# Optimizing Cloudflare Settings for FeedOtter Content Access (2025)

Recently, our team has taken a deep dive into Cloudflare’s latest
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security features and how they interact with FeedOtter. As more organizations increase
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their Cloudflare security posture, we’ve noticed a common trend: website content and
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images can sometimes become inaccessible to FeedOtter. <br>

This means your newsletters may fail to display images or content as expected if
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Cloudflare blocks our requests. To help prevent disruptions, we’ve updated our
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recommended Cloudflare settings for all customers. These adjustments will ensure that
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FeedOtter continues to access your website content securely and reliably—no matter
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how strict your Cloudflare configuration becomes.

### Rule 1: Allow Hotlinking and Content Access

The first step is to set up a rule under Cloudflare Rules that explicitly allows FeedOtter
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to access your images and content. This rule ensures that your website will serve
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images to FeedOtter even when Cloudflare’s hotlink protection is turned on.

<figure><img src="https://2086102864-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FIdHBGk8cqznUpEqm5g1U%2Fuploads%2FNfUGwYpW5ot19IULYS5l%2F1%20Rules%20-%20IP-Img.png?alt=media&#x26;token=b1d31b8d-74bc-46e9-a431-cc6489beb195" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

This rule guarantees that images hosted on your site can be embedded in your
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newsletters without being blocked.

### Rule 2: Whitelist FeedOtter in Security Rules

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Next, head over to **Security → Security Rules** and create a custom rule specifically
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for FeedOtter. This rule should whitelist:

* FeedOtter’s IP address
* FeedOtter’s User-Agent <br>

In addition, configure the rule to:

* Skip protection when Super Bot Fight Mode or Alert Mode is enabled
* Allow FeedOtter traffic to bypass additional challenges or restrictions
* Ensure image hotlinking remains accessible

<figure><img src="https://2086102864-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FIdHBGk8cqznUpEqm5g1U%2Fuploads%2FlTkCxnMWd9xYUaWGcl07%2F2%20Security%20-%20Rules%20-%20IP-Agent-Skips.png?alt=media&#x26;token=f5ebfff3-477d-4298-984d-f3756b8a8d82" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**This second rule is especially important because we’ve found that relying on hotlinking**
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**rules alone is often not enough** when Cloudflare increases its protections. Both rules
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must run together to ensure uninterrupted access.

### IP and User Agent&#x20;

```
104.236.230.137
```

```
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; FeedOtter/2.1; +http://www.feedotter.com/privacy) 
AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/124.0.6367.78 Safari/537.36
```

### Why Both Rules Matter

In today’s security environment, it’s common to see Cloudflare “tightened up” during
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traffic spikes, security alerts, or when websites enter Under Attack Mode.&#x20;

Without both
&#x20;rules in place, FeedOtter may lose access to your content when security settings shift.
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By proactively ensuring these are both in place,
&#x20;you safeguard your newsletters against future disruptions.

💬 **Have questions?** Contact us at <success@feedotter.com>.