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SEO Madmanby Adam Hafez
Free tool

RSS feed validator: check RSS 2.0 and Atom feeds

RSS feed validator: paste feed XML to check RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 for parse errors, required elements, dates, guids, enclosures and URLs. Runs in-browser.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged or stored.

Nothing you paste here is sent anywhere; it is parsed in your browser only. This does not fetch a URL, so paste the raw feed XML, not a link to it.

    Key takeaways

    • This tool parses XML in the browser with DOMParser, detects RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 from the root element, and reports real parse errors first.
    • An RSS 2.0 channel needs a title, a link and a description, and every item needs a title or a description, per the RSS 2.0 specification.
    • An Atom feed and each of its entries need exactly one id, title and updated, and an entry without content needs an alternate link, per RFC 4287.
    • Google accepts RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 feeds as sitemaps, and says such a feed only provides information on recent URLs.
    • This validator checks structure only, so a clean pass does not confirm the listed pages exist, load or can be indexed.

    What it takes

    • A pasted RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 feed document, edited directly in the textarea

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    How to use it

    1. 1Paste the feed XMLCopy the raw contents of the feed file, not a link to it; this tool does not fetch URLs, so nothing you paste is sent anywhere.
    2. 2Fix XML parse errors firstDOMParser reports a parsererror on malformed markup, such as an unclosed tag or an unescaped ampersand, before any feed check can run.
    3. 3Confirm the detected formatThe root must be rss with version 2.0, or feed in the Atom namespace; anything else, including RSS 1.0, is reported as unsupported.
    4. 4Review each item or entryFailures are spec violations such as a missing title and description or a missing enclosure attribute; warnings are bad dates, relative URLs and duplicates.
    5. 5Re-run after each fixThe check runs again as you edit, so you can watch the failures clear and confirm every line turns to a pass.

    Paste the raw XML of a feed and this validator checks it against the RSS 2.0 specification or RFC 4287, whichever the root element says it is. It parses the text in your browser and never fetches a URL.

    What the validator checks

    The validator runs a syntax pass, then a structure pass for the format it detects.

    Syntax. The text is parsed with the browser’s DOMParser as text/xml. Malformed markup, such as an unclosed tag or a bare &, produces a parse error, which the tool shows before anything else.

    RSS 2.0, on well-formed XML only:

    • The root must be rss with version="2.0", holding one channel.
    • The channel must have title, link and description.
    • Every item needs a title or a description. The spec requires at least one.
    • pubDate and lastBuildDate must be RFC 822 dates. The spec allows a two or four digit year.
    • A guid must be unique per item. When isPermaLink is true, which is the default, the spec says the guid can be assumed to be a permalink, so the tool expects an absolute URL.
    • An enclosure needs url, length and type.
    • A link or guid missing from an item, a relative URL, and a duplicate link are warnings: the spec does not require them, but a crawler cannot use an item without an address.

    Atom 1.0:

    • The root must be feed in the Atom 1.0 namespace.
    • The feed and each entry need exactly one id, title and updated.
    • updated must be an RFC 3339 date-time with an uppercase T and Z.
    • An entry with no content needs a link with rel="alternate".
    • The feed needs an author unless every entry has one, and should have a rel="self" link.

    How to read the results

    The syntax line reads “Well-formed XML.” or shows the parse error. Below it, three counts: the detected format, the number of items or entries, and the file size.

    • Fail, in the danger color: a parse error, a wrong root, a missing required element, an item with no title and no description, a duplicate guid or a bad enclosure.
    • Warning, in the warning color: an invalid date, a relative or duplicate URL, or a missing optional element that crawlers and readers rely on.
    • Pass, in the success color: one line per check that found no problems anywhere in the feed.

    Worked example

    The pre-filled feed has three items. The first is clean. The second and third carry these problems:

    <item>
  <title>Second post</title>
  <link>/second</link>
  <guid>https://example.com/first</guid>
  <pubDate>2026-09-29</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
  <link>https://example.com/third</link>
  <enclosure url="https://example.com/third.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"/>
</item>

    The syntax line reads “Well-formed XML.” and the root and channel checks pass. The summary shows RSS 2.0 and 3 items. Then, in order:

    • Warning: item #2: <link> "/second" is not an absolute URL.
    • Fail: item #2: <guid> repeats item #1.
    • Warning: item #2: <pubDate> "2026-09-29" is not an RFC 822 date.
    • Fail: item #3 needs a title or a description.
    • Warning: item #3 has no guid.
    • Fail: item #3: <enclosure> is missing length.

    Write the link as https://example.com/second, give the item its own guid, use Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT, add a title to item 3 and a length to the enclosure, and the feed passes.

    Common mistakes it catches

    • ISO dates in RSS. 2026-09-29 is not RFC 822; RSS needs a date such as Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT. Atom is the reverse: it needs a full RFC 3339 date-time.
    • Relative URLs in link, guid or an enclosure url.
    • Reused guids copied from a template or another item.
    • Enclosures without a length or type, since all three attributes are required.
    • A missing namespace on an Atom feed root.
    • Lowercase t or z in an Atom updated value.

    Feeds and sitemaps

    Google’s sitemap documentation says it accepts RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 feeds, and also says such a feed only provides information on recent URLs. A feed is a good supplement to an XML sitemap, not a full replacement for one. Search Engine Journal reported that John Mueller suggested RSS feeds as a way for AI crawlers to find content: see Mueller on sitemaps and AI crawlers.

    What it cannot check

    It never fetches the URLs it finds, so it cannot confirm that a link resolves or can be indexed. It does not check encoding, media RSS extensions or other namespaces, and it cannot tell you which live pages are missing from the feed.

    Sources

    1. 1.RSS 2.0 Specification - RSS Advisory BoardPrimary
    2. 2.The Atom Syndication Format (RFC 4287) - IETFPrimary
    3. 3.Build and submit a sitemap - Google Search CentralPrimary

    Frequently asked questions

    Does this tool fetch my feed from its live URL?

    No. It only parses XML you paste into the textarea, entirely in your browser. That avoids a CORS-dependent network fetch and means nothing you paste is sent anywhere, but you have to copy the feed's contents yourself.

    Can Google use an RSS or Atom feed as a sitemap?

    Yes. Google's documentation says it accepts RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 feeds. It also says such a feed only provides information on recent URLs, so it does not replace a full XML sitemap for a large site.

    Does it check RSS 1.0 or JSON Feed?

    No. It checks RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 only. A file whose root is rdf:RDF, which is RSS 1.0, is reported as unsupported, and any other root element is reported as not a feed.

    Why is a missing guid only a warning?

    The RSS 2.0 specification makes guid optional. It is still worth having, because it is how a reader tells a changed item from a new one, so the tool warns instead of failing.

    Does a clean result mean my feed will be crawled correctly?

    It means the file is well formed and meets the spec rules this tool checks. It does not confirm the listed URLs exist, return a 200 status or are eligible for indexing.

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