the platform is known.

### Find a podcast feed with Podlink

Most podcasts do not publish an obvious RSS URL. [Podlink](https://pod.link/) looks up a show by name (or by an existing feed URL) and copies the **host’s real RSS feed**.

1. Open [pod.link](https://pod.link/).
2. Click **Search for your podcast**.
3. Type the show name. You can also paste a feed URL if you already have one.
4. Open the show page.
5. Click **⋯** → **Copy RSS Feed**.
6. In VidBee, click **Add RSS** and paste that copied URL.

![Podlink search: look up a show by name or feed URL](/docs/rss/pod-link-search.png)

![Show page menu with Copy RSS Feed](/docs/rss/pod-link-copy-rss.png)

The copied URL is the host feed (for example `https://feeds.simplecast.com/...`), not `https://pod.link/thedaily`. A Podlink page is HTML. VidBee needs RSS or Atom XML, so pasting the page URL fails with **Feed URL invalid**.

Podcast episodes are audio. Set [download](./download) to **Audio** (or turn on one-click with audio as the default type) so queued episodes save as M4A/MP3 instead of video. **Download only the latest video** still means the newest episode.

For sites without a public feed, generate one with **RSSHub**:

1. Open the [RSSHub routes documentation](https://docs.rsshub.app/routes/).
2. Pick the platform (YouTube, X, and others).
3. Fill in the route parameters and copy the feed URL.

### RSSHub instances

Many examples use `rsshub.app`, but the official instance is behind Cloudflare and VidBee cannot read it. Use:

- A **self-hosted RSSHub** you control
- A **public instance** from the [RSSHub instances guide](https://docs.rsshub.app/guide/instances)
- Another community instance you can reach

Pick one that responds from your network. The in-app **Open RSSHub Documentation** card links to the same guide.

## Troubleshooting

- **Feed URL invalid**: Open the URL in a browser. It should return RSS or Atom XML, not an HTML challenge page. A `https://pod.link/...` show page is HTML — copy the feed with **⋯ → Copy RSS Feed** instead.
- **Duplicate feed**: Each feed URL can only be subscribed once.
- **No new downloads**: Confirm the subscription is **enabled**, **Auto download** is on, the feed has new items, and the keyword filter still matches.
- **Only one file appears**: **Download only the latest video** queues the newest unseen item, not the whole backlog. Turn it off and refresh to pick up more (items already seen stay skipped).
- **Failed status**: Hover the avatar for `lastError`. If the host is `rsshub.app`, switch instance. If the site needs a login, configure [cookies](./cookies) so queued downloads can finish.
- **Item already queued**: Refresh will not duplicate a URL that is already in Downloads.

Source: https://vidbee.org/docs/rss/index.md