On 24 August 2026 cease and desist letters were sent by X Corp. demanding a permanent takedown of Nitter instances and the project’s repository.
Nitter is a free, open-source, privacy-focused alternative front-end for X (formerly Twitter) that allows users to browse tweets, profiles, and timelines without requiring an account, JavaScript, or exposing their IP address to the platform. Developed by Zedeus, it functions as a server-side proxy that strips ads, trackers, and algorithmic feeds, serving lightweight, static HTML pages that load significantly faster than the official client.
The project initially relied on Twitter’s guest account system but was forced to adapt to persistent session tokens from authenticated accounts after X disabled guest account creation in early 2024. Despite community efforts to revive and self-host instances, the project faced escalating legal pressure from X Corp, which sent cease-and-desist letters in August 2026 alleging scraping violations. Consequently, the main instance went offline and the GitHub repository was archived, effectively halting active development and public access as of late August 2026.
A comment from Zedeus on Nitter’s GitHub repository:
We have received cease and desist letters. Awaiting legal advice at the moment, but for now expect all nitter instances to remain down for the foreseeable future.
This represents an unwelcome change for lurkers such as myself. Previously, Nitter and its network of instances provided convenient account-free access to posts from X users. Going forward, those individuals will either forfeit this access or—as X presumably anticipates—be compelled to create accounts and authenticate themselves.
Update (30/08/2026)
Despite the fact that the cease-and-desist letters have been received by Zedeus, many individuals are fighting back and refuse to let the project die, with instances still available