X Algorithm Scoring

The X algorithm calculates a weighted engagement score for each post by combining predicted probabilities of 18 user actions. This score determines feed ranking.

Weighted Score Formula

Score = Σ(weight × P(action)) for all 18 actions + offset

From home-mixer/scorers/weighted_scorer.rs:

fn compute_weighted_score(candidate: &PostCandidate) -> f64 {
    let s: &PhoenixScores = &candidate.phoenix_scores;
    let vqv_weight = Self::vqv_weight_eligibility(candidate);

    let combined_score = Self::apply(s.favorite_score, p::FAVORITE_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.reply_score, p::REPLY_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.retweet_score, p::RETWEET_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.photo_expand_score, p::PHOTO_EXPAND_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.click_score, p::CLICK_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.profile_click_score, p::PROFILE_CLICK_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.vqv_score, vqv_weight)
        + Self::apply(s.share_score, p::SHARE_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.share_via_dm_score, p::SHARE_VIA_DM_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.share_via_copy_link_score, p::SHARE_VIA_COPY_LINK_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.dwell_score, p::DWELL_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.quote_score, p::QUOTE_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.quoted_click_score, p::QUOTED_CLICK_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.dwell_time, p::CONT_DWELL_TIME_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.follow_author_score, p::FOLLOW_AUTHOR_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.not_interested_score, p::NOT_INTERESTED_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.block_author_score, p::BLOCK_AUTHOR_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.mute_author_score, p::MUTE_AUTHOR_WEIGHT)
        + Self::apply(s.report_score, p::REPORT_WEIGHT);

    Self::offset_score(combined_score)
}

Action Weights by Category

Positive Weights (Increase Score)

Action	Weight Constant	Signal Type
Favorite	`FAVORITE_WEIGHT`	High value engagement
Reply	`REPLY_WEIGHT`	High value engagement
Retweet	`RETWEET_WEIGHT`	High value engagement
Quote	`QUOTE_WEIGHT`	High value engagement
Follow Author	`FOLLOW_AUTHOR_WEIGHT`	Very high value
Share	`SHARE_WEIGHT`	Distribution signal
Share via DM	`SHARE_VIA_DM_WEIGHT`	Distribution signal
Share via Copy Link	`SHARE_VIA_COPY_LINK_WEIGHT`	Distribution signal
Photo Expand	`PHOTO_EXPAND_WEIGHT`	Interest signal
Click	`CLICK_WEIGHT`	Interest signal
Profile Click	`PROFILE_CLICK_WEIGHT`	Interest signal
VQV	`VQV_WEIGHT`	Video engagement (conditional)
Dwell	`DWELL_WEIGHT`	Attention signal
Quoted Click	`QUOTED_CLICK_WEIGHT`	Interest signal
Dwell Time	`CONT_DWELL_TIME_WEIGHT`	Continuous attention

Negative Weights (Decrease Score)

Action	Weight Constant	Signal Type
Not Interested	`NOT_INTERESTED_WEIGHT`	Negative signal
Block Author	`BLOCK_AUTHOR_WEIGHT`	Strong negative
Mute Author	`MUTE_AUTHOR_WEIGHT`	Strong negative
Report	`REPORT_WEIGHT`	Strongest negative

VQV Video Eligibility

Video Quality View (VQV) weight only applies if video meets minimum duration:

fn vqv_weight_eligibility(candidate: &PostCandidate) -> f64 {
    if candidate
        .video_duration_ms
        .is_some_and(|ms| ms > p::MIN_VIDEO_DURATION_MS)
    {
        p::VQV_WEIGHT
    } else {
        0.0  // No VQV contribution for short videos or non-videos
    }
}

Score Offset Logic

Handles negative combined scores to ensure proper ranking:

fn offset_score(combined_score: f64) -> f64 {
    if p::WEIGHTS_SUM == 0.0 {
        combined_score.max(0.0)
    } else if combined_score < 0.0 {
        // Negative scores get scaled offset
        (combined_score + p::NEGATIVE_WEIGHTS_SUM) / p::WEIGHTS_SUM * p::NEGATIVE_SCORES_OFFSET
    } else {
        // Positive scores just add offset
        combined_score + p::NEGATIVE_SCORES_OFFSET
    }
}

Score Normalization

After weighted scoring, scores are normalized (implementation in util/score_normalizer.rs, excluded from open source):

let weighted_score = Self::compute_weighted_score(c);
let normalized_weighted_score = normalize_score(c, weighted_score);

Additional Scoring Stages

1. Author Diversity Scoring

Penalizes multiple posts from the same author to promote variety:

// From home-mixer/scorers/author_diversity_scorer.rs
fn multiplier(&self, position: usize) -> f64 {
    // First post from author: full score
    // Second post: score × decay_factor
    // Third post: score × decay_factor²
    (1.0 - self.floor) * self.decay_factor.powf(position as f64) + self.floor
}

Parameters: AUTHOR_DIVERSITY_DECAY, AUTHOR_DIVERSITY_FLOOR

2. Out-of-Network Scoring

Adjusts scores for posts from accounts user doesn't follow:

// From home-mixer/scorers/oon_scorer.rs
let updated_score = c.score.map(|base_score| match c.in_network {
    Some(false) => base_score * p::OON_WEIGHT_FACTOR,  // Reduced weight
    _ => base_score,  // Full weight for in-network
});

Example Score Calculation

For a post with these predicted probabilities:

favorite_score: 0.12 (12% chance of like)
reply_score: 0.03 (3% chance of reply)
retweet_score: 0.05 (5% chance of retweet)
not_interested_score: 0.02 (2% chance of negative signal)

Weighted Score =
    0.12 × FAVORITE_WEIGHT +
    0.03 × REPLY_WEIGHT +
    0.05 × RETWEET_WEIGHT +
    0.02 × NOT_INTERESTED_WEIGHT (negative) +
    ... + offset

PostCandidate Score Fields

pub struct PostCandidate {
    pub weighted_score: Option<f64>,  // After WeightedScorer
    pub score: Option<f64>,           // Final score after all scorers
    // ...
}

Related Skills

/x-algo-engagement - Reference for all 18 action types
/x-algo-pipeline - Where scoring fits in the full pipeline

x-algo-scoring