08 · Rules and risks¶

Things that can cost you the account, the checkmark or trust. Checked 2026-10-11.

X automation rules (source)¶

No duplicate or substantially similar posts on one account or across accounts you run.
No automated replies or mentions to reach people unsolicited; replies triggered by keyword search alone are banned.
No scripting the X website (non-API automation); it can lead to permanent suspension.
No automated posting about trending topics to ride or manipulate them.
You're responsible for what third-party apps do with your account. Read what a tool does before connecting it.

Allowed: scheduling your own original posts through X or a tool that uses the official API.

X Premium (source)¶

Changing profile photo, display name or @handle removes the blue checkmark until the account is reviewed again.
X can remove the checkmark if you break the Terms or the account is suspended.

Temporary label: "may impact its reach"¶

An automated label X can add when it suspects spam or platform manipulation. It lowers reach until a review clears it. X doesn't say which action triggered it (sources: user reports collected by Circleboom, not official X docs).

Real case (the maintainer's account, 2026-10-11). Posting went from ~1 a day to 6 posts + 9 replies a day in 3 days, impressions jumped ~10×, and the profile photo was changed the same day. X added the label, then removed it about 2 hours later ("not found to contain spam"). The trigger is a guess, not confirmed by X. Full pattern: flow/analytics-pattern.md.

To lower the odds: - Ramp up over 2–3 weeks: don't jump from 1 to 15 actions a day. - No mass follows or follow/unfollow cycles; keep "following" from running far ahead of followers. - Link in the bio or first reply, not the same URL in every post or reply. - No auto-reply, auto-follow or auto-DM tools. - Don't stack risky signals on one day (profile change + activity spike + many links). - If reach still looks low after the label is removed, check X's Under the Hood report when it's available to you (glossary).

Fake proof and scams aimed at you¶

Revenue screenshots you can't verify, "promotion" sellers, fake acquirers, phishing DMs: how to check each one in reference/fake-proof-and-scams.md.

Honesty and disclosure (FTC Endorsement Guides FAQ)¶

Say it's your product when you recommend it ("I built this").
Disclose affiliate links, sponsorships and free products in the post itself.
No fake reviews, bought followers or bought engagement.
Income or user numbers must be real, with time range and base. More: social-credible-posting.

Tools to avoid¶

Anything that auto-replies, auto-DMs, auto-follows, scrapes x.com or "bypasses Cloudflare". See the watch-outs in reference/x-repos.md.