newsboat.org

What is Newsboat?

Newsboat is an RSS/Atom feed reader that runs in the text console. It's a fork of Newsbeuter and is actively maintained, with version 2.45 released on 4 October 2026 per its site. If you want to follow blogs, news sites, or podcasts without a browser-based reader, it gives you a keyboard-driven interface inside a terminal.

Who it's for

• Terminal-centric users who already live in tmux, SSH sessions, or a tiling window manager.
• People who want feeds fetched and stored locally rather than in a third-party cloud account.
• Users comfortable editing a plain-text configuration file and running commands.

What that means in practice

A typical session: you add feed URLs to a config file, run the program, and browse headlines in a list, opening items in a pager or handing the link to an external browser or media player. Because it's console-based, it works over SSH and stays out of the way of your other terminal work.

Trade-offs to weigh

If you need reading progress synced automatically between a phone and laptop, a hosted service is simpler. If you value local control and low overhead, this approach fits better.

Next step

Check the project's documentation and FAQ first, since setup and configuration are the main hurdle. For background on the software ecosystem, see GitHub for the repository and issue tracker, or the project's own site at Newsboat.

How do I install or compile Newsboat on my system?

Install Newsboat by using your operating system's package manager if it carries a recent version; otherwise build it from the source tarball. The official site distributes signed source tarballs, documentation, an FAQ and a changelog, and notes the project is an actively maintained fork of Newsbeuter Newsboat, an RSS reader. Check whether your platform's packaged version is current enough for the features you want before deciding.

Package manager route

This is the fastest path and usually handles dependencies for you.

• Search your distribution's repositories for newsboat and install it with the usual command.
• Confirm the installed version afterward, since older releases may lack newer options.
• Prefer this route if you want automatic security updates and don't need the newest release.

Compile from source

Choose this when your package is outdated or unavailable, or when you want to control build options.

1. Download the source tarball and its signature from the project's release page.
2. Verify the signature using the project's OpenPGP key, published with its fingerprint on the site Newsboat, an RSS reader.
3. Unpack the archive and read the bundled documentation and FAQ for the exact build steps and dependencies for your platform.
4. Build and install following those instructions, then run newsboat to confirm it starts.

A practical reader scenario: a long-term Linux user on a stable distribution finds the packaged version several releases behind and missing a feature they rely on, so they verify the signed tarball and compile it themselves. That trades a longer setup for access to current fixes.

Deciding between the two

Next step: check your current version first, then look at the project's changelog to see whether the difference justifies compiling. For help, the project points to its issue tracker on GitHub, a mailing list, and an IRC channel Newsboat, an RSS reader.

How do I configure Newsboat for my feeds and preferences?

Newsboat is configured through a plain-text file, typically ~/.newsboat/config, plus a separate ~/.newsboat/urls file that lists your feeds. The config file holds preferences and keybindings; the urls file holds feed addresses and optional tags.

Feed list (urls)

Each line is one feed URL. You can append tags after a quoted URL to group feeds:

https://example.com/feed.xml "tech"
https://another.example.org/rss "news important"

Tags let you filter with commands like query or limit views to a tag, which is the main way to organize a large subscription list.

Preferences (config)

Preferences are one directive per line, for example:

• reload-time 60 — refresh feeds every 60 minutes.
• auto-reload yes — reload automatically on startup and at intervals.
• download-full-page yes — fetch the full article, not just the feed summary.
• browser firefox — program used to open articles externally.
• macro and bind-key — define custom shortcuts and macros.

Run newsboat -h or consult the documentation shipped with each release for the full directive list, since options change between versions.

Practical setup for a new user

1. Create ~/.newsboat/urls, add a few feeds with tags.
2. Create ~/.newsboat/config, start with reload-time, auto-reload, and your preferred browser.
3. Launch Newsboat, press ? to see keybindings, and R to reload.
4. Add tags and query feeds as your list grows.

Trade-offs

The plain-text, console approach is fast, scriptable, and easy to back up or sync via Git, but it assumes comfort with a terminal and manual file editing. There is no graphical setup wizard, so initial configuration takes more reading than a point-and-click reader. If you prefer a GUI or browser-based reader, this workflow will feel unnecessarily manual; if you live in a terminal and want feeds to behave like other dotfiles, it fits naturally.

For official documentation, changelogs, and the mailing list, see Newsboat.

How does Newsboat compare to other RSS readers like Newsbeuter?

Newsboat is best understood as the maintained continuation of Newsbeuter rather than a rival to it. It is a text-console RSS/Atom reader, and its own page describes it as "an actively maintained fork of Newsbeuter." So if you are choosing between the two, the practical difference is maintenance and release activity, not a fundamentally different reading experience. Newsbeuter is the ancestor; Newsboat is where ongoing development, releases and security handling now live.

What that means in practice

• If you already use Newsbeuter: Newsboat keeps the console-based, keyboard-driven model you know, but with a project that still publishes releases and changelogs. That matters for bug fixes, feed-format changes and security reports.
• If you are new to terminal readers: Newsboat is the sensible starting point because it is the version with current documentation and an active issue tracker.
• If you want a graphical, mouse-first reader: neither is aimed at you. Both are for people comfortable living in a terminal.

How it compares to other kinds of RSS readers

The key distinction is not Newsboat versus Newsbeuter; it is terminal readers versus graphical or web-based ones. Newsboat's own page points to GitHub for its repository and issue tracker, a Google Groups mailing list, and IRC on Libera.Chat, which tells you it is built for a community that is comfortable with developer-style tooling.

A concrete next step

If you are migrating from Newsbeuter, check Newsboat's documentation and FAQ for configuration compatibility, then test your existing feed list and keybindings before committing. If you are simply weighing terminal readers against graphical ones, try Newsboat for a week on the feeds you actually read; if the keyboard workflow feels natural, the maintenance advantage over Newsbeuter settles the comparison. Related reading on feed formats and readers is available at Newsboat and GitHub.

How do I get support or report issues with Newsboat?

Support for Newsboat runs through community channels rather than a formal help desk. The project points users to three main places: its GitHub repository and issue tracker, a Google Groups mailing list ([email protected]), and the #newsboat channel on irc.libera.chat, which you can reach through a webchat if you do not have an IRC client. For security vulnerabilities specifically, the project asks that you email [email protected] and encrypt the message with its OpenPGP key where possible.

Which channel to use

• Bug reports and feature requests: the GitHub issue tracker, since that is where the project hosts its repo and tracks issues.
• General questions and discussion: the mailing list or IRC channel; both are better suited to "how do I configure this" than the tracker.
• Security problems: email [email protected] directly, encrypted if you can, rather than posting publicly.

A practical next step

Before posting anywhere, check the documentation and FAQ linked from the release listings — most configuration questions are answered there, and you will get a faster answer than waiting on a mailing list. If you do report a bug, include your Newsboat version (the site lists releases up to 2.45, dated 4 October 2026), your operating system, and the exact steps that trigger the problem.

You can start at Newsboat; the repository and issue tracker are linked from there, and the site also links its news feed if you want release announcements.

What security practices does Newsboat recommend for reporting vulnerabilities?

Newsboat asks that security vulnerabilities be reported by email to [email protected], and it strongly encourages using its OpenPGP key to encrypt the message.

The key details from the project page:

• OpenPGP key ID: 4ED6CD61932B9EBE
• Fingerprint: B8B1 756A 0DDB F076 0CE6 7CCF 4ED6 CD61 932B 9EBE
• Where to get the key: keys.openpgp.org, or directly from the project
• Reporting address: [email protected]

In practice, that means the recommended workflow is: obtain the key, verify the fingerprint against the one published on Newsboat, encrypt your report to that key, and send it to the security address. Verifying the fingerprint out-of-band matters because an encryption key is only as trustworthy as the copy you fetched.

A concrete scenario: if you find a flaw that could crash Newsboat when parsing a malicious feed, encrypt the details — affected version, reproduction steps, and any proof-of-concept feed — to the project key rather than posting them in the public issue tracker on GitHub or the mailing list. That gives maintainers time to prepare a fix before the details become widely known.

As general advice, not a Newsboat-specific rule: include the version you tested, keep the initial report focused, and agree on a disclosure timeline with the maintainers before publishing anything.