During January 2026, Michael Meier focused on backend maintenance for the FreshRSS/FreshRSS repository, addressing compatibility issues in the core HTTP client. He updated the client’s encoding handling by replacing the deprecated CURLOPT_ENCODING option with CURLOPT_ACCEPT_ENCODING, ensuring continued support for newer cURL versions and reducing encoding-related HTTP failures. This work involved PHP and cURL integration, targeting the stability of external API requests and aligning with the project’s long-term maintenance goals. While the contribution centered on a single bug fix rather than new features, it demonstrated careful attention to evolving dependencies and helped maintain reliable backend operations for FreshRSS.