Mastodon Remote Follow Button Opens Wrong Instance: Fix

When you click a remote follow button on a Mastodon profile, the browser sometimes opens the wrong instance for signing in. Instead of your home instance, the button redirects you to a different server where you have no account. This happens because the follow button uses a hardcoded URL that points to a specific instance … Read more

Mastodon Hashtag Follow Does Not Show New Posts: Fix

You followed a hashtag in Mastodon expecting to see all new public posts with that tag in your home feed, but the timeline remains empty or shows only sporadic entries. This issue occurs because Mastodon’s hashtag follow feature relies on the instance’s full-text search index and federation timing, not on real-time streaming. This article explains … Read more

Mastodon Account Move Does Not Transfer Followers: Fix

When you move your Mastodon account to a new instance, your followers should automatically follow the new account. But sometimes the move process fails silently, leaving your old followers stuck on the old profile. This problem happens when the handshake between the two instances is incomplete or when the old account is not properly configured. … Read more

Mastodon Alias Setup Missing on Old Account: Fix

When you try to move your followers from an old Mastodon account to a new one, the required Alias setup option sometimes does not appear in the old account’s settings. This missing option prevents the follower migration handshake from starting. The cause is usually a difference in Mastodon software versions or a disabled migration feature … Read more

Mastodon Remote Timeline Stops Updating After Instance Change: Fix

After moving your account to a new Mastodon instance, the remote timeline may stop showing new posts. This often happens because the new instance has not fully connected to the same federated servers as your old instance. The remote timeline relies on active subscriptions to other servers, and these subscriptions do not transfer automatically during … Read more

Mastodon Search Cannot Find Remote User: Fix

You type a remote user’s full handle into the Mastodon search box, but the profile does not appear in the results. This happens because Mastodon’s search engine indexes local content by default and relies on federation events to discover remote accounts. Without a prior interaction or a complete federated handshake, the search box returns nothing. … Read more