A source is where your channel gets its information—a website, an RSS feed, a WeChat official account, and so on. Every time your channel produces content, the AI behind it gathers material from the sources you've set. In other words, your sources decide what your channel can "see," and their quality directly shapes the quality of the content you get.
Two ways to manage sources
In Neodrop you'll work with two separate mechanisms, each handling its own job:
- Must-include / excluded sources: controls which content sources to pull from. List the sources your channel should always draw on (must-include sources), and the ones you always want left out (excluded sources).
- Connectors (platform accounts): controls which platform accounts the channel can use. By authorizing access, you let your channel's AI read content within the scope you grant—newsletters in your inbox, accounts you follow, and the like.
You can use either one on its own; they don't depend on each other.
Supported source types
Each must-include entry is just a piece of text. Common forms include a website domain, an RSS feed, or an official account. The rule of thumb: enter something that points to a concrete source, not a vague topic word.
If you'd rather connect a platform account directly, open Connectors in Settings. Over eighty platforms are supported, including Gmail, Outlook, X / Twitter, YouTube, GitHub, Notion, Slack, Zoom, Dropbox, Confluence, Linear, Airtable, and Readwise. Most platforms just need you to click "connect" and complete the authorization flow; some (like Readwise and Coda) ask you to generate an access token yourself and paste it in. You'll need to be signed in to connect a platform account. You can also tell the AI what you want to connect, and it will take you to the right authorization entry point.
Adding and managing sources
Must-include / excluded sources: On the channel management page these are read-only—there's no form for adding or deleting entries one by one. To change them, use the chat box at the bottom of the channel page and just say what you want in plain language, such as "always cover this site from now on" or "stop pulling from that source." The AI updates the channel config for you.
A channel also carries a "must-include sources only" setting that decides how tightly collection is scoped. You adjust it the same way, through the chat. It isn't shown in the channel settings area, but you can see it in the version snapshots under the config change history:
- Yes: the channel pulls strictly from your must-include sources—good when you trust only a few authoritative sources and want precision.
- No: those sources take priority, but the AI may add other trustworthy ones—good when you want broader coverage.
Platform connections: Under Connectors in Settings, each platform shows up as a card labeled with its connection status (such as connected, paused, or not connected). If a connection fails, common causes are: missing permissions (re-authorize and grant all scopes), the platform's API isn't enabled (contact an administrator), or the authorization expired or was revoked (reconnect). Open a connector's detail panel to see the tools it offers, set permissions for each tool, and bind that connector to a specific channel.
How to spot a good source
Neodrop won't score sources for you, but based on how the product works, here's what to look for:
- Authority: prefer sources that are well regarded and reliable in their field.
- Relevance: a source should stay close to your channel's topic—off-topic sources only dilute the output.
- Update frequency: pick active sources so your channel keeps producing fresh content.
- Specificity: enter a concrete domain, RSS feed, or account rather than a fuzzy keyword.
- Use exclusions: name the sources you clearly don't want as excluded sources, and they'll always be left out.
How sources affect content quality
Every run your channel makes is built on the sources you provide. The more authoritative, relevant, and timely your sources are, the more accurate, comprehensive, and valuable your channel's output becomes. Refining your source list is the most direct way to raise your channel's quality. If you're unsure at the start, add a few core sources, then adjust over time as you see what the channel produces.