Mastodon Export Schedule From Sidekiq: Admin View

Mastodon administrators often need to know when user data exports, such as archive downloads or account backups, are actually processed. The export jobs are queued and executed by Sidekiq, Mastodon’s background job processor. Without checking the Sidekiq dashboard, you cannot determine whether an export is pending, running, or has failed. This article explains how to view the export schedule directly from the Sidekiq admin interface and interpret the job details.

Why Exports Are Processed by Sidekiq, Not the Web Server

Mastodon separates user-facing web requests from background tasks to keep the interface responsive. When a user requests a data export from Preferences > Import and export > Request your archive, Mastodon does not generate the archive immediately. Instead, it enqueues a background job in Sidekiq. Sidekiq runs as a separate process that picks up jobs from Redis queues and executes them one by one. This design prevents large file generation from blocking the web process.

The export job type is BackupWorker for full account archives and AccountMigrationWorker for follower migration exports. Both are placed into a queue named export by default. Administrators can monitor the progress, schedule, and failure reasons of these jobs through the Sidekiq web UI, which is built into Mastodon.

Accessing the Sidekiq Admin Interface for Export Jobs

1. Log in as a Mastodon admin
   Only users with the Administrator role can view the Sidekiq dashboard. If you are not an admin, contact your instance owner.
2. Navigate to Admin > Sidekiq
   In the Mastodon web interface, open the sidebar menu. Click Administration then Sidekiq. The Sidekiq dashboard opens in a new browser tab.
3. Click the Queues tab
   At the top of the Sidekiq page, click Queues. A list of all active queues appears, including the export queue. The number next to the queue name shows how many jobs are currently waiting.
4. Click the export queue name
   Click the export link to see the list of pending export jobs. Each row shows the job class, arguments, and when it was enqueued.
5. Inspect a specific export job
   Click the Arguments link for any job. A JSON object appears. Look for the user_id field to identify which user requested the export. The type field shows backup or migration.

Interpreting Export Job Status in Sidekiq

Pending Jobs in the Export Queue

Jobs in the export queue are waiting for a Sidekiq worker to pick them up. The Enqueued column shows the time the job was added. If the queue size grows, it indicates that export requests are arriving faster than workers can process them. You can increase the number of Sidekiq workers by adding more processes in your deployment configuration.

Scheduled Jobs for Delayed Exports

Mastodon may schedule exports to run at a later time, for example during low-traffic periods. To see these, click the Scheduled tab in the Sidekiq dashboard. Each scheduled job displays the at timestamp, which is the exact time the job will become available to workers. If a scheduled export is not running at the expected time, check the Scheduled set first.

Failed and Retried Export Jobs

When an export job fails due to a server error or timeout, Sidekiq moves it to the Retries set. Click the Retries tab to view failed jobs. Each entry shows the error message, the number of retry attempts, and the next retry time. Common failure reasons include disk space exhaustion, database timeouts, or missing user records. To manually retry a job, click the Retry now button next to the job. To remove a job permanently, click Delete.

Common Export Scheduling Issues in Sidekiq

Export Queue Is Empty but User Reports No Archive Received

If the export queue is empty and the user never received their archive, the job may have completed with an error that was not logged in Sidekiq. Check the Sidekiq Dead tab. Jobs that exceed the maximum retry count are moved to the Dead set. Expand the Dead set to see the error payload. Also verify that the user’s email address is correct under Admin > Users > Edit user.

Export Jobs Stuck in Scheduled Set Indefinitely

A job in the Scheduled set with a timestamp far in the past indicates that Sidekiq’s clock process is not running. Restart the Sidekiq service with the command systemctl restart sidekiq on your Mastodon server. After restart, the stuck scheduled jobs should be picked up within a few seconds.

Multiple Export Jobs for the Same User

If a user clicks Request your archive multiple times, Mastodon enqueues a new job each time. This can flood the export queue. To prevent duplicates, limit users to one pending export at a time by checking the export queue for existing jobs with the same user ID. You can delete duplicate jobs from the Sidekiq interface by clicking the Delete button next to each redundant entry.

Item	Export Queue	Scheduled Set
Purpose	Holds jobs ready for immediate execution	Holds jobs set to run at a future time
Visibility	Queues tab, click export queue name	Scheduled tab in Sidekiq dashboard
Common issue	Queue backlog from too many requests	Jobs not picked up if clock is down
Admin action	Increase Sidekiq worker count	Restart Sidekiq service

You can now view and manage the full export schedule from the Sidekiq admin interface. Check the Queues tab for pending exports and the Scheduled tab for delayed jobs. For failed exports, review the Retries and Dead sets to identify the root cause. As an advanced tip, set the environment variable SIDEKIQ_QUEUES to prioritize the export queue over less critical queues, ensuring user exports complete faster during peak load.