The ‘Rate Limit Exceeded’ message in Mastodon appears when you send too many requests to a server in a short time. This can happen when you refresh your timeline too fast, use third-party apps that poll the server aggressively, or run automated scripts that interact with the Mastodon API. The server deliberately slows you down … Read more
When you see the error Invalid Token in a third-party Mastodon client, your app cannot authenticate with your Mastodon account. This usually happens because the access token the client uses has expired, been revoked, or was never generated correctly. The token is a secret key that proves your identity to the Mastodon API. This article … Read more
When you type a valid Mastodon handle like @user@instance.social into the search bar and see the error Could not find user, the account is real but your instance cannot reach it. This error appears even when the handle is spelled correctly and the account exists on another server. The cause is almost always a federation … Read more
The Mastodon app for Android may crash immediately after you tap the icon, before the home timeline or login screen appears. This problem typically occurs due to corrupted cached data, an outdated app version, or incompatibility with your device's Android system WebView component. This article explains the root causes of the startup crash and provides … Read more
When you try to publish a post on Mastodon and see an “Internal Server Error” message, the post usually fails to send. This error means the Mastodon server encountered a problem it could not handle, not a mistake in your content or connection. The cause is almost always on the server side, such as a … Read more
When you click a link to a Mastodon post from another instance, the browser may show a “Not Found” error instead of the post content. This happens because the post exists on a remote server, but your local instance cannot find or access it. The cause is often an incomplete federation handshake, a deleted or … Read more
Opening your Mastodon web client and seeing only a blank white screen instead of your timeline is a frustrating experience. This problem typically occurs because the browser cannot load or execute the JavaScript code that renders the Mastodon interface. A corrupted browser cache, a malfunctioning browser extension, or a temporary server-side issue are the most … Read more
Mastodon instances that fail to communicate with each other often show a “TLS handshake failed” error in the server logs or in the admin dashboard. This error prevents your instance from receiving posts from remote servers and stops your users from following accounts on other instances. The root cause is almost always a misconfigured TLS … Read more
Mastodon push notifications on your iPhone or iPad have stopped arriving. You open the app and see replies, boosts, and new followers, but your lock screen stays silent. This problem usually happens because the iOS notification permission expired, the Mastodon server changed its push endpoint, or a recent iOS update reset notification settings. This article … Read more
After migrating your Mastodon account from one instance to another, you may see a “Profile Not Found” error when someone tries to view your old profile or when your old profile redirects improperly. This issue typically occurs because the migration handshake between the old and new instances did not complete fully or because DNS and … Read more