RSS Control - ChoosePlugin.com

Control your sites RSS feeds with additional query param options.

Author:	Matt Pramschufer (profile at wordpress.org)
WordPress version required:	4.0
WordPress version tested:	6.7.5
Plugin version:	4.0.0
Added to WordPress repository:	24-09-2019
Last updated:	21-03-2026
Rating, %:	100
Rated by:	1
Plugin URI:	https://emoxie.com/plugins/rss-control
Total downloads:	7 336
Active installs:	300+
Click to start download

RSS Control is a powerful WordPress plugin that allows you to control and customize your RSS feeds through URL query parameters. These work on all feed types including the main feed, category feeds, tag feeds, and more.

Free features include filtering by category, tag, post type, date range, post IDs, and offset. You can also control excerpts, display featured images with custom styling, and include post titles in descriptions.

Premium features add support for custom taxonomy filtering, specialized feed formats (Google Publisher Center, Google News Showcase, NextDoor, Meta Commerce), call-to-action buttons, primary category output control, custom sort ordering, and a visual Feed URL Generator in the admin.

Example

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?cat=89&days_past=7&show_images=true&image_styles=border:4px; border-color:#000; float:left;

The example above will show posts from category 89 from the past 7 days. It will show featured images with a 4px black border floated to the left.

Free Options

cat

Filter by category ID. Can be a single ID or comma-separated list. Prefix with - to exclude. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#category-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?cat=-3,10,22
The use of the NEGATIVE in front of the category ID says DO NOT INCLUDE posts from category 3.

category_name

Filter by category slug. Can be a single slug or comma-separated list. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#category-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?category_name=apples,bananas

category_not_in

Exclude posts from specified category IDs. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#category-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?category_not_in=3,10
Display posts that are not in category ids 3 and 10.

tag

Filter by tag ID. Can be a single ID or comma-separated list. Prefix with - to exclude. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#tag-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?tag=-3,10,22
The use of the NEGATIVE in front of the tag ID says DO NOT INCLUDE posts from tag 3.

tag_not_in

Exclude posts with specified tag IDs. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#tag-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?tag_not_in=3,10
Display posts that do not have any of the two tag ids 3 and 10.

post_in

Display specific posts by ID in the order specified. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#post-page-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?post_in=3,10,22
The order in which you add posts is the order in which they will appear in the feed.

post_type

Filter by post type. Can be a single post type or comma-separated list. Common types include post, page, attachment, or any custom post type slug. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#post-type-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?post_type=page
https://yourdomain.com/feed/?post_type=post,page
Default is “post”.

offset

Skip a number of posts from the beginning of the feed. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#pagination-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?offset=3
This will skip the 3 latest posts and start the feed with post 4.

days_past

Show posts from the past X number of days only.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?days_past=7
This will display the posts from the last 7 days in a feed.

show_images

Display the featured image in the content of the RSS feed.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?show_images=true
This will display featured image in the content of the RSS feed. The default image size is 696×385.

image_width

Set the width for the featured image. Requires show_images=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?show_images=true&image_width=300
This will set the inline style of the image to have width: 300px.

image_height

Set the height for the featured image. Requires show_images=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?show_images=true&image_height=300
This will set the inline style of the image to have height: 300px.

image_size_unit

Set the image size unit for the featured image (px, em, %, fr, etc). Requires show_images=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?show_images=true&image_width=100&image_size_unit=%
This will set the inline style of the image to have a width of 100%.

image_styles

Set additional inline CSS styles on the featured image. These come before the width & height. Requires show_images=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?show_images=true&image_styles=border:4px; border-color:#000; float:left;
This will set the inline style of the image to have a black border of 4px and float the image to the left.

excerpt_length

Control the length of the excerpt in number of WORDS.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?excerpt_length=20
This will return all feed items with the content of only 20 words.

excerpt_more_text

Set the text that appears when content is truncated. Normally it is either […] or …

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?excerpt_length=20&excerpt_more_text=%5B…Read%20More%5D
This will return all feed items with the content of only 20 words ending with […Read More].

include_title_in_description

Include the post title in the feed description/content, wrapped in an HTML tag.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?include_title_in_description=true
This will return all feed items with the title present in the description.

title_tag

Change the HTML tag that wraps the title. Requires include_title_in_description=true. DO NOT include the < or >, just the tag name.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?include_title_in_description=true&title_tag=div
This will wrap the title in a div tag instead of the default h1.

title_styles

Apply inline CSS styles to the title tag. Requires include_title_in_description=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?include_title_in_description=true&title_tag=div&title_styles=float:left;%20margin-right:30px;%20border:1px%20solid%20red;
This will apply the styles inline to the title tag.

Premium Options

orderby

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Sort feed posts by a specified field. Common values: title, date, menu_order, ID, author. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#order-orderby-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?orderby=title
Default is “date” (by publish date).

order

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Set the sort order to ascending or descending. See https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#order-orderby-parameters

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?order=ASC
Default is “DESC”.

current_month

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Show only posts from the current month.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?current_month=true
This will display only posts from the current month in the feed.

disable_excerpt

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Remove all content/excerpt from feed items entirely.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?disable_excerpt=true
This will remove the excerpt/content from all feed items.

td_primary_cat

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Filter posts by TagDiv Primary Category. This queries posts where the primary category (set by TagDiv themes/plugins) matches the specified category ID.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?td_primary_cat=53
Only works with posts that have the TagDiv primary category meta data set. Accepts a single category ID.

only_primary_category

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Show only the primary category in the feed’s category nodes instead of all categories. Supports TagDiv, Yoast SEO, and RankMath primary category plugins. If no primary category is set, falls back to the first category.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?only_primary_category=tagdiv
https://yourdomain.com/feed/?only_primary_category=yoast
https://yourdomain.com/feed/?only_primary_category=rankmath
This modifies the category output in the feed, not the post query.

taxonomy

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Filter by custom taxonomy slug. Must be used with taxonomy_term or taxonomy_term_not_in. You can NOT use negative IDs in taxonomy filtering.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?taxonomy=genres&taxonomy_term=2

For filtering by multiple taxonomies simultaneously, use indexed parameters (1 through 10):

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?taxonomy_1=position&taxonomy_term_1=3350&taxonomy_2=region&taxonomy_term_2=2702

taxonomy_term

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Specify term IDs to include. Can be a single ID or comma-separated list. Must be used with the taxonomy parameter. For multiple taxonomies, use indexed parameters (taxonomy_term_1, taxonomy_term_2, etc.).

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?taxonomy=genres&taxonomy_term=2

taxonomy_term_not_in

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Exclude posts with specified taxonomy terms. Can be a single ID or comma-separated list. Must be used with the taxonomy parameter. For multiple taxonomies, use indexed parameters (taxonomy_term_not_in_1, taxonomy_term_not_in_2, etc.).

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?taxonomy=genres&taxonomy_term=2&taxonomy_term_not_in=1
https://yourdomain.com/feed/?taxonomy_1=position&taxonomy_term_not_in_1=3350,3347&taxonomy_2=region&taxonomy_term_not_in_2=2702

image_thumbnail_size

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Use a specific WordPress image size instead of manually setting width and height. Adds the image as a media:content element in the feed.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?show_images=true&image_thumbnail_size=medium
This will use the medium size image for all featured images. Only valid WordPress thumbnail sizes are supported (thumbnail, medium, large, or custom registered sizes). If the size is not found, the full size image will be used.

include_button

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Add a call-to-action button below the excerpt that links to the post.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?include_button=true
This will output a button that says “Read More”.

button_text

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Change the button text from “Read More” to whatever you would like. Requires include_button=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?include_button=true&button_text=Click%20Me

button_styles

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Apply inline CSS styles to the button container. Requires include_button=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?include_button=true&button_styles=border-radius:200px;%20background-color:%23e1005f;%20margin-top:20px;
Please note that if you are using colors like #000 then you will need to encode the # symbol as %23.

button_text_styles

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Apply inline CSS styles to the button text. Requires include_button=true.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?include_button=true&button_text_styles=font-size:%2018px;
Please note that if you are using colors like #000 then you will need to encode the # symbol as %23.

type

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Specify a specialized RSS feed format for different platforms. Supported types: gpc, gns, nextdoor, meta-commerce.

Google Publisher Center (gpc):

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?type=gpc
Adds the Media RSS namespace, creates full content in the content:encoded section, and adds featured image as a media:content element.

Google News Showcase (gns):

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?type=gns
Adds the required Google News Showcase namespace and elements.

NextDoor Newsroom (nextdoor):

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?type=nextdoor
Formats the feed for NextDoor News with media elements and featured image support.

Meta Commerce (meta-commerce):

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?type=meta-commerce
Uses Google Shopping feed format for Meta Shopping campaigns. Articles are formatted as “products” with static values (availability=”in stock”, condition=”new”). Use meta_price and meta_currency to set the price (defaults to “0.00 USD”). Works with all other RSS Control parameters.

meta_price

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Set the price value for Meta Commerce feed items. Used in the g:price element. Must be used with type=meta-commerce.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?type=meta-commerce&meta_price=9.99
Default is “0.00”.

meta_currency

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM VERSION

Set the currency code for Meta Commerce feed items (e.g. USD, CAD, EUR, GBP). Used in the g:price element. Must be used with type=meta-commerce.

Example:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/?type=meta-commerce&meta_price=9.99&meta_currency=CAD
Default is “USD”.

All feed types can also be accessed via direct URL:

https://yourdomain.com/feed/gpc/
https://yourdomain.com/feed/gns/
https://yourdomain.com/feed/nextdoor/
https://yourdomain.com/feed/meta-commerce/

Premium Admin Features

The premium version includes the following admin tools, found under Tools > RSS Control:

Feed URL Generator – Visual form to build feed URLs by selecting parameters from dropdowns and inputs. Features AJAX-powered search for posts, categories, tags, and post types. Generates a ready-to-use URL with copy and open buttons.
Feed Preview – Live preview of any feed URL showing the title, first 5 items, detected namespaces, media elements, and images.
Parameter Documentation – Filterable reference for all query parameters with examples, grouped by category.

Screenshots
FAQ
ChangeLog

4.0.0

FEATURE – Added post_type parameter for filtering by custom post types
FEATURE – Added indexed taxonomy parameters (taxonomy_1 through taxonomy_10) for multiple simultaneous taxonomy filtering
PREMIUM FEATURE – Added Meta Commerce feed type for Meta Shopping campaigns
PREMIUM FEATURE – Added meta_price and meta_currency parameters for Meta Commerce feeds
PREMIUM FEATURE – Added TagDiv Primary Category Filter (td_primary_cat parameter)
PREMIUM FEATURE – Added Primary Category Output Control (only_primary_category parameter) with support for TagDiv, Yoast SEO, and RankMath
BUG FIX – Fixed tag parameter not working with tag IDs (now uses tax_query approach)
BUG FIX – Fixed category_name parameter causing 404 errors
BUG FIX – Fixed category_name dropdown to use slugs instead of IDs
BUG FIX – Fixed empty channel link in custom feed templates (GPC, Nextdoor, Meta Commerce) caused by Yoast SEO filter conflict
UPDATE – Moved admin interface from Settings menu to Tools menu
UPDATE – AJAX-powered dropdowns with search capability in feed builder
UPDATE – Indexed taxonomy filter support
UPDATE – Major architecture overhaul and code optimization
UPDATE – Upgraded all composer dependencies
UPDATE – Improved excerpt_length test reliability

3.0.16

PREMIUM FEATURE – Fixed bug where if using post_image_size it would duplicate the images in the content.

3.0.15

PREMIUM FEATURE – Added a specific feed for NextDoor News
PREMIUM FEATURE – Added in new filter rss_control_include_media_namespaces which returns true by default, but if there are other plugins like RankMath that include the media namespaces you can disable this.
UPDATE – Added additional fallback logic for posts that did not have a featured image.

3.0.14

UPDATE – Updated all third-party vendor packages

3.0.13

FEATURE – Added in the option to generate a rss feed based on specific posts

3.0.12

FEATURE – Added option to pass category slugs into query string in addition to category IDs.
UPDATE – Updated all third-party libraries.

3.0.11

UPDATE – Updated all third-party libraries.

3.0.10

UPDATE – Updated all third-party libraries.

3.0.9

FEATURE – Added in Google News Showcase support for Premium users.

3.0.8

UPDATE – Updated third-party vendor libraries to latest versions.

3.0.7

FEATURE – Added ability to filter posts just for current month.
FEATURE – Added images as media elements

3.0.6

UPDATE – Removed the source=news.google.com parameter from GPC feeds as Google now no longer allows this.

3.0.5

FEATURE – Added ability to change the order and order by values
FEATURE – Added the ability to remove the excerpt
UPDATE – Updated to latest version of vendor packages

3.0.4

UPDATE – Google Analytics will not track encoded UTM variables, and without encoding the variables the RSS feeds will be invalid, so we are forced to remove the UTM tracking from feed URL and replace with a single ?source=news.google.com instead.

3.0.3

BUG FIX – Updated UTM parameters in feed URLs to not be encoded. Previously urls with UTM variables were being encoded which didn’t allow for them to be picked up properly.

3.0.2

BUG FIX – Fixed issue with image_thumbnail_size on edge case setups.

3.0.1

BUG FIX – Fixed issue when using tag__not_in and category__not_in.

3.0.0

UPDATE – Major Overhaul includes updated how-to section and optimized code.
FEATURE – Implemented RSS Feed URL Generator for Premium Users
UPDATE – Updated all vendor libraries to their latest versions

2.0.12

UPDATE – Automatically append UTM variables to permalinks when using the GPC feed type.
UPDATE – Updated third-party vendor libraries.

2.0.11

UPDATE – Updated admin help docs to include link to urlencoder.org
UPDATE – Added a default 10px margin top to email buttons.

2.0.10

FEATURE – Added the ability to filter feed by custom taxonomies
FEATURE – Added the ability to include a button to rss excerpts
UPDATE – Updated to latest Freemius SDK

2.0.9

FEATURE – Added the ability to specify type of feed for Google Publisher Console.
FEATURE – Added in extra options for GPC feeds, namespaces, media elements, and full content

2.0.8

UPDATE – Updated to the latest Freemius SDK

2.0.7

UPDATE – Updated to the latest Freemius SDK

2.0.6

UPDATE – Updated to the latest Freemius SDK
BUG FIX – Fixed php warnings messages

2.0.5

UPDATE – When displaying title in description include the permalink to link back to post
BUG FIX – Adjusted priority on filter to account for when excerpt length and title in description are both active.

2.0.4

FEATURE – Added in ability to include title in description
FEATURE – Added in ability to change tag wrapping title
FEATURE – Added in ability to apply inline styles to title tag
UPDATE – Updated to latest Freemius SDK

2.0.3

FEATURE – Added in ability to set the excerpt length
FEATURE – Added in ability to set the more text when excerpts get truncated

2.0.2

Implemented Freemius

2.0.1

Initial WP.org version created and pushed to public

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