When you try to follow, mention, or view the profile of a user on another Mastodon instance, you may see the error message “Could Not Fetch Remote Account.” This error usually means your home instance cannot complete the handshake with the remote server to download that user’s profile data. The cause is often a temporary … Read more
You tap Reply on a Mastodon post and see the error message “This post has been removed.” The post still appears in your timeline, but you cannot reply to it. This usually happens because the original post was deleted or its visibility changed after it was fetched by your instance. This article explains the exact … Read more
When you run a Mastodon instance, Sidekiq processes background tasks like delivering posts to remote servers, sending notifications, and updating timelines. A backlog occurs when the number of queued jobs exceeds Sidekiq’s ability to process them, causing delays in federation, missing notifications, and slow timeline updates. This article explains why the Sidekiq queue backlog happens … Read more
The Mastodon web client displays a red banner that reads “Streaming Connection Failed” when it cannot maintain a persistent connection to the server for real-time updates. This error prevents the timeline from refreshing automatically and stops new posts from appearing without a manual page reload. The failure typically occurs because the WebSocket connection between your … Read more
You try to log in to your Mastodon account and see the error message “Account has been suspended.” This means the server administrators of your instance have disabled your account. The suspension can happen for several reasons, including violating the server’s rules, posting spam, or being reported by other users. This article explains why Mastodon … Read more
You write a post in Mastodon, attach an image or video, click Publish, and see Could not save post. The post never appears on your timeline or in your followers feeds. This error usually happens because the media file you attached violates a limit set by your Mastodon instance or because the file itself is … Read more
When you add a link to your personal website or another social profile on your Mastodon profile and then attempt to verify it using the rel=me lookup, Mastodon may display the error “Account has not been verified.” This error means Mastodon cannot confirm that you control both the Mastodon account and the external website. The … Read more
You enter your password and then type the six-digit code from your authenticator app. Mastodon rejects it with a “Two-factor code invalid” error. This usually happens because your device clock is out of sync with Mastodon’s server clock. Time-based one-time passwords TOTP rely on accurate time synchronization between your authenticator app and the service. This … Read more
Mastodon returns a 503 Service Unavailable error when you try to create a new account and the server cannot process the registration request. This error means the instance’s web server is alive but cannot complete the sign-up workflow due to a backend problem. The most common causes include a full database connection pool, a background … Read more
When you try to mention a user on another Mastodon instance by typing their full handle, you may see the error “Webfinger Lookup Failed.” This error prevents the mention from resolving and the post from being sent. The cause is usually a DNS or server configuration issue that stops Mastodon from finding the user’s account … Read more