Use X List Sources in Cortex
X List sources poll a curated set of accounts. They work best when the signal lives across a maintained watchlist rather than one profile or a freeform query.
Add one X list and Cortex polls recent posts from the accounts currently included in that curated group.
Optional exclusions and engagement filters help keep larger lists usable without turning the source into a firehose.
- A community is represented by several known accounts
- You already maintain a trusted list of voices to watch
- Expert, operator, or ecosystem circles inside X
- You want account curation instead of query tuning
Use X List when you want a curated social surface that someone maintains over time. It is a better fit than X Search when the signal comes from known accounts, and a better fit than X Profile when one account alone is too narrow.
X List Setup
Start with the list you trust most, then decide whether that list is noisy enough to need reply, retweet, or engagement filters. In many cases the list curation itself already does most of the filtering work for you.
You need an active X API credential. For the full field reference, see Create Source in the API docs.
Key Configuration Fields
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| List ID or URL |
Use the curated list you actually trust. Cortex accepts either a numeric list ID or a full X list URL and normalizes the URL form automatically.
Example
https://x.com/i/lists/1234567890
|
| Exclude Retweets |
Turn this on when a curated list becomes too broad because members frequently rebroadcast each other or the wider timeline.
Example
Yes
|
| Exclude Replies |
Use this when you want list members’ standalone posts more than their conversational replies.
Example
No
|
| Max Tweets per Poll |
Lower this when the list is large or very active and you want a tighter capture window between poll cycles.
Example
100
|
| Engagement Filters |
These help keep a large list focused on posts that are already surfacing broader interest or discussion.
Example
Min Likes = 10
|
Examples
These examples show how curated-list X sources are usually configured in Cortex.
X List
Maintained list of related accounts with reply filtering. Use this when the signal comes from a known group rather than one account or one keyword query.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
The source will not activate.
X sources require an active organization-scoped X API credential.
If the credential is missing or invalid, Cortex cannot poll the X API at all.
The source accepts the list URL, but the saved value looks different.
That is expected.
Cortex normalizes a full X list URL into the underlying numeric list identifier before storage.
The list is still too noisy.
First decide whether the list itself needs curation.
If the membership is already correct, then use reply, retweet, or light engagement filters to narrow the stream.
When should I use X Profile or X Search instead?
Use X Profile when one account matters most. Use X Search when the signal is defined by a topic query rather than a maintained set of accounts.