A spinning unit is provided for an air jet spinning machine with a spinning nozzle used to manufacture yarn from a fiber strand. The spinning nozzle has an inlet for the fiber strand, a vortex chamber, a yarn forming element protruding into the vortex chamber, and a draw-off channel for the yarn. An additive supply is assigned to the spinning nozzle and designed so that the spinning nozzle is supplied with an additive. The yarn forming element has at least one additive duct that ends in the vortex chamber or the draw-off channel. The additive supply encompasses an additive supply line connected to the additive duct so that an additive introduced into the additive duct via the additive supply line can be introduced into the draw-off channel and/or the vortex chamber. A process for operating an air jet spinning machine with at least one spinning unit is provided. An additive is added, at least intermittently, to the spinning nozzle of the spinning unit while it is operating with the help of an additive supply. The added additive is delivered through an additive duct of the yarn forming element to the draw-off channel and/or the vortex chamber.