X Publishes Its Ranking Algorithm Source Code and Enables Shadowban Checks

21:26 / 13.08.2026·18·Technology

In a major step toward greater transparency in social media, X has publicly released the source code for its core ranking engine and popular “For You” algorithm. According to TechCrunch and the company, this move allows users to independently check how the platform’s systems affect their accounts or posts. This is reported by TechCrunch.com .

The company made the code for the main “For You” feed publicly available on GitHub under the Apache v2 license. Compared with previous attempts, this expansion increased the codebase by roughly 10–15 times. Model configurations, filters, and key parameters used to rank posts are now openly displayed.

Transparency and New Capabilities

According to X Vice President of Product Keith Coleman, users can not only review the code but also run the ranking system and scoring calculations themselves outside the company. This clearly shows how the platform filters rule-breaking or problematic content.

Alongside the codebase, X is introducing a special transparency tool that allows users to assess the status of their accounts. Through the “Under the Hood” page in the app settings, users who have posted more than 10 posts in the past month will be able to download their aggregated statistics as a JSON file.

AI-Powered Analysis

Users can submit the downloaded statistical data to an LLM (large language model) system of their choice.
The AI will be instructed to access X’s GitHub repository.
As a result, even nontechnical users will be able to easily understand whether any restrictions or special labels have been applied to their posts.

According to the company, the tool will initially launch in pilot mode for accounts in a test group with at least one year of history and will later be introduced to all users in stages.

External researchers have already tested the recommendation systems and successfully run outside X the numerical values calculated for each post. In the future, developers will be able to submit their fixes and updates (pull requests) through GitHub, which X engineers will review and discuss for possible integration into the algorithm.