The Microsoft Feed Evaluation Tool helps you check that your content complies with the Feed Content Specifications.
Copy the link to your feed and navigate to https://feeds.msn.com/evaluation to get started.
Feed Configuration
The Feed Evaluation Tool will download your feed source to analyze it.
Feed Configuration Fields
URL: Enter the web address of your feed source
Specification: V3 is the latest specification. If you would like to evaluate based on an older spec, leave this field blank.
Format: RSS, ATOM, or JSON. Choose RSS or ATOM if you want to evaluate against the new V3 Spec.
Type: Article, Slideshow, or Video
Evaluate Count: Specify one of the listed numbers, or set to "All." 20 is the default.
Advanced Settings
If your feed is in a language other than English, publishes local news, requires authentication to access, or needs a UserAgent Header for ingestion to run properly, you can access those fields by clicking Advanced Settings to expand the form.
Language: Select from the drop-down list what language the feed is in, if it's other than the default (US English).
Local News: If your feed contains local news, please select "Yes" in the drop-down. "No" is the default.
Authentication: Feeds that do not require a username or password to access can leave this setting blank. If authentication is required, select the authentication type from the drop-down and then provide the necessary credentials.
Send UserAgent Header: Use this setting if needed to bypass firewalls. Most feeds do not need this, so the default is blank.
Validate the Feed
When all feed settings are properly configured, click the Validate button. The ingestion may take some time to process, up to ten minutes. A Validation Status box will appear underneath the feed configuration form. A status of Running means the ingestion is still in process. When validation is complete, the status will change to Succeeded or Failed. You can also cancel the request by pressing the Cancel button.
View the Validation Report
Once validation is complete, the tool will generate a link to the validation report. Click Share to access this link and copy it. Anyone with the link can view the report for up to ten days after the evaluation session.
Once validation is complete, the Validation Results Pane will populate with a content card for each item identified in the source feed. At the top of this pane, a color-coded tally of results will help you identify at a glance what the status of your feed items is.
Feed Item Status
Auto-Published (Green) - Items that were completely in compliance with the specifications and published successfully.
Requires Review (Yellow) - Items that potentially have quality issues and should undergo editorial review before publishing on Microsoft Start.
Failed (Red) - Items that are out of spec and should be fixed before publishing on Microsoft Start.
Skipped (Gray) - Items that were skipped, possibly because they have duplicate content IDs or contain content not supported by Microsoft Start.
Feed Item Details
Click on a piece of content to get more details about its evaluation status. To view details of embedded images or videos, select a content card and then expand the embeds tree in the navigation menu on the left.
Feed Evaluation Tool Limitations
- 1PP videos (Hosted by Microsoft News) are not processed during an evaluation session and are not previewable.
- Feed validation may take up to ten minutes
- JPEG XR Images are not supported.