RSS Feed Inspector
Debug podcast feeds, validate blog syndication, and extract metadata from any RSS or Atom URL.
For Podcasters
The HelpWalker RSS Inspector automatically looks for itunes: and media: namespaces. This helps you verify that your enclosure tags (MP3 links) and author tags are correctly formatted for Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
For Bloggers
Ensure your lastBuildDate is updating correctly so feed readers (like Feedly) can notify your subscribers of new content immediately. A valid link tag is also crucial for backlinking and SEO.
Diagnosing RSS and podcast feeds
When a feed fails, the error is rarely descriptive. A podcast directory rejects a submission, or a reader shows nothing, with no indication of which element is at fault. This inspector parses the feed, surfaces the channel metadata and item list, and reports the exact parse failure when the XML is malformed.
Feed anatomy
An RSS document has a channel element carrying feed-level metadata such as title, description, link and language, followed by item elements for each entry. Atom feeds use slightly different names, with feed and entry in place of channel and item, and this inspector reads both.
Podcast feeds are RSS with the iTunes namespace layered on top. That namespace supplies the artwork, category, explicit flag, author and episode summary that directories require. A feed can be perfectly valid RSS and still be rejected by a podcast platform for missing these.
The enclosure element carries the actual media file, with its URL, MIME type and length in bytes. An incorrect type or a length of zero causes some players to refuse the episode even when the URL works fine in a browser.
What usually breaks
A bare ampersand in a title or description is the most common failure. In XML it must be written as &, and a single raw one invalidates the entire document.
Unescaped HTML inside a description needs wrapping in CDATA, otherwise the tags are parsed as XML elements and the document collapses. Publishing systems that allow rich text in a summary field are frequent offenders.
Dates must follow RFC 822 for RSS, including the timezone. A date in a different format will not stop the feed parsing, but readers will sort your entries unpredictably.
Check the enclosure length
A byte length of zero or a wrong MIME type will stop some podcast players downloading the episode.
Artwork requirements
Most directories want square cover art of at least 1400 pixels, reachable at an absolute URL.
Validate after every change
Feeds break silently. A quick check after a template edit saves a week of missing episodes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my feed fail to parse?
Almost always an unescaped ampersand or raw HTML in a description. Ampersands need to be written as & and HTML content needs wrapping in CDATA.
What is the difference between RSS and Atom?
They are separate standards for the same job. Atom is stricter and more consistently specified; RSS is older and more widely used, particularly for podcasting.
Why will a directory not accept my podcast?
Usually a missing iTunes namespace element: artwork, category, explicit flag or author. Valid RSS is necessary but not sufficient for podcast directories.
How often do readers check a feed?
It varies by client, typically from fifteen minutes to several hours. The ttl element is a hint that many readers ignore entirely.