How the X Algorithm Actually Works
What Changed in This Update
The five things creators need to know about the May 15, 2026 rewrite.
Scrolling past your post is now a penalty
The algorithm added a new negative signal called not_dwelled. If someone sees your post and scrolls past without stopping, that now actively hurts your score. Before, scrolling past was neutral. Now it's a downvote.
Click and stay — not just click
The algorithm used to score a click into your thread or article. Now it also tracks how long someone stays after that click — a new continuous signal called cont_click_dwell_time. The longer they read, the bigger the boost.
Quote-tweet video views now count
If you quote-post a video and someone watches the video inside your quote, that's a brand-new tracked signal called quoted_vqv. Previously only the original video poster got that signal. Now you do too.
Grok is screening posts before they enter the feed
X added a whole new system called "grox" — a Grok-powered classifier that pre-screens posts for viral quality, safety, and spam before they're eligible for ranking. They literally named one of the classifiers BangerInitialScreen. It rates posts 0 to 1 on "banger" quality using vision and language models.
The feed is no longer just posts
The new "Blender" component now decides how to interleave your posts with ads, Who-To-Follow modules, prompts (UI cards), and "Push-To-Home" pins from notifications. There's a feature switch toggling between two different ad-blending strategies. Organic posts now compete for fewer slots.
The algorithm published is still incomplete
People on X are right — this isn't the full thing. There's no Cargo.toml file (so the Rust code can't even be built). The file with the actual scoring weights (params.rs) is still missing. The new value-model reranker is a gRPC call to a service that isn't published. The Grok "banger" classifier imports a dozen internal modules that aren't in the repo. What's released is the structure and formulas — not a working system.
Do This Right Now
Six things you can do today, updated for the May 15 rewrite.
The new "scroll-past" penalty is real. If someone glances and keeps scrolling, you lose points. Your first line has to stop the thumb.
The algorithm now measures how long people stay after they click. A click that bounces in 2 seconds hurts more than no click at all.
Quote-posters now get credit for video views inside the quote. This is a brand-new signal almost nobody is exploiting yet.
Replies are still the #1 signal. End with a question or a hot take that makes people type a response.
The algorithm shows each new post from you a little less. If you drop 5 posts in an hour, the last ones barely get seen.
A few reports on one post can wipe out weeks of good engagement. It's the single most destructive signal — and the new safety classifier means it can also get you pre-screened out.
Post Formats That Work
These are reverse-engineered from the new scoring model. Two of them only work because of the May 15 changes.
The Hook-and-Hold
Step 2: Make the rest of the post or thread deliver on that hook with real substance.
Step 3: Structure the payoff so readers have to keep reading to get to it — don't dump the answer in line two.
Step 4: If you link or thread, the longer they stay, the higher the boost.
Why it works: The new algorithm penalizes posts people skip and rewards posts they linger on. Old advice was "get the like." New advice is "earn the second."
The Quote-Tweet Video Reactor
Step 2: Quote-post it with a sharp one-liner take above.
Step 3: Let people watch the embedded video — every view scores for YOU now, not just the original poster.
Step 4: End with a question that pulls replies.
Why it works: You're stacking four signals: the quote action, video views (now credited to the quoter), dwell on your take, and replies. This is the highest-density format the new algorithm allows.
The Thread Trap
Step 2: Deliver your content across 5+ posts in the thread.
Step 3: End with a call to action — "What do you think?" or "Am I wrong?"
Why it works: The algorithm tracks how long someone stays in your thread as a continuous signal — every extra second adds directly to your score. Click into thread + dwell after click both feed the model.
The DM Magnet
Step 2: Make it feel like insider info. "Most people don't know this, but..."
Step 3: Keep it short enough to forward but valuable enough that someone wants to forward it.
Why it works: People share exclusive or actionable information privately. "You need to see this" posts trigger DM shares and copy-link actions that most creators never think about. Both are scored.
How Posts Get Scored
When you open the For You feed, the algorithm collects posts from people you follow and uses AI to find posts from people you don't follow. Then it scores every post by predicting how likely you are to take 22 different actions. Here's how those actions rank.
Helps the most| What Happened | Value | Impact | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Someone replied | Very High | The strongest positive signal. Replies say "this post started a conversation." | |
| Someone quoted the post | Very High | Quote posts spread your content into someone else's audience. | |
| Someone followed you | Very High | A follow means your future posts show up in their feed without penalty. |
| Someone spent time reading it (dwell) | High | The algorithm measures how long people stop on your post. | |
| Someone stayed after clicking NEW | High | Brand-new continuous signal. Every second someone stays after clicking into a thread or article scores for you. | |
| Someone clicked your profile | High | Checking out who you are is a strong interest signal. | |
| Someone watched a video you quoted NEW | High | Brand-new signal. Quote-posters now get credit when people watch the embedded video. | |
| Someone shared it via DM | High | Sending a post privately to a friend is tracked. | |
| Someone clicked into a thread | Moderate | Opening a thread means someone wanted more. | |
| Someone clicked into a quoted post | Moderate | Clicks on the post you quoted also score for you. | |
| Someone reposted it | Moderate | Reposts help but score less than quotes or replies. | |
| Someone copied the link | Moderate | Sharing outside X is tracked too. | |
| Someone watched the video | Conditional | Only counts if the video is long enough. Short clips may not trigger this. | |
| Someone expanded a photo | Low | Tapping to enlarge an image is a small interest signal. | |
| Someone liked it | Low | Likes are easy to give, so the algorithm doesn't value them much. |
| Someone scrolled past it NEW | Negative | Brand-new penalty. Used to be neutral. Now scrolling past without stopping is a small but real downvote. | |
| Someone hit "Not Interested" | Negative | A downvote. Directly lowers your score. | |
| Someone muted you | Bad | Worse than "not interested." They never want to see you again. | |
| Someone blocked you | Very Bad | You lose that person's audience permanently. | |
| Someone reported the post | Devastating | A few reports can wipe out hundreds of likes. |
What This Actually Means
Two Rules You Need to Know
Followers see your posts first
In-network content gets full score. Everyone else gets penalized.- Posts shown to your followers compete at full strength
- Posts shown to people who don't follow you start with a penalty
- The new system has a special boost for new users — they see more out-of-network content while they build their follow graph
- Every new follower = one more person who sees you without the penalty
Posting too much at once hurts you
Each extra post from the same author gets shown less- Your first post gets full visibility. Second gets less. Third even less.
- Space your posts out through the day. Don't dump everything at once.
The Full Playbook
Everything from the quick hits above, plus the reasoning behind each one.
Hook them in the first line
New scroll-past penalty- The new algorithm penalizes posts people scroll past without stopping. This used to be neutral.
- Your first line decides whether you get penalized or rewarded. There is no third option.
- Open with a number, a contradiction, a sharp claim, or a curiosity gap. Anything that breaks the scroll.
- Boring, polite, hedged opening lines are now actively bad for your reach.
Start conversations, not broadcasts
Replies are the #1 signal- End every post with a question or a take that makes people want to respond
- Reply to your own replies. When you and a commenter go back and forth, the algorithm picks up on it
- One good reply thread is worth more than 50 likes. Stop chasing hearts.
- The first 30 minutes matter most. Get conversations started early.
Make clicks worth the click
New continuous dwell-after-click signal- The algorithm now tracks how long people stay after they click into a thread or article.
- A click that bounces in 2 seconds is worse than no click at all — you used the slot and didn't deliver.
- Front-load the payoff. Don't make people scroll past three filler tweets to find the value.
- Every additional second they stay is a continuous signal that compounds.
Quote-post videos (the new arbitrage)
quoted_vqv — brand new signal- The new algorithm gives the quote-poster credit when people watch the video inside the quote.
- This is the cleanest arbitrage in the new model. Most creators don't know it exists yet.
- Find a video that's working. Quote it with a sharp one-liner. Watch the video views score for you.
- Stack this with the quote signal, dwell on your take, and replies to your hook — four signals from one post.
Create content people want to send to friends
DM shares and link copies are scored- DM shares (share_via_dm) and copy-link actions (share_via_copy_link) are both tracked signals.
- Exclusive info, useful tips, and "you need to see this" content triggers private sharing.
- This is a signal most creators completely ignore. The algorithm rewards private distribution, not just public.
Build videos people can't scroll past
Length clears one signal, captions feed another- The algorithm has a minimum video length before it counts a "quality view." Very short clips might not trigger it.
- Most people scroll X with the sound off. Burn captions into the video — especially animated, word-by-word captions that pull the eye through every word — so silent viewers can follow along instead of swiping away.
- Captions make people read. Reading takes seconds. Those seconds are dwell time — a continuous signal in the model, meaning every extra second on your post adds directly to your score (unlike likes or replies, which are one-and-done).
- Don't autoplay-bait. Quality views matter, not just impressions.
- A 30-second captioned clip that holds the eye will outperform a 5-minute silent video people scroll past in 2 seconds.
Watch out for the Grok pre-screener
New: BangerInitialScreen + safety classifiers- X added a Grok-powered classifier that screens posts before they enter the ranking system.
- It looks at quality, safety, and a "banger" score — how viral the post looks before any engagement happens.
- AI-slop, low-effort reposts, and obvious spam may be filtered before they ever get scored.
- Quality of presentation now matters in addition to engagement after the fact.
Do not get reported
Reports are the worst thing that can happen- A small wave of reports on one post can wipe out all the good signals from weeks of posting.
- Blocks and mutes hurt too, but reports are the nuclear option.
- The new safety classifier means a reported post can also affect how the system treats your future posts.
- Provocative is fine. Reportable is not. Know the difference.
Grow your followers — it compounds
More followers = less penalty- Every new follower means one more person who sees your posts at full score instead of the penalized score.
- When someone follows you from a post, it scores high AND makes them in-network for all your future posts.
- Reaching people who don't follow you is possible, but your post has to score way higher to beat the penalty.
Want the Full Technical Breakdown?
Everything above is based on our reading of X's actual source code — the new scoring formula, the value-model reranker, the ads blender, the Grok classifier pipeline, and all 22 tracked actions. If you want to see the code-level details and what's missing from the open-source release: