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RSS Ninja Tutorial

Learn how to use RSS Ninja - your personal RSS feed reader for Firefox

Contents

1. Getting Started 2. Adding Feeds 3. Reading Articles 4. Right-Click Menu 5. Using Filters 6. View Modes 7. Categories & Subfolders 8. Import & Export

1 Getting Started

RSS Ninja lives in your browser's sidebar. The My Feeds panel contains all your controls:

Header
Focus Mode - Hide the footer to maximize feed viewing space
Theme Toggle - Switch between light and dark mode
Sign Out - Log out of your account
Main
Manage Feeds + Categories - Open the management page to add feeds, organize categories, and import/export
Actions
All Read Mark all articles as read
Refresh Check all feeds for new articles
Find Feeds Auto-detect RSS feeds on the current webpage
Feeds
All Feeds - View articles from all your subscriptions
Categories - Expandable groups containing related feeds
Individual Feeds - Click to view articles, right-click for options

2 Adding Feeds

Method 1: Manual URL

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories
  2. Paste the RSS feed URL
  3. Click Add Feed

Method 2: Auto-Detect

  1. Visit a website in your browser
  2. Click Find Feeds in the sidebar
  3. RSS Ninja will detect available feeds
  4. Click a detected feed to add it

3 Reading Articles

  1. Click a feed name in the sidebar to open its articles
  2. Click an article card to read the full content
  3. Use the star icon to save articles for later
  4. Toggle Hide Read to focus on unread articles
  5. Click Mark All Read to clear all unread indicators

Tip: Articles are automatically marked as read when you open them.

4 Right-Click Menu Options

Feed Menu

Right-click any feed in the sidebar to access these options:

Move Up / Move Down

Reorder feeds in the sidebar by moving them up or down in the list.

Enable/Disable Notifications

Get browser notifications when new articles arrive. Priority feeds show a bell icon.

Rename Feed

Give the feed a custom name. Your name won't be overwritten by automatic updates.

  1. Right-click the feed
  2. Select "Rename Feed"
  3. Enter the new name
  4. Click Save

Refresh Feed Info

Re-fetch the feed's original title and icon from the source. This also resets any custom name.

Remove Feed

Permanently delete the feed and all its articles. This cannot be undone.

Article Menu

Right-click any article card in the reader to access these options:

Mark Older as Read

Mark this article and all older articles as read. Perfect for catching up on a feed quickly.

Mark as Read

Mark just this single article as read. A green checkmark will appear on the card.

Mark as Unread

Mark a read article as unread again. The checkmark will be removed and the card will return to full opacity.

5 Using Filters

Use the filter buttons in the sidebar to quickly find articles:

Today Articles published today
Unread Articles you haven't read yet
Starred Articles you've saved

Tip: Click a filter to activate it, click again to deactivate.

6 View Modes

Choose how articles are displayed using the buttons at the bottom of the sidebar:

Default

Full cards with images, titles, and descriptions. Best for visual browsing.

Grid

Magazine-style layout with large images. Great for image-heavy feeds.

Compact

Smaller cards with less spacing. Fits more articles on screen at once.

List

Minimal list showing titles only. Perfect for quickly scanning headlines.

7 Categories & Feed Manager

Organize your feeds into categories and subfolders. Access the manager by clicking Manage Feeds + Categories.

Create a Category

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories
  2. Go to the Categories tab
  3. Type a name in the input field
  4. Leave "Parent Folder" as Top Level
  5. Click Create Category

Create a Subfolder

  1. Go to the Categories tab
  2. Type a name for the subfolder
  3. Select a parent category from the Parent Folder dropdown
  4. Click Create Category

Subfolders appear nested inside their parent category with an orange folder icon.

Add Feed to Category

  1. When adding a new feed, select a category from the dropdown
  2. Or use the feed manager to assign existing feeds
  3. Feeds can be added to parent categories or subfolders

Delete a Category

  1. Click the delete button next to the category name
  2. Feeds in that category will move to "Uncategorized"
Nesting
RSS Ninja supports 2 levels of folder hierarchy:
Parent Category → Subfolder → Feeds
Sidebar
Click the chevron arrow to expand/collapse categories and subfolders.
Unread counts aggregate across all nested feeds.

Tip: Click "All in [Category]" to view articles from all feeds in that category, including subfolders.

8 Import & Export

RSS Ninja supports two formats for backing up and transferring your feeds:

OPML Format

Standard format compatible with most RSS readers (Feedly, Inoreader, etc.)

Import OPML

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories
  2. Go to the Categories tab
  3. Click Import OPML
  4. Select your .opml or .xml file
  5. Feeds and categories will be imported automatically

Export OPML

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories
  2. Go to the Categories tab
  3. Click Export OPML
  4. Save the .opml file to your computer

Includes: Feed URLs, titles, and category structure

JSON Format

Full backup format - includes all RSS Ninja data and settings

Import JSON

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories
  2. Go to the Categories tab
  3. Click Import JSON
  4. Select your .json backup file
  5. All data will be restored including articles and read states

Export JSON

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories
  2. Go to the Categories tab
  3. Click Export JSON
  4. Save the .json file to your computer

Includes: Feeds, categories, articles, read/unread status, starred items, custom names, and settings

Tip: Use OPML to transfer feeds between different RSS apps. Use JSON for full RSS Ninja backups or syncing between browsers.

Migrating from Feedbro

Easily transfer all your feeds and folders from Feedbro to RSS Ninja using the OPML format - a universal standard supported by both extensions.

1 Export from Feedbro

First, export your feeds from Feedbro as an OPML file:

Steps to Export

  1. Click the Feedbro icon in your browser toolbar
  2. Select Open Feed Reader
  3. Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner
  4. Go to Backup & Restore
  5. Click Export feeds as OPML
  6. Save the file to your computer (e.g., feedbro-feeds.opml)

Tip: Keep the exported file somewhere easy to find - you'll need it in the next step.

2 Import into RSS Ninja

Now import your feeds into RSS Ninja:

Steps to Import

  1. Click the RSS Ninja icon in your browser toolbar
  2. Click the gear icon to open settings
  3. Go to Manage Feeds + Categories
  4. Scroll down to the Import / Export section
  5. Click Import OPML
  6. Select the .opml file you exported from Feedbro
  7. Wait for the import to complete

Tip: RSS Ninja will automatically create categories based on your Feedbro folder structure.

3 What Gets Transferred

Here's what transfers when you migrate via OPML:

Included in Transfer

Yes All feed subscriptions (URLs and titles)
Yes Folder structure (converted to RSS Ninja categories)

Not Included

No Read/unread article status
No Starred/saved articles
No Filter rules
No Feedbro-specific settings

4 Troubleshooting

Some feeds failed to import?

The feed URL may be temporarily unavailable or the site may have removed their RSS feed. RSS Ninja will still add these feeds - they'll fetch articles on the next refresh when available.

Seeing duplicate feeds?

RSS Ninja automatically detects and skips feeds you've already subscribed to. If you see duplicates, they may have slightly different URLs in each app.

Categories look different?

RSS Ninja supports 2 levels of folder nesting. Deeply nested Feedbro folders will be flattened to fit this structure.

RSS Ninja for Thunderbird

The same powerful RSS reader, built natively for Thunderbird. A full email-style split screen layout that feels right at home in your mail client.

Contents

1. Getting Started 2. The Split Screen Layout 3. Adding Feeds 4. Reading Articles 5. Right-Click Menu 6. Categories & Subfolders 7. Theme Control 8. Import & Export

1 Getting Started

RSS Ninja for Thunderbird opens as a full tab inside Thunderbird, just like your inbox.

Opening RSS Ninja

  1. Click the RSS Ninja icon in the Thunderbird toolbar
  2. RSS Ninja opens as a new tab (or activates the existing tab if already open)
  3. Sign in with your RSS Ninja account to get started

Tip: RSS Ninja will never open duplicate tabs. Clicking the icon always takes you to your existing session.

2 The Split Screen Layout

RSS Ninja for Thunderbird uses an email-style layout with two panels side by side:

Left Panel
Your feed list - categories, individual feeds, filters, and action buttons. Always visible while you read.
Right Panel
The reader area - displays articles, the manage page, or the help page. Changes based on what you select.
Welcome
When no feed is selected, the right panel shows a welcome state with "Select a feed to start reading".

Tip: The left panel stays fixed at 380px. The right panel expands to fill the remaining space.

3 Adding Feeds

Method 1: Manual URL

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories in the left panel
  2. The manage page opens in the right panel
  3. Paste the RSS feed URL and click Add Feed

Method 2: Auto-Detect

  1. Click Find Feeds in the left panel
  2. Enter a website URL
  3. RSS Ninja will detect available feeds
  4. Click a detected feed to add it

4 Reading Articles

  1. Click a feed name in the left panel to load its articles in the right panel
  2. Click an article card to read the full content
  3. Use the star icon to save articles for later
  4. Toggle Hide Read to focus on unread articles
  5. Click Mark All Read to clear all unread indicators
Filters
Use Today Unread Starred in the left panel to quickly filter articles.

Tip: When you close the manage page, RSS Ninja returns to the last feed you were reading.

5 Right-Click Menu

Right-click feeds or articles for quick actions:

Feed Menu

Move Up / Move Down

Reorder feeds in the sidebar by moving them up or down in the list.

Enable/Disable Notifications

Get desktop notifications when new articles arrive. Priority feeds show a bell icon.

Rename Feed

Give the feed a custom name. Your name won't be overwritten by automatic updates.

Refresh Feed Info / Remove Feed

Re-fetch the feed's original title and icon, or permanently delete the feed and all its articles.

Article Menu

Mark Older as Read / Mark as Read / Mark as Unread

Quickly manage read status on individual articles or catch up on a feed by marking older articles as read.

6 Categories & Subfolders

Organise your feeds into categories and subfolders. Click Manage Feeds + Categories to open the manager in the right panel.

Create a Category

  1. Go to the Categories tab in the manage page
  2. Type a name in the input field
  3. Leave "Parent Folder" as Top Level
  4. Click Create Category

Create a Subfolder

  1. Type a name for the subfolder
  2. Select a parent category from the Parent Folder dropdown
  3. Click Create Category
Nesting
RSS Ninja supports 2 levels of folder hierarchy:
Parent Category → Subfolder → Feeds

Tip: Changes made in the manage page are instantly reflected in the left panel feed list.

7 Theme Control

RSS Ninja for Thunderbird controls the entire application theme, not just the extension UI.

Toggle
Click the theme toggle button in the top-right of the left panel to switch between light and dark mode.
Light Mode
Resets Thunderbird to its default light theme. Clean white backgrounds across the entire app.
Dark Mode
Applies a full dark theme to Thunderbird's toolbar, tabs, sidebar, popups, and the RSS Ninja interface.

Tip: Your theme preference is saved and automatically applied when Thunderbird starts.

8 Import & Export

RSS Ninja for Thunderbird supports the same import and export formats as the Firefox version:

OPML Format

Standard format compatible with most RSS readers (Feedly, Inoreader, etc.)

Import / Export OPML

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories (opens in right panel)
  2. Go to the Categories tab
  3. Click Import OPML or Export OPML

Includes: Feed URLs, titles, and category structure

JSON Format

Full backup format - includes all RSS Ninja data and settings

Import / Export JSON

  1. Click Manage Feeds + Categories (opens in right panel)
  2. Go to the Categories tab
  3. Click Import JSON or Export JSON

Includes: Feeds, categories, articles, read/unread status, starred items, custom names, and settings

Tip: The file picker works reliably in the Thunderbird tab layout - no popups to worry about closing.