# Record vendor RSS updates for review

Use Make to collect new links from one approved RSS or Atom feed. The draft records up to five items in a private Sheet. It doesn't fetch the linked article, track edits at an existing URL or recover items that have left the feed.

Version 1.1.1 contains the corrected five-module blueprint. Make accepted a clean import on 16 October 2026. Select your own Google Sheets connection in both Sheet modules. Keep scheduling off until your own setup checks pass.

## Prepare the destination

1. Create a private Google spreadsheet. Import [make-updates-header.csv](make-updates-header.csv) into a tab named **Updates**. Keep all ten headers in order.
2. Create a **new inactive** Make scenario and import [the blueprint](make-vendor-rss-review.blueprint.json). Keep existing scenarios separate.
3. Select your own Google connection in **Look for this feed and article link** and **Append review-needed source row**. The file contains no connection or private destination.
4. Open **Set your feed and private sheet**. Enter the exact approved feed URL, lowercase hostname, vendor label, spreadsheet ID and `Updates`. Leave `configured=no`.
5. Open both Sheets modules. Confirm they use that same spreadsheet and tab. Lookup column A must be `item_key` and its result limit must be one. The append module uses **Enter manually**, **A–Z**, **Unformatted: Yes**, **RAW** and **Insert rows**. Keep all ten column mappings.

The spreadsheet and tab mappings read the Setup fields. If the native picker replaces a mapping with a literal selection, keep that selection consistent with Setup. Refresh the columns after choosing your Sheet. A changed Setup value doesn't retarget a literal binding.

Make uses ordinary Tools, RSS, Google Sheets and an array aggregator. No Code/AI module or custom receiver is needed. Check your current plan allowance before testing. Runs still use platform credits and Google storage/API allowance.

## Approve the source

Use a direct feed you've checked and are allowed to retrieve. The draft accepts a lowercase HTTPS hostname and a plain path. Login details, ports, queries, fragments and encoded characters are refused. Feed and article URLs must use the exact same approved hostname. Other article hosts are skipped.

**Make's RSS module has no verified redirect or private-address control in the documentation we checked.** A hostname can resolve privately or redirect elsewhere. The text guards don't prevent that. Use only an owner-approved public source. Keep this candidate inactive if your environment requires enforced destination restrictions. This download does not provide a separate network control.

Inspect **Process data in order** after import. The blueprint requests sequential processing. Use one writer for the destination and leave automatic retries off. A timed-out Google write may already have saved its row.

## Check a separate test Sheet

Use fictional feeds you control on an approved public host. The supplied [RSS](fixtures/vendor.rss.xml) and [Atom](fixtures/vendor.atom.xml) are local examples. Replace their reserved example addresses before hosting a test feed.

| Test | Expected result |
| --- | --- |
| `configured=no` | The first guard passes no bundles. No RSS or Sheet operation follows. |
| Two new articles | Two separate lookups and two correct rows. |
| Exact feed repeated | Existing keys are found. No new rows. |
| Mixed existing/new articles | Only new keys append. Each keeps its own URL and title. |
| Duplicate article URL in one feed | One row per feed/article pair, including a later lookup seeing an earlier append. |
| Successful zero-row lookup | Search Rows reports count `0`. The aggregator keeps that explicit count in one array member. |
| Existing, missing or malformed count | The append guard blocks the row. It requires one member, a present count and text exactly `0`. |
| RSS with no raw `pubdate` | `published_at` stays blank even if the parser returns 1970. |
| Atom feed | `published_at` stays blank, including when `dateCreated` contains an `updated` fallback. |
| Formula-like title | The Sheet holds the literal text, not a calculated value. |
| More than five source items | Native RSS emits at most five items. Inspect actual bundle IDs. |
| Feed 404 or failed lookup | No new row. Earlier cells stay intact. Record the actual error. |
| Uncertain append | Inspect the Sheet before restarting the whole scenario. |

The aggregator's source is lookup 3. Keep **Stop processing after an empty aggregation** off. Select **Total number of bundles** and **Row number** in its custom output. Don't replace a failed or missing lookup with an empty result. Leave lookup errors unhandled so they stop the run before writing.

We found the old empty-array test and date assumptions failed in Make on 16 October 2026. Their original captures remain dated history. The corrected fresh-Sheet runs passed 1,270 independent checks. A separate final guard and both journals passed 472 checks. The distributed blueprint keeps `configured=no` and contains no account connection or destination. Local tests and native results are separate. See [the test record](TESTING.md).

## Read the dates

`published_at` holds Make's normalized date only when a raw RSS publication field is present. A raw marker doesn't independently validate the date or the vendor claim. The observed Atom output doesn't expose raw publication provenance, so this column stays blank for Atom. Make's `dateCreated` can contain an update date or a synthetic epoch.

`observed_at` records when the row was prepared. `checked_at` records that same intake check. Neither is a human review date. Open the source, write findings in `notes` and update `review_status` after review.

The key combines SHA-256 fingerprints of the exact feed and article URLs. An edited title at an existing URL doesn't create another row. For selected page-text changes, including a return to an earlier version, review the selected page separately.

Five current items per run isn't a complete archive. Review feed activity, allowance and missing-item behavior before changing the limit or enabling a schedule. Logs and the private Sheet hold source data. Choose their retention and review reuse rights before distributing captured text.

To stop, turn the scenario off in Make. Export records you need before removing its own test Sheet. Keep shared Google connections and unrelated records intact.

## Compare the platforms

Read [Make vs n8n](https://saasthinktank.com/make-vs-n8n/) for the published comparison. This download is a separate source-collection exercise, not a new comparison test.

## Official setup references

- [Make blueprints](https://help.make.com/blueprints)
- [Make RSS](https://apps.make.com/rss)
- [Make Google Sheets](https://apps.make.com/google-sheets)
- [Make aggregators](https://help.make.com/aggregator)
- [Make scenario settings](https://help.make.com/scenario-settings)