Why are X/Twitter accounts getting banned? What the open-source code shows
Most suspensions on X (still called Twitter by most people) come from automated spam and inauthentic-behaviour models, not from people reviewing posts. X's published code shows those models judge the timing and pattern of what an account does, that a suspension usually sits behind quieter steps like a label or a challenge, and that large or high-credibility accounts are skipped, so smaller accounts carry the most risk.
The answer in full
X has published the code that turns its spam and inauthentic-behaviour models into enforcement, and it explains a lot about the suspension waves people report on X and Twitter. A behaviour model reads the sequence and timing of everything an account does and looks for bot-like rhythms in following, liking, reposting and replying. Other models look for spam clusters, coordinated campaigns, AI-generated filler and patterns in reports. A separate enforcement service then works through an ordered list of rules. It first skips allowlisted accounts and those above a follower or credibility threshold. For everyone else it chooses between a 30-day label that limits reach, a challenge such as a captcha or liveness check, and a temporary suspension. The thresholds are redacted and some rules are unpublished, so the code cannot say why one particular account was suspended. It does show why smaller accounts, and real people with bot-like habits, get caught.
Step by step
- 01
Act like a person
Spread follows, likes and reposts out over time rather than doing them in fast bursts, and open posts before engaging with them. The behaviour model reads the timing of every action.
- 02
Drop automation
Remove auto-follow, auto-like and auto-reply tools, and revoke third-party apps you no longer use in your X settings. X has said accounts not operated by a person tapping the screen will likely be suspended.
- 03
Stay out of engagement groups
Coordinated liking and reposting is exactly what the campaign detectors look for, even when everyone involved is a real person.
- 04
Write your own replies
AI-written filler and copy-pasted text both have their own labels in the code, and enough labelled posts can put a label on the whole account.
- 05
Check Under the Hood
X's pilot tool Under the Hood shows labels on your account and posts that can limit visibility. A spam label there is an early warning. It is still rolling out, so you may not see it yet.
At a glance
| What triggers it | What the code calls it | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Bot-like rhythm: mass following, liking, reposting or replying in mechanical bursts | Behaviour model heads: FollowBot, LikeBot, EngagementAmplifier, ReplySpamBot, TweetSpamBot, RTBot, MultiActionBot | Challenge, or suspension above a hidden threshold |
| Being part of a coordinated campaign, such as an engagement group | anchor_campaign_suspend | Temporary suspension |
| Patterns matching known spam clusters | inauthentic_detection_v45, cluster_spam_extended | 30-day label plus a captcha or Arkose check, or suspension |
| An account mostly posting AI-generated filler | llm_slop_user | 30-day SpamHighRecall label on the account |
| AI-generated, gibberish or very fast spam replies | llm_slop_post, gibberish_post, fast_reply_spam_post | Post labels that limit visibility |
| The same text posted across many accounts | Duplicate-text rules, COPYPASTA_SPAM | Post label |
| A pattern in reports against the account | panda_reports_embedding_v10_rough_spam | Temporary suspension |
What users are reporting
Suspension complaints on X and Twitter come in waves, and 2026 has had several. People get a short notice saying they broke the rules against inauthentic behaviours, with no detail. Many say they only liked, reposted or scrolled. Appeals are often rejected quickly.
In February, X's Head of Product Nikita Bier warned that accounts not run by a human tapping the screen, and associated accounts, would likely be suspended. In March, a mass wave hit many real accounts, and Bier said a new spam filter had falsely flagged some of them for about 12 hours before 99% were restored. In April, X ran a large bot purge that Bier said was removing about 208 bots a minute, with reports of real smaller accounts caught in it.
Current complaints fit the same shape. When X ships a new or stricter model, it catches real bots and some real people along with them.
How enforcement works in the code
The code is public at xai-org/x-algorithm. Enforcement runs in two stages. First, models and rules score accounts and posts: a behaviour model that reads the timing of follows, likes, reposts and replies, spam models that look for clusters, coordinated campaigns, AI-generated filler and report patterns, and content rules that catch copy-pasted text and bad links.
Then a separate enforcement service works through an ordered list of rules, and the first match decides. The first rules skip allowlisted accounts and accounts above a follower or credibility threshold. For everyone else, the outcome is a 30-day label that drops posts from For You for people who don't follow the account, a challenge such as a captcha, Arkose puzzle or liveness check, or a temporary suspension under the platform manipulation policy. If an account reaches the end of the list without matching anything gentler, the final rule suspends it.
Post labels don't stay on posts. A separate system applies a label to the whole account when enough of its recent posts carry one. In the published automated rules, permanent suspension appears only under the child-safety policy.
Why real people get caught
Small accounts have no buffer. The rules skip accounts above a follower threshold or with high credibility scores before doing anything else. The production thresholds are hidden, but anyone below them goes straight to the action rules.
Normal habits can look like bots. The behaviour model reads the timing of every action, along with signals like dwell time and which app was used, so fast bursts of liking without opening posts can look like a like bot whoever is doing it.
Starter packs are a known false positive. Following a starter pack when you join can look like follow-bot behaviour. The code includes gates for new users and starter-pack followers because, in X's own comment, pack follows are common among legitimate users. One of those gates is switched off by default in the published version.
Tools and AI help count against you. Automation, scheduling bots and AI-written replies feed directly into these signals.
What the code doesn't show
Every threshold is redacted and replaced with placeholder values, which X says is to stop people gaming the system. Some spam rules and the prompts behind X's LLM classifiers are not published. The enforcement rules are mirrored from a live config system, so production can change without the published code changing.
Suspensions for harassment, impersonation, court orders or human review don't run through these rules. Models also make mistakes: X admitted at least one faulty spam filter this year, and the code includes several safeguards built specifically to reduce false positives.
If you're suspended or challenged
Complete any challenge first. A captcha, Arkose puzzle or liveness check is the code's middle step, and passing it is usually the fastest way back.
Then check whether it's a wave. Search for the exact wording of your notice and today's date, and check communities like r/twitterhelp, where suspended users compare notes. If many people report the same thing, it may be a model error that X reverses, as it did in March.
Appeal once, clearly, through X's help centre. Say plainly that you're a real person, how you use the account, and any tools you've removed. Don't create a new account to get around the suspension: X's notices warn this leads to further action, and X has said associated accounts can be suspended too.
Check who follows you
Your own behaviour is what gets enforced, but your audience says a lot about how your account looks. Revealed scans your followers in your own browser, and its Pro Audience quality view shows how many carry caution signals such as no bio, a default avatar or very few posts. A follower list full of low-quality accounts is worth knowing about, especially if you've used growth services in the past.
Be aware that a scan is itself automated reading through your signed-in X account, and X restricts automated access. If your account is already under a challenge or restriction, don't scan from it. Otherwise keep scans modest, avoid running many large scans back to back, and stop if X shows you a challenge.
What to keep in mind
- This guide describes the enforcement code X published on GitHub. Thresholds are redacted, some rules are not public, and X can change its systems at any time.
- Manual suspensions, legal orders and other policies such as harassment or impersonation work outside these rules.
- Revealed does not predict suspensions or appeal on your behalf. It shows who follows an account.
- A Revealed scan reads through your signed-in X account, and X restricts automated access, so scanning carries some risk to that account. See the Terms for details.
Common questions
01Why was my X (Twitter) account suspended for inauthentic behaviour?
In most cases, an automated model judged your account's activity to look like a bot, a spam network or a coordinated campaign. The published code shows these models read the timing and pattern of your actions, not just what you post. X doesn't tell individual users which signal triggered it.
02Why are small accounts suspended more than big ones?
X's published enforcement rules skip accounts above a follower threshold or with a high credibility score before any action is considered. Smaller and newer accounts don't get that exemption.
03Is an X or Twitter suspension permanent?
In the published automated rules, suspensions for platform manipulation are marked as not permanent. Permanent suspension appears only under the child-safety policy. Permanent suspensions for authenticity reasons still happen, though: they come from manual reviews and systems outside the published rules.
04Can liking or reposting too much get you suspended?
It can contribute. The behaviour model has separate detectors for like bots, repost bots and engagement amplifiers, and it looks at how fast and how mechanically actions happen.
05Can other people's reports get my account suspended?
Reports are one input. The rules include a model based on report patterns that can lead to suspension. It looks at patterns rather than a simple count of reports.
06Does using a third-party app get you banned?
The behaviour model records which app actions come from, and X has said that accounts not operated by a person tapping the screen will likely be suspended. Official apps and the official API are the safest routes.
07Does this apply to Twitter as well as X?
Yes. Twitter was renamed X in 2023. It's the same accounts, rules and enforcement systems, so everything here applies whichever name you use.
08Does Revealed upload the followers I scan?
No. Scans run in your own browser and the audience data (profiles, bios, analytics and exports) stays in Chrome extension storage on your device. Revealed’s servers only handle your account, plan and billing.
09Can scanning with Revealed get my X account suspended?
It's possible. Revealed reads follower lists through your own signed-in X account, and X restricts automated access to its service. X can challenge, restrict or suspend accounts it believes are automated, including linked accounts. Revealed only reads data and paces scans to reduce the risk, but it can't control X's decisions. Keep scans modest, stop if X shows you a challenge, and avoid scanning from a business or client account.
Sources and further reading
xai-org/x-algorithm on GitHub
The enforcement rules in abuse-enforcement-service, the behaviour model in bdsm, and the content and post-to-account label rules.
PiunikaWeb: X users report wave of bans for inauthentic behaviors
Coverage of the March 2026 suspension wave and X's response.
Nikita Bier on the March spam filter error
X's explanation that a new spam filter falsely flagged accounts for about 12 hours.
Nikita Bier on automation detection
February 2026 warning about automated accounts and associated accounts.
Social Media Today: X eliminates thousands of accounts in new bot purge
Coverage of the April 2026 bot purge.
Under the Hood
X's pilot tool showing labels on your account and posts that can limit visibility.