Podcast RSS feed rejected: invalid dates, enclosure and iTunes tag errors
Last reviewed 2026-09-19
Podcast feeds are RSS XML with extra iTunes tags. Directories are strict: dates must be RFC-822, each episode needs an enclosure with a URL, type and length, and every item should have a stable guid. Hand-edited feeds and exports from older tools often miss one of these.
Messages you might see
- “Feed validation failed / the feed could not be parsed”
- “Invalid pubDate / enclosure is missing url, type or length”
- “Missing required channel tags”
Why it happens
- XML mistakes such as an unescaped ampersand in a title.
- Dates in the wrong format.
- Enclosure tags without a type or length, or episodes without a guid.
- The iTunes namespace or explicit flag missing or malformed.
Try this first (free, no tool needed)
- Run the feed through the directory's own validator (Apple Podcasts Connect, or a public RSS validator) and read the first error only.
- Confirm each audio URL opens directly in a browser and serves an audio file.
- Keep guids stable: changing them makes apps show old episodes as new.
If that didn't work
These tools run in your browser. Your file is read and repaired on your own device and is never uploaded.
Broken Podcast RSS Feed Fixer
Fixes XML problems, adds the rss version and iTunes namespace, converts dates to RFC-822, repairs enclosure url, type and length, adds a guid to every episode and normalises itunes:explicit. Missing required channel fields, such as title or cover art, are reported, never invented.
Open Broken Podcast RSS Feed FixerCommon questions
Will it change my episode links?
It repairs the enclosure tag's attributes but does not move or re-host your audio files.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The tool runs as a program inside your own browser, so the file is read and repaired on your device and never sent to a server.