Rill

A local-first RSS reader for macOS and Linux.

Built in Rust with GPUI and GPUI Kit. Read cached articles, search your library, and organize subscriptions without an account or server. Rill stores subscriptions, articles, reading state, rules, and briefings in local SQLite. AI, email, and connections from other RSS clients are optional. No telemetry.

Install

On macOS, install the published app with Homebrew:

brew tap Geektrovert/tap
brew install --cask rill

The cask provides architecture-matched builds for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. For Linux, follow Build and package. To build from source, see Run it locally.

Screenshots

What you can do

• 📡 Subscribe. RSS, Atom, and JSON Feed URLs, website feed discovery, folders, and feed health.
• 📖 Read. Offline articles, full-text search, read/unread markers, stars, read later, undo, selectable text, keyboard navigation, themes, and adjustable text size.
• 📰 Stay with the story. Automatic full-article extraction and a separate news window over the same library.
• ⚙️ Automate. Rules that star, mark read, or queue email for matching articles. Local digests and optional AI briefings can run on a schedule.
• 🗂️ Bring your library with you. Newsletter import from .eml files, read-only IMAP polling, OPML import/export, complete database backups, and a companion CLI.
• 🔌 Connect when you need to. Optional Google Reader/FreshRSS and Fever protocol adapters use revocable client keys.

Run it locally

Install the platform prerequisites, then start the desktop app:

cargo run --locked -p rill-desktop

For an isolated library with fictional articles, use:

cargo run --locked -p rill-desktop -- --data-dir /tmp/rill-demo --demo

Demo content is added only to an empty library. Its example URLs are placeholders. See Using Rill to add real subscriptions.

Build optimized binaries for daily use:

cargo build --locked --release --workspace

The desktop binary is target/release/rill; the companion command is target/release/rill-cli. See Build and package for a macOS application bundle or Linux archive.

Find your way around

Guide	Contents
Using Rill	Subscriptions, reading, shortcuts, automation, CLI commands, and backups
Integrations	AI, email, newsletters, sharing, and background operation
RSS client compatibility	Connection setup, supported routes, and protocol limits
Development	Toolchain, platform dependencies, packaging, and troubleshooting
Architecture	Module ownership, persistence, article loading, and background jobs
Interface	Layout, text, controls, focus, and accessibility conventions
Testing	Automated checks, native interactions, integrations, and release checks
Performance	Resource limits, profiling tools, and measurement methods

Contribute

Read CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution guidelines and SECURITY.md for privacy and vulnerability reporting. Coding agents should start with AGENTS.md.

Licensed under Apache-2.0.