Adding author context to RSS

By Jon Henshaw — Posted on May 2, 2026.

RSS, ATOM, and JSON feeds may be getting a much-needed update to the spec with the addition of Byline, which provides structured identity (AKA: author details) for syndication feeds.

Byline was created by Terry Godier, maker of Sourcefeed and Current, because he wanted feeds to include more details about the author, further enhancing the reading experience in his RSS reader app.

These are the key elements Godier would like added:

Author Definition

The author is defined once at the feed level with an id that can be referenced by items.

Context

The context element provides a human-readable bio. Keep it under 280 characters and focus on relevant information: who you are, what you do, and what readers can expect.

Perspective

Each item can have its own perspective. In this example, the first post is personal (opinion/experience) while the second is a review.

Theme

The author specifies preferred colors and style. Feed readers may use these for subtle visual customization like author card borders or accent colors.

Proposed RSS shape

<byline:contributors>
  <byline:person id="annie">
    <byline:name>Annie Park</byline:name>
    <byline:context>Designer and photographer based in Portland. Previously design lead at Figma. I write about creative tools, process, and the indie web.</byline:context>
    <byline:url>https://annie.example.com</byline:url>
    <byline:avatar>https://annie.example.com/avatar.jpg</byline:avatar>
    <byline:profile href="https://mastodon.social/@annie" rel="mastodon"/>
    <byline:profile href="https://github.com/anniepark" rel="github"/>
    <byline:now>https://annie.example.com/now</byline:now>
    <byline:uses>https://annie.example.com/uses</byline:uses>
    <byline:theme color="#4A90A4" accent="#FF6B6B" style="light"/>
  </byline:person>
</byline:contributors>

The spec is under consideration and is expected to be accepted and published for use before or by the end of this year.

Learn more at bylinespec.org.

Additional context (from bylinespec.org at fetch time)

bylinespec.org frames the problem as "the context problem" — diverse content types (personal blogs, corporate releases, journalism, satire) appear identical in feed readers; the reader has to remember who someone is and what kind of post this is.

Design principles called out on the spec site:

• Progressive enhancement — feeds without Byline keep working.
• Decentralized identity — URIs and IndieWeb conventions; no central registries.
• Format-agnostic — same model for RSS 2.0, Atom, and JSON Feed.
• Privacy-respecting — no tracking; pseudonymous identities supported.

License: CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication). Maintainer: Terry Godier. Companion tools: validator and generator.