When Mastodon cannot find a remote user by their full handle, federation breaks. You see errors like “User not found” or “Failed to fetch account” when searching for someone on another instance. This happens because Webfinger lookup, the protocol Mastodon uses to resolve a user’s address into a profile URL, is failing. This article explains … Read more
When you follow a user on another Mastodon server, their display name, bio, and avatar may become outdated on your local instance. This happens because Mastodon caches remote profile data to reduce server load and speed up timeline loading. A stale profile shows old information even after the remote user has updated their details. This … Read more
When you boost a post from another Mastodon instance, your followers see it in their Home timeline. But when you reply to a cross-instance post, the reply may not reach all followers. This difference confuses many users because both actions seem similar: you engage with content from a different server. The visibility rules for boosts … Read more
Mastodon relays are a feature that helps server administrators boost the flow of public posts between instances. When your instance connects to a relay, it receives public posts from every other instance connected to the same relay. This can make the federated timeline much more active without requiring thousands of individual server-to-server subscriptions. In this … Read more
If you run a Mastodon server, you may notice that your local timeline feels quiet or that users complain about seeing only posts from their own instance. A Mastodon relay is a server that forwards public posts from all connected instances to every other connected instance, filling your federated timeline with diverse content. Without a … Read more
When you run a Mastodon instance, you have two primary methods to populate the federated timeline with content from other servers: joining a relay or configuring direct federation with specific instances. The federated timeline shows public posts from instances your server follows. Without either method, your users see only local posts. This article explains how … Read more
Running a Mastodon relay helps instances discover public posts from other instances without each user manually searching for remote accounts. A relay acts as a central hub that receives public posts from subscribing instances and redistributes them to all other subscribers. This guide explains how to set up your own relay using the ActivityRelay software … Read more
When you subscribe to a Mastodon relay, the status often shows “pending” and never changes to “accepted.” This happens because the relay server and your instance cannot complete the required handshake. The relay expects a subscription request from your admin account, but your instance may be blocking the relay or the relay may be inactive. … Read more
Mastodon relays are servers that forward public posts between instances. When you connect your instance to a public relay, it receives boosts from all other instances linked to that relay. This can quickly fill your federated timeline with relevant content. However, not all public relays are reliable. Some are overloaded, poorly maintained, or shut down … Read more
Mastodon relays are tools that broadcast public posts from one server to many others. When you enable a relay, your posts reach a wider audience beyond your instance. However, relays have built-in limits that affect how far your posts actually travel. This article explains what those limits are and how they shape the reach of … Read more