Reeder
Build a native feed and read-later client with local search and sync through a chosen account
The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Reeder, build a native feed and read-later client with local search and sync through a chosen account. The hard boundary is native apple polish, broad account support, gestures, and long-term maintenance, plus capture polish, sync, and content partnerships.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- native Apple polish, broad account support, gestures, and long-term maintenance
- publisher bypasses
- cross-device mobile capture
- high-quality recommendation graph
- licensed full-text feeds
Why people still pay
People still pay for Reeder because people pay when capture works everywhere, reading state syncs instantly, and the archive remains clean without constant parser repairs. The recurring cost buys feed quirks, parsing, paywalls, canonical URLs, deduplication, images, search, sync, browser extensions, and publisher changes, not just the visible interface.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Runtime and tools: Python, a bounded HTTP worker, feedparser, SQLite FTS5 and a small local web reader.
- Before starting: A reviewed list of permitted RSS/Atom feeds and OPML examples; a running worker is required for scheduled refresh.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Project rule — domain: Store Feed, Article, ReadLaterEntry, Tag and ReadCursor; saving an article retains its source attribution and a failed refresh does not remove the saved copy.
Project rule — scope and recovery: Start with local storage and explicit export. Cross-device synchronization requires a chosen backend and conflict policy; do not promise full-text access to restricted sources.
Project rule — acceptance: Save an article whose source later disappears, then restore an export; retain the available text, original URL and reading state while showing the fetch failure.
Project rule — delivery: document real setup commands and permissions; do not claim a build, accuracy level, performance result or security certification that has not been demonstrated.
Recommended skill: modern-python — structure the Python worker or explicitly optional read-only utility with pinned dependencies, typed boundaries and clear failure handling. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Recommended skill: web-design-guidelines — review keyboard access, focus, validation, error recovery and the readable work/review interface or HTML report. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Pin the working slice and create its example input: Subscribe to feeds, save articles into a read-later queue, search/tag the local archive and export reading state with OPML. Confirm setup: A reviewed list of permitted RSS/Atom feeds and OPML examples; a running worker is required for scheduled refresh.
Phase 2
Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store Feed, Article, ReadLaterEntry, Tag and ReadCursor; saving an article retains its source attribution and a failed refresh does not remove the saved copy.
Phase 3
Connect the working view to real saved state. Preserve feed GUIDs with a canonical URL fallback. Use conditional requests, per-host backoff and separate fetch errors from empty feeds; sanitize article HTML and prevent private-network URL fetches.
Phase 4
Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Start with local storage and explicit export. Cross-device synchronization requires a chosen backend and conflict policy; do not promise full-text access to restricted sources.
Phase 5
Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Save an article whose source later disappears, then restore an export; retain the available text, original URL and reading state while showing the fetch failure. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.
Build the following focused alternative to Reeder. Implement the focused workflow below first; the verdict is not evidence of a completed or production-certified build. WORKING SLICE Subscribe to feeds, save articles into a read-later queue, search/tag the local archive and export reading state with OPML. SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE Use Python, a bounded HTTP worker, feedparser, SQLite FTS5 and a small local web reader. Prerequisites: A reviewed list of permitted RSS/Atom feeds and OPML examples; a running worker is required for scheduled refresh. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success. DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS Store Feed, Article, ReadLaterEntry, Tag and ReadCursor; saving an article retains its source attribution and a failed refresh does not remove the saved copy. IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT Preserve feed GUIDs with a canonical URL fallback. Use conditional requests, per-host backoff and separate fetch errors from empty feeds; sanitize article HTML and prevent private-network URL fetches. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content. APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY Start with local storage and explicit export. Cross-device synchronization requires a chosen backend and conflict policy; do not promise full-text access to restricted sources. ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO Save an article whose source later disappears, then restore an export; retain the available text, original URL and reading state while showing the fetch failure. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested. DELIVERY Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product. PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan
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Alternatives to building your own
all 4 free alternatives to Reeder →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Reeder pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/user | $0/user | Up to 10 feeds; no shared feeds; OPML import can be blocked by the 10-feed cap. |
| reeder subscription | $1/user | $0.83/user | Unlimited personal feeds across supported Apple devices; public shared feeds expose up to the latest 50 items.Annual total is $10. |
free tier10 feeds; no shared feeds
billingmonthly + annual
hidden costsReeder Classic is a separate product and purchase; its current one-time price was not exposed on the live Reeder subscription page
pricing sources checked 2026-08-13 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Reeder
Can you build your own Reeder with AI?
The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Reeder, build a native feed and read-later client with local search and sync through a chosen account. The hard boundary is native apple polish, broad account support, gestures, and long-term maintenance, plus capture polish, sync, and content partnerships.
What does the Reeder build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Subscribe to feeds, save articles into a read-later queue, search/tag the local archive and export reading state with OPML. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: native Apple polish, broad account support, gestures, and long-term maintenance; publisher bypasses; cross-device mobile capture. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Reeder prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Reeder project take?
The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Reeder?
native Apple polish, broad account support, gestures, and long-term maintenance; publisher bypasses; cross-device mobile capture; high-quality recommendation graph; licensed full-text feeds. People still pay for Reeder because people pay when capture works everywhere, reading state syncs instantly, and the archive remains clean without constant parser repairs. The recurring cost buys feed quirks, parsing, paywalls, canonical URLs, deduplication, images, search, sync, browser extensions, and publisher changes, not just the visible interface.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Reeder subscription plan is $1/mo (monthly), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Reeder?
NetNewsWire: Reeder's Apple-native calm, with fewer services and no invoice. Fluent Reader: A clean desktop reader with regex rules and an Electron tax. RSS Guard: A desktop feed reader that supports nearly everything and looks like it knows that. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/reeder/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.