IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

YouTube, your RSS feeds are broken

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Shorts dominate and degrade the feed experience

“Shorts ruined the YouTube feeds.” – imagetic
“Most channels post just clips of full videos on Shorts, it’s not original content.” – theshrike79
“I currently use RSS exclusively … over half of my YouTube feeds are filled with several shorts.” – ajdude

2. Users rely on technical work‑arounds to filter out Shorts

“Mark any URL with /shorts/ as read; it works in FreshRSS.” – unbolted3032
“I use a script to check every video against <a href='https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID'>… If it loads, it’s a Short.” – bronlund
“Replace channel_id with playlist_id and change UC to UULF to get only normal videos.” – dawidpotocki

3. YouTube is curtailing native RSS/feed access

“Access to feeds from this network are restricted due to continued abuse…” – qmarchi
“Apparently, this guy doesn’t get that RSS is a problem to Google, that they already tried to kill.” – verisimi
“They’ve always had feeds, they just stopped surfacing them properly around the time they killed Reader.” – theshrike79

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

[YouTube Shorts Filter for RSS Readers]

Summary

  • Auto‑detect and hide Shorts in YouTube channel RSS feeds before they reach the reader.
  • Solves the “too many Shorts” fatigue expressed by many HN commenters.
  • Core value: clean, video‑only feeds without vertical Shorts clutter.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Power RSS users, especially those tracking 50+ YouTube channels.
Core Feature Browser extension / userscript that rewrites feed URLs to exclude Shorts (e.g., replace shorts/VIDEO_ID with regular video URLs or strips Shorts entries).
Tech Stack Chrome/Firefox extension (JavaScript), optional userscript (Tampermonkey), uses YouTube feed XML parsing.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes- HN users repeatedly mention marking URLs with /shorts/ as read and wanting an automatic filter—this tool would eliminate that manual step. - Could be packaged as a free extension with optional premium features (e.g., custom filters, community shared rule sets).

  • Directly addresses the pain point highlighted by ajdude, unbolted3032, and berliner.

[Curated YouTube RSS Feed Service]

Summary

  • Provides a searchable directory of YouTube channel RSS URLs that automatically exclude Shorts by using the playlist_id trick (UULF prefix). - Offers a free API and UI for users to generate clean RSS links for any channel.
  • Core value: one‑click, reliable, Shorts‑free RSS feeds without needing personal scripts.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience RSS enthusiasts, content curators, and anyone who wants high‑quality YouTube feeds.
Core Feature Web UI where users paste a channel URL and receive a Shorts‑free RSS link; API for bulk generation.
Tech Stack Backend (Node.js/Express), PostgreSQL, static front‑end (React), deployment on Vercel/Netlify.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium (free tier: 10 feeds, paid tier: $5/mo for unlimited + API).

Notes

  • Commenters like dawidpotocki and jraph sought a simpler solution than custom scripts; this service would fulfill that need.
  • Could integrate the “playlist_id” hack into a public API, making it a go‑to resource for the HN community. - Aligns with the desire for a more objective view of YouTube, echoing QuiDortDine’s frustration with algorithmic feeds.

[Unified Feed Aggregator with AI Filtering]

Summary

  • A SaaS aggregator that pulls YouTube, Twitch, and other video platforms into a single feed, using AI to suppress Shorts, live‑stream spam, and low‑quality clips. - Includes watch‑later sync, custom filter presets, and a clean desktop UI. - Core value: one app to replace multiple RSS readers, giving users control over what they see.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Power users managing 50+ content sources, especially those tired of YouTube Shorts flooding their feeds.
Core Feature Unified feed dashboard with AI‑driven filtering (Shorts detection, live‑stream hide), watch‑later queue, cross‑platform support.
Tech Stack Full‑stack (Django + React), Celery for background tasks, Redis for caching, deployment on Docker/K8s.
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Tiered subscription ($7/mo basic, $15/mo pro with AI custom rules).

Notes

  • Directly tackles multiple concerns: Shorts overload (Stupid script comment), live‑stream filtering (eowln), and the desire for a better desktop experience (sheept).
  • Could leverage community‑sourced rules (e.g., “no /shorts/ URLs”) and offer a plugin system for advanced users.
  • Appeals to the broader dissatisfaction expressed by several commenters about YouTube’s algorithmic control and the need for competition.

Read Later