Connect a feed URL to /tools
How to point /tools at an existing XML or CSV product feed from any platform, covering supported formats, how the scheduled fetch works, and when a live feed URL beats Shopify or a CSV upload.
If your products already live behind a feed URL (from WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, a PIM, or a Shopping app), you can hand that URL to /tools instead of connecting a platform. /tools fetches it on a schedule, keeps itself up to date automatically, and enriches the result into a Merchant Center-ready feed. Your source feed is never changed.
When a feed URL is the right choice
A feed URL is the best connection if your products already sit behind one and you're not on Shopify. WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, a PIM, or a dedicated Shopping feed app can all produce a URL that updates itself as your catalogue changes: connect that, and /tools stays current without you lifting a finger.
Use this route over the alternatives when:
| You have… | Best connection |
|---|---|
| A Shopify store | Connect Shopify: one-click OAuth, variants handled |
| A live feed URL from any other platform | Connect a feed URL (this guide) |
| A one-off spreadsheet, no live source | Upload a CSV |
The rule of thumb: if the source updates itself, connect it as a URL so enrichment updates itself too. A CSV upload is a snapshot; a feed URL is a live link.
Before you start
You'll need:
- A /tools account (tools.rp.ltd)
- The full public URL of your product feed
- Any username and password the feed requires (many platforms protect feed URLs with HTTP basic auth: /tools supports this)
If you're not sure where your feed URL lives, look in your platform's Google Shopping, product export, or feed settings: it's usually the same URL you'd give Merchant Center directly.
Supported formats
/tools reads both of the formats Google works with:
- XML: Google Shopping RSS 2.0, Atom, and standard product XML. This is what most Shopping feed apps and plugins produce.
- CSV: comma- or tab-separated exports, including the tab-delimited format Merchant Center expects.
You don't have to pre-format the feed to Google's exact spec. /tools detects your columns and maps them: see Shopify to Google Shopping field mapping for how mapping works in practice; the same logic applies to any source.
What happens after you connect
On connection, /tools fetches the feed once to validate it, then reports what it found: product count, detected columns, and anything it couldn't parse. You confirm the field mapping, and enrichment can run.
From then on, /tools re-fetches your feed on a schedule and keeps its enriched copy in step with your source. The output is a single stable feed URL that Google fetches on its own schedule: see Your feed serving URL.
Deep dive How scheduled fetch and refresh works
The connection stores your feed URL (and credentials, if any) and pulls a fresh copy on a recurring schedule. Each fetch is compared against the previous state, so /tools knows what changed: new products, dropped products, price and stock movements, or an upstream import that wiped identifiers. Those changes flow straight into your Feed Health Score and the change log, so a quiet regression in your source feed shows up as score movement rather than a silent loss of impressions weeks later.
Enrichment is layered on top non-destructively: your source feed is the base, and the fields /tools improves or adds live in a supplemental layer above it. When your source changes a value, that change is respected; when a field is missing or weak, the enriched value fills the gap. Because the two are kept separate, re-fetching your source never wipes your enrichment, and enriching never touches your source. If a fetch fails (the URL times out, credentials change, the feed moves)/tools keeps serving the last good version and flags the problem so Merchant Center never sees an empty feed. See Common sync errors for what those flags mean.
After connecting
Once the fetch and mapping are confirmed, run your first enrichment and review the result: that's covered in Your first enrichment run. You'll get a Feed Health Score and a feed URL to hand to Merchant Center.
If you manage more than one store, connect each one separately: /tools supports multiple stores under one account, each with its own feed and subscription.
Step by step
- Open Connections and choose Feed URL. Log in at tools.rp.ltd, open your store, go to Connections and choose "Connect a feed URL".
- Paste your feed URL. Paste the full public URL of your existing product feed, XML or CSV. If the URL needs a username and password, add those in the same step.
- Let /tools validate the feed. /tools fetches the feed once, checks it parses, and shows you how many products it found and which columns it detected.
- Confirm the field mapping. /tools maps your feed's columns to Google's fields automatically. Review the mapping, correct anything it wasn't sure about, and confirm.
- Run your first enrichment. With the feed connected and mapped, run enrichment. /tools scores the result and gives you a stable feed URL for Merchant Center.
Frequently asked questions
What formats are supported?
XML (including Google Shopping RSS 2.0 and Atom feeds) and CSV. If your platform can export a Google Merchant Center feed, /tools can read it, and it can read many non-Google feed shapes too, mapping the columns for you.
How often does /tools re-fetch my feed?
On a schedule, automatically, so your enriched feed keeps pace with your source. You can also trigger a manual re-fetch from the store dashboard at any time; there's no penalty for doing so.
Does connecting a feed URL change my source feed?
No. /tools only reads your feed. Enriched fields live in a separate supplemental layer and are served to Google through the new feed URL /tools gives you, your original feed is never overwritten.