Phoenix System โ€ข Open Source Algorithm

X ALGORITHM

The definitive guide to how X decides what you see โ€” and whether anyone sees you

The Core Formula

Every post competes for attention. The algorithm assigns each post a score based on predicted engagement. Higher score = shown to more people.

Post Score = ฮฃ (weight ร— P(action))

The algorithm predicts the probability you'll take each action (like, reply, repost, etc.),
then multiplies each prediction by how much X values that action.
Conversations are king. Likes are almost worthless.

๐Ÿ’ฌ
75ร—
Reply โ†’ Reply Back
When someone replies and the author replies back. This is the most valuable interaction.
๐Ÿ’ญ
13.5ร—
Direct Reply
When a user replies to your post. Worth 27ร— more than a like.
โค๏ธ
0.5ร—
Like
Likes are almost worthless. They're vanity metrics that barely move the needle.
๐Ÿšซ
-369ร—
Report
One report can destroy your reach. It wipes out 738 likes worth of positive signal.

Premium vs Free Accounts

Feature โญ Premium Free
In-network boost 4ร— 1ร—
Out-of-network boost 2ร— 1ร—
Link penalty Reduced Severe (30-50%)
Character limit 25,000 280

Engagement Weights

Not all engagement is equal. Here's exactly how much X values each action, extracted from the open-source algorithm.

๐Ÿ’ฌ
+75ร—
Reply โ†’ Author Replies
Conversations are gold. When you reply and the author engages back, it's the highest value signal.
๐Ÿ’ญ
+13.5ร—
User Replies
Direct replies to your post. Worth significantly more than passive engagement.
๐Ÿ‘ค
+12ร—
Profile Click โ†’ Engage
When someone clicks your profile then likes or replies. Deep engagement signal.
๐Ÿงต
+11ร—
Thread Click + Reply
User clicks into the conversation and participates.
โฑ๏ธ
+10ร—
Dwell Time (2+ min)
Staying in a thread for 2+ minutes. Defense against clickbait.
๐Ÿ”„
+1ร—
Retweet
Baseline amplification. Surprisingly low value compared to replies.
โค๏ธ
+0.5ร—
Like
Almost worthless. Pure vanity metric that barely moves the algorithmic needle.
๐ŸŽฌ
+0.005ร—
Video 50% Watch
Watching half a video. Video completion rate has minimal direct weight.
๐Ÿ”‡
-74ร—
Block / Mute
One block wipes out 148 likes. Avoid pissing people off.
โš ๏ธ
-369ร—
Report
Catastrophic. One report destroys 738 likes worth of signal. Be careful.

Post Lifecycle

How your post moves through the algorithm's state machine. The first 30 minutes are make-or-break.

~70% ~25% ~5% feedback loop DRAFTED Write your post INITIAL PUSH First 30 minutes โšก CRITICAL DEAD No engagement MODERATE Some traction VIRAL Multiple replies STEADY REACH ALGORITHMIC AMPLIFICATION State Legend Inactive Testing Failed Growing Succeeding Amplified
State Details
Click on any state to see details.

Content Sources

X pulls posts from two distinct systems that compete for the same feed space.

โšก
Thunder
In-Network
Posts from people you follow. Stored in real-time memory for instant retrieval. This is your core feed โ€” the people you've chosen to follow.

Premium accounts get a 4ร— boost for Thunder content.
๐Ÿ”ฅ
Phoenix
Out-of-Network
Posts from people you DON'T follow, discovered by Grok AI based on your interests and engagement history. This is how you discover new content.

~50% of "For You" comes from Phoenix retrieval.

TweepCred Score

X assigns each account a credibility score (0-1) that affects distribution eligibility.

0.65 threshold
0.0 โ€” Limited reach 1.0 โ€” Full distribution
Below 0.65
Only your 3 best tweets per day get full distribution
Above 0.65
All tweets eligible for full distribution
๐Ÿ“…
Account age
๐Ÿ“Š
Follower/following ratio
๐Ÿ“ˆ
Engagement history
โš ๏ธ
Policy violations

Score Calculator

Estimate your post's algorithmic score based on engagement. See exactly how much each interaction contributes.

๐Ÿงฎ Post Score Estimator
Estimated Score
0

Key Insights

The most important takeaways from the X algorithm for maximizing your reach.

01
Replies > Everything
The 75ร— weight on reply-to-reply chains is insane. A post that sparks conversation outperforms a post with 100ร— more likes. Engineer conversations, not just content.
02
First 30 Minutes
Early engagement signals "quality" to the algorithm. A post that sits dormant gets buried. Post when your audience is active, and engage with every reply immediately.
03
Negative = Catastrophic
One block (-74ร—) wipes out 148 likes. One report (-369ร—) wipes out 738 likes. Don't piss people off โ€” it's algorithmically devastating.
04
Likes Are Worthless
At 0.5ร— weight, likes barely move the needle. They're vanity metrics. Stop optimizing for likes โ€” optimize for replies and conversations instead.
05
Video Gets Boosted
Native video gets 2-4ร— more reach than text/images. Optimal format: vertical, 15-60 seconds, with captions. The algorithm wants to compete with TikTok.
06
Links Are Punished
External links get a 30-50% reach penalty. X wants to keep you on platform. Workaround: put links in the first reply, not the main post.