What Are Community Notes on X?

Community Notes are short, crowd-written pieces of context that appear under posts on X when contributors flag something as missing or misleading. A note is shown only once enough contributors rate it helpful, including people who usually disagree with each other.

The feature launched as Birdwatch in January 2021 and was renamed Community Notes in November 2022. X explains the system on its Community Notes site and help page.

How a note gets shown

• Contributors write and rate notes. Anyone who joins can rate notes. Writing notes is unlocked by rating well first, a score X calls Rating Impact, as described in X's contributor guide.
• Agreement has to bridge viewpoints. A simple majority is not enough. The ranking looks for agreement between raters who have disagreed in the past.
• The code is public. The scoring algorithm is open source on GitHub.
• Ads can be noted too. Contributors can add notes to adverts, as the Wall Street Journal reported in 2023.

Example

A post claims a new app "has 1 million users." A contributor writes a note linking the company's own announcement, which says 100,000 sign-ups. Raters from different camps mark it helpful, and the note appears under the post for everyone.

Why it matters for growth

• Trust is hard to rebuild. A note under your post is public and stays visible while it is shown.
• It can cost you money. In October 2023 Elon Musk said posts corrected by a note would not earn creator revenue, as TechCrunch reported.
• Sources protect you. Linking to the data behind a bold claim makes a note far less likely.

Related terms

• Algorithm
• Virality
• Ratio
• Creator revenue sharing
• Hook

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove a Community Note from my post?

You cannot delete a note yourself. A note stops showing if later ratings drop it below the helpfulness bar. You can ask for a note to be added or reviewed through the Community Notes process.

Who can become a Community Notes contributor?

Users who sign up through X can rate notes, and writing access comes after building enough Rating Impact. Check the Community Notes site for the current sign-up rules.

Last checked November 2026.

Check a bold claim reads clearly and fairly before posting with the post checker.