X algorithm shakeup: small-account boost now covers 50K followers, but the golden window shrinks from 48 hours to 2
ThePeterMick · x · 2026-10-02
A creator who reverse-engineers X's open-source algorithm daily with Claude reports that the fresh posts pool is now live, alongside a same-day rebuild of the small account boost:
- Fresh posts pool ON: every For You refresh can pull up to 200 posts that are under 8 likes, under 500 views, and less than 2 hours old — brand-new posts finally get their own lane.
- Small account boost widened: accounts up to 50,000 followers (was 1,000) can get one fresh original lifted to 16th place in a feed.
- Window slashed: post must be under 2 hours old (was 48) with under 200 home-feed views (was 1,000).
- Winner picked by like rate: X scores how many early viewers liked the post, adds randomness, and picks from the top two — your first viewers decide a lot.
- What's next: a new "similar to recent engagement" retrieval mechanism is built but switched off; if enabled, clearly topical posts win.
Actionable takeaways include: post when your audience is online; lead with your best material; hold readers 10+ seconds (0.4 weight); copy-link shares are the system's biggest number (20); mutuals' replies jump from 5 to 20; a second post in the same feed only counts 62%.
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