Question 1

Why is the custom registration message not showing when signups are disabled in Mastodon?

Accepted Answer

A bug in earlier Mastodon versions caused the custom registration message to not appear when signups were disabled. It has been fixed by PR #39232. Update your instance to the latest version: run git pull and restart services, or use your admin panel to upgrade. After updating, the custom message set in Administration > Server Settings > Registrations will display correctly on the 'About' page when registrations are closed.

Question 2

How do I fix Mastodon remote avatars not reappearing after running `tootctl media remove`?

Accepted Answer

This happens on local filesystem storage when `RedownloadAvatarWorker` downloads a remote avatar but the target cache directory no longer exists; the worker does not create it before writing. Direct Paperclip assignment works because it creates the directory automatically.

As a workaround, run a Rails runner that reassigns missing avatars from `avatar_remote_url`:

```bash
sudo -u mastodon RAILS_ENV=production bin/rails runner '
Account.where.not(domain: nil).where.not(avatar_remote_url: [nil, ""]).find_each do |account|
  next if account.avatar.exists?

tempfile = URI.open(account.avatar_remote_url, open_timeout: 5, read_timeout: 10)
  account.avatar = tempfile
  account.save!
rescue => e
  Rails.logger.warn("Avatar redownload failed for account ##{account.id}: #{e}")
end
'
```

Schedule it with cron until the worker is patched. The permanent code fix is for `RedownloadAvatarWorker` (and likely `RedownloadHeaderWorker`) to call `FileUtils.mkdir_p` on the destination directory before saving the downloaded file. Reported on Mastodon 4.4.16 with local storage.

Question 3

How to fix the second poll option disappearing when typing the first alternative in Mastodon?

Accepted Answer

This is a regression in Mastodon `4.6.0-alpha.8` introduced by commit `076c8ec`. Update to a build that includes pull request #39163, which fixes poll creation. As a temporary workaround, revert the problematic commit with `git revert 076c8ec`, rebuild/redeploy Mastodon, and restart the web service.

Question 4

How do I fix custom emojis missing from Mastodon autocomplete but visible in the emoji picker?

Accepted Answer

This is an autocomplete search bug in Mastodon 4.6.0-alpha.8. Apply the fix referenced in issue #39125, then rebuild and redeploy Mastodon; otherwise upgrade to a release containing that fix. A reporter confirmed the patch restores custom emoji suggestions such as `:pikachuSurpreso:` and `:nkoHammer:`.

Some standard Unicode emoji differences are expected after #39008 because autocomplete and the picker temporarily use different shortcode sources. For example, search for `:bust` instead of `:user` to find 👤 and 👥. Consistent picker search is planned for a future release. Until then, use the emoji picker for emojis missing from autocomplete.

Question 5

How do I implement web-based account sign-up in a Mastodon client using OAuth?

Accepted Answer

Use the OAuth authorization endpoint in a secure web view and add `prompt=create`. Instead of collecting the password and calling `POST /api/v1/accounts`, open:

```
https://server.example.com/oauth/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=CLIENT_ID&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI&scope=read+write+follow&prompt=create
```

Use the OS-provided secure browser session, such as `ASWebAuthenticationSession` on iOS or Android Custom Tabs. After the user creates the account, Mastodon returns to the authorization flow and redirects to your OAuth callback with an authorization `code`. Exchange it as usual with `POST /oauth/token`.

This keeps password, passkey, password-manager, and age-verification handling in the server's web UI. Server support for `prompt=create` is required; older servers must continue using the existing registration API.

Mastodon

Core Features

What It Can't Do

Use Cases

Tags

Getting Started

Similar Projects