diff --git a/api_v1_rss.php b/api_v1_rss.php
index ac132b0..d127682 100644
--- a/api_v1_rss.php
+++ b/api_v1_rss.php
@@ -124,11 +124,15 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
                     }
                 }
 
-                // Check if already exists
-                $stmt_check = db()->prepare("SELECT id FROM messages WHERE channel_id = ? AND rss_guid = ?");
+                // Check if already exists in processed items (prevents re-posting if deleted by retention policy)
+                $stmt_check = db()->prepare("SELECT id FROM rss_processed_items WHERE channel_id = ? AND rss_guid = ?");
                 $stmt_check->execute([$channel_id, $guid]);
                 if ($stmt_check->fetch()) continue;
 
+                // Insert into processed items first to be safe
+                $stmt_processed = db()->prepare("INSERT IGNORE INTO rss_processed_items (channel_id, rss_guid) VALUES (?, ?)");
+                $stmt_processed->execute([$channel_id, $guid]);
+                
                 // Insert as message from a special "RSS Bot" user or system
                 $stmt_bot = db()->prepare("SELECT id FROM users WHERE username = 'RSS Bot' AND is_bot = 1");
                 $stmt_bot->execute();
diff --git a/db/migrations/20260217_rss_processed_items.sql b/db/migrations/20260217_rss_processed_items.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a21a838
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrations/20260217_rss_processed_items.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+-- Migration: Track processed RSS items to prevent re-posting after they are deleted by retention policy
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS rss_processed_items (
+    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+    channel_id INT NOT NULL,
+    rss_guid VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
+    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+    UNIQUE KEY idx_channel_guid (channel_id, rss_guid),
+    FOREIGN KEY (channel_id) REFERENCES channels(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);
diff --git a/requests.log b/requests.log
index af17a36..300b96d 100644
--- a/requests.log
+++ b/requests.log
@@ -413,3 +413,7 @@
 2026-02-16 23:46:41 - GET /index.php?server_id=1&channel_id=12 - POST: []
 2026-02-16 23:47:02 - GET /index.php?server_id=1&channel_id=12 - POST: []
 2026-02-16 23:48:40 - GET /index.php?server_id=1&channel_id=12 - POST: []
+2026-02-17 00:21:52 - GET /?fl_project=38443 - POST: []
+2026-02-17 00:22:06 - GET /index.php?server_id=1&channel_id=12 - POST: []
+2026-02-17 00:22:15 - GET /index.php?server_id=1&channel_id=12 - POST: []
+2026-02-17 00:22:19 - GET /index.php?server_id=1&channel_id=12 - POST: []