X Algorithm Weights Broken Down: Copying a Link Is Worth 30 Likes, Bookmarks 0 Points

X’s algorithm has been updated again. Shann³ broke down the weight table for the new algorithm, and Peter Mick added an interpretation of the underlying mechanics at the code level. Put the two pieces of information together, and you can basically see how X now decides how far a post can travel.

Weight table: Which actions are most valuable

In the weight table from Shann³, with 1 like as the baseline:

Bookmarks are 0. You read that right. Bookmarking a post counts as nothing in the algorithm’s eyes. X doesn’t care how much useful material is in your bookmarks; it only cares whether you can generate immediate, shareable engagement.

Negative actions carry even more weight:

One report directly offsets 355 likes. Shann³ says reports are weighted so heavily because they are rare. The probability of a user clicking report is more than 1,000 times lower than clicking like, so once it happens, the algorithm pays special attention.

X decides whether to push your post to a given user based on predictions. If it predicts that someone may report or block you, your post will be ranked lower in their feed.

Distribution rules: A 2-hour window, a 48-hour lifespan

How far a post can travel is determined by these rules:

• For accounts with no more than 50,000 followers, X can boost a new original post to around position 16 in other people’s feeds.
• This boost only happens in the first 2 hours after a post is published, and it stops after the Home feed views reach 200.
• Each time the feed loads, X selects one post to boost, prioritizing the post with the highest like rate among first-time viewers.
• After 48 hours, X no longer puts your post into other people’s feeds.
• Replies and reposts only appear in the feeds of people who follow you.
• Original posts can reach non-followers, but scores for non-followers are discounted by 25%.
• If multiple of your posts compete for the same person’s feed, the second post keeps only 62.5% of its score, and the third 43.75%.
• Replies, quotes, DM shares, and copied links are counted only when someone sees your post in the feed. Engagement brought by directly sharing a link in a group chat is not counted.
• If a post is labeled low-quality or misinformation, a warning will be displayed, and others will be unable to like, reply, repost, bookmark, or share it.

Underlying mechanics change: An opportunity for small accounts

Peter Mick’s interpretation adds the logic behind this update. He used Claude to inspect the code and found that the way X processes feeds has changed.

Previously, whenever someone opened For You, X would collect about 3,700 candidate posts but only have time to check 2,800. New posts were placed at the end of the queue, so when the number exceeded the limit, new posts were the first to be cut. A post that was never checked would never be shown.

Now X has switched to uniform truncation. If candidate posts exceed the limit by 25%, all types of posts are cut by 25%, and new posts are no exception. No one is sacrificed first anymore.

This is crucial for small accounts. Because new posts mostly come from small accounts: published less than 2 hours ago, fewer than 8 likes, fewer than 500 views. Previously they were always the first to be cut; now they stand on the same starting line as all posts.

Peter Mick also cautions: whether the 2,800 limit is often triggered cannot be seen from the code, so how much this change actually matters is still uncertain.

Low-quality and misinformation labels: A new penalty

If your post is labeled low-quality or misinformation, non-followers will see a warning and will not be able to like, reply, repost, bookmark, or share it. The code does not explain what triggers this label.

More details in the code

Following the code, Peter Mick gave some specific point values, which are the same thing as the multiplier weights above, just converted differently:

• Copy link and share: 20 points
• Normal reply: 5 points; mutual-follow reply: 20 points
• Like: 0.66 points
• Follow: 4 points
• Read for more than 10 seconds: +0.4
• Dwell-time weight is 50% higher than two weeks ago
• Video alone cannot save you: opening counts 0.02, watching counts 0
• Videos still need to be 10+ seconds to enter the video list
• A pinned post with a bad link may get the account flagged for 7 days

What does 0 points for bookmarks mean?

Bookmarks are worth zero in the algorithm’s eyes, which seems unreasonable. But think about it another way: X’s recommendation system serves immediate distribution. Bookmarking is a delayed-satisfaction behavior; it does not create secondary distribution, nor does it reflect how attractive a post is right now. A high bookmark count only shows that a post has archival value, while what X wants is for users to see it now and engage immediately.

In addition, the 30x weight for copying a link explains why some posts seem to have few likes but have considerable views. Links are copied out and carry away a large amount of hidden traffic.

Practical action checklist

Merging the two interpretations into an action checklist:

1. The first 2 hours after publishing are the key window. Use the heatmap in Creator Studio analytics to find when your audience is active; don’t post at 3 a.m.
2. Write content worth copying as a link, quoting, replying to, or DM sharing. These actions carry far more weight than likes.
3. Prioritize replying to people who follow you; replies between mutuals are 4 times the weight of normal replies.
4. Write more original posts; originality is the only content type that can reach non-followers.
5. Don’t let multiple posts compete at the same time: if you post several in the same period, they will weaken each other.
6. Bookmarks won’t help you trend; don’t count on them.
7. Avoid any behavior that may trigger the low-quality or misinformation label. Once labeled, non-followers basically won’t see you, let alone engage with you.

With this algorithm update, X has put its preferences out in the open: it wants immediate engagement, not accumulation; it wants distribution, not bookmarks. For creators, understanding this weight table at least tells you where to put your effort. As for new posts no longer being truncated first, it may be an opportunity, or it may just be a technical adjustment. The real impact will only be known by observing changes in small accounts’ reach over the coming period.