How to Filter a Bluesky Feed by Specific Hashtags

Bluesky feeds show posts from people you follow and custom feeds you subscribe to. By default, these feeds display all content without filtering by topic. If you want to see only posts that contain a specific hashtag, such as #tech or #photography, you need a dedicated custom feed or a saved search. This article explains the two reliable methods to filter a Bluesky feed by hashtags: using a prebuilt custom feed and creating a saved search with the search bar.

How Bluesky Handles Hashtag Filtering

Bluesky does not include a built-in toggle to filter any feed by hashtag. When you open your Following feed, you see every post from everyone you follow, regardless of hashtags. The same applies to custom feeds: they show whatever content the feed creator defined, which may or may not include hashtag logic.

To view only posts with a specific hashtag, you must either:

• Create a new custom feed that explicitly searches for the hashtag
• Use the search bar to find the hashtag and save that search for quick access

Both methods are free and do not require coding skills. The custom feed approach gives you a permanent feed pinned to your home screen. The saved search approach is faster to set up but requires manual navigation each time.

Method 1: Create a Custom Feed Filtered by Hashtag

A custom feed is a user-created algorithm that displays posts matching specific rules. You can build one using a third-party tool like Bluesky Feed Creator or SkyFeed. The feed will appear in your Bluesky app under the Feeds tab and can be pinned to your home screen.

Using Bluesky Feed Creator

1. Open Bluesky Feed Creator
   Go to blueskyfeedcreator.com in your browser. This site lets you define feed rules without writing code.
2. Sign in with your Bluesky account
   Click the Sign In button and authorize the app. The tool needs access to your account to publish the feed.
3. Set the feed name and description
   Enter a name like “Tech Posts” and a short description. These appear in your feed list.
4. Add a hashtag filter rule
   In the Rules section, click Add Rule. Choose “Post contains” and type the hashtag without the # symbol. For example, type tech to match #tech. You can add multiple rules to include several hashtags.
5. Publish the feed
   Click Create Feed. The tool generates a unique feed URL and adds the feed to your Bluesky account automatically.
6. Pin the feed in Bluesky
   Open the Bluesky app. Go to your Feeds tab. Find the new feed under My Feeds. Click the pin icon to add it to your home screen tabs.

Using SkyFeed

1. Open SkyFeed
   Navigate to skyfeed.app and sign in with your Bluesky account.
2. Create a new feed
   Click the Create Feed button. Give it a name and optional description.
3. Add a hashtag condition
   Under Conditions, click Add Condition. Select “Text contains” and enter the hashtag word. For example, enter photography to match #photography. Set the condition to “All conditions must match” if you have only one hashtag.
4. Publish and pin
   Click Save and then Publish. The feed appears in your Bluesky Feeds tab. Pin it to your home screen for easy access.

Method 2: Use a Saved Search for Quick Hashtag Filtering

If you do not want to create a permanent feed, you can use the Bluesky search bar to find posts with a specific hashtag and then bookmark the results. This method is faster but requires you to manually open the search each time.

1. Open the search bar
   In the Bluesky app, tap the search icon at the bottom of the screen. The search bar appears at the top.
2. Type the hashtag
   Enter the hashtag with the # symbol. For example, type #ai. Bluesky shows a list of matching posts immediately.
3. Save the search
   After the results load, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the search results page. Select Save Search. Give the search a name, such as “AI Posts”.
4. Access saved searches later
   Go back to the search bar. Tap the search bar again and scroll down to the Saved Searches section. Tap the saved search name to view filtered posts.

Common Mistakes and Limitations

Custom feed shows no posts

If your custom feed appears empty, check that the hashtag is actively used. A very niche hashtag may have few recent posts. Also verify that the feed tool is set to search all posts, not just posts from people you follow.

Saved search does not update automatically

A saved search is a bookmark of the search results page at the moment you saved it. To see new posts, tap the saved search again to refresh the results. The search always fetches current data when you open it.

Hashtag case sensitivity

Bluesky treats hashtags as case-insensitive. Searching for #Tech finds posts with #tech, #TECH, or #TeCh. The custom feed tools also ignore case, so you do not need to worry about capitalization.

Cannot filter an existing feed

Bluesky does not allow you to apply a hashtag filter to the Following feed or any existing custom feed. You must create a new feed or use a saved search. This is a platform limitation, not a bug.

Item	Custom Feed	Saved Search
Setup time	5–10 minutes	30 seconds
Requires third-party tool	Yes	No
Permanent feed on home screen	Yes	No
Shows new posts automatically	Yes	Yes, on refresh
Supports multiple hashtags	Yes	No, one hashtag per search

You now have two ways to filter a Bluesky feed by specific hashtags. For a permanent feed that updates automatically, use Bluesky Feed Creator or SkyFeed. For a quick one-time filter, use the saved search feature. Try combining multiple hashtags in a custom feed to narrow results further, such as #tech AND #startup.