MonitoRSS is an advanced bot that monitors websites, blogs, and media channels for updates (RSS feeds) and automatically posts them to your Discord channels.
Formerly known as Discord.RSS, this open-source tool allows communities to build a centralized “Information Hub.” Whether you need the latest game patch notes, tech news from Silicon Valley, or updates from your favorite YouTuber, MonitoRSS delivers it all automatically.
🌏 Why MonitoRSS? (The “Information Hub” Culture)
This bot is particularly favored in tech and gaming communities in New Zealand (NZ), Australia, and North America, where staying updated is part of the culture.
1. Overcoming the “Information Gap”
For users in timezones like NZ, major news often breaks while they are asleep. MonitoRSS acts as a 24/7 automated collector, ensuring that when you wake up, the “Patch Notes” or “Market Crash” news is already waiting for you in the server.
2. Active Curation
Instead of passively scrolling social media, admins use MonitoRSS to curate high-quality sources. By filtering specific keywords (e.g., only posting articles that mention “Cybersecurity”), they turn a Discord channel into a highly valuable news feed that users trust more than their own Twitter timeline.
⚙️ Key Features
MonitoRSS is powerful because of its backend logic.
🔄 Automated Polling
It checks your registered URLs (RSS/Atom feeds) every 10–15 minutes. If a new article exists, it posts it.
🔍 Advanced Filtering
The killer feature. You can tell the bot:
- “Only post if the title contains ‘Update’.”
- “Do not post if the category is ‘Rumors’.”
This drastically reduces noise and spam.
🖥️ Web Control Panel
Forget complex commands. You manage everything through a visual Web Dashboard, making it easy to format how the message looks (bolding titles, adding images, tagging roles).
💻 Essential Command List
While the dashboard is recommended, these Slash Commands (/) are useful for quick management.
| Command | Description |
| /rss add [URL] | Adds a new feed to the current channel. |
| /rss list | Shows all active feeds in the channel. |
| /rss remove | Opens a menu to delete a feed. |
| /dashboard | Best Command. Generates a link to the Web Control Panel. |
| /rss test | Forces the bot to post the latest article (to check formatting). |
🚀 Setup Tutorial: Using the Dashboard
For the best experience, use the Web Panel to set up a filtered news feed.
Step 1: Invite the Bot
Visit the MonitoRSS website and invite it.
- Permissions: It needs “Send Messages” and “Embed Links.”
Step 2: Access the Dashboard
Type /dashboard in Discord and click the link to log in. Select your server.
Step 3: Add a Feed
- Feed URL: Paste the RSS link of the site (e.g., https://www.theverge.com/rss/index.xml).
- Channel: Select the Discord channel where news should appear.
- Click Add.
Step 4: Customize the Message
By default, it just posts a link. Make it professional in the Message tab:
- Format:
Markdown
**{title}** - Published: {date}
- {link}
The bot will replace {title} with the actual article headline.
Step 5: Add Filters (Optional)
If you only want news about “Pokemon”:
- Go to the Filters tab.
- Category: Article Title.
- Type: Includes.
- Term: Pokemon.
Now, the bot will ignore any article that doesn’t mention Pokemon in the title.
❓ FAQ: Troubleshooting
Q: Can it track Twitter (X)?
A: It is complicated.
Due to Twitter API changes, free Twitter tracking is limited or disabled. For Twitter specifically, consider a dedicated bot like TweetShift.
Q: Can it track YouTube?
A: Yes.
Just paste the YouTube channel URL. The bot usually auto-detects the RSS feed. Note that YouTube updates may have a delay (30+ mins).
Q: Notifications are slow.
A: The free tier polls every 10–15 minutes.
It is not instant. If you need second-by-second speed (e.g., for stock trading), you need a paid tier or a Webhook-based solution.
Q: Can I translate articles to another language?
A: No.
MonitoRSS posts the raw text from the feed. You would need a separate translation bot to react to the post.
Q: I don’t know the RSS URL.
A: Use a Browser Extension.
Extensions like “Get RSS Feed URL” for Chrome can detect if a site has a hidden RSS feed.
🌟 Admin Tips: Preventing Spam
A news bot can easily become annoying if not managed well.
- Create Dedicated Channels: Use #tech-news or #game-updates. Never mix news with general chat.
- Don’t @everyone: Use the Dashboard to set up mentions for specific roles only (e.g., @Overwatch Players for patch notes).
- Use Filters: The difference between a “Spam Bot” and a “God Tier Bot” is filtering. Only posting “Major Updates” makes your server a valuable resource.
Next Step for You: Invite MonitoRSS, type /dashboard, and set up your first feed from your favorite news site!