Using Mastodon with dlvr.it

Mastodon is a decentralized, ad-free, algorithm-free social platform with a growing and engaged community. dlvr.it lets you automatically share content from your RSS feeds and other sources to any Mastodon server — keeping your presence active without the manual effort.

Mastodon works differently from other social platforms. Because it's decentralized, there's no single Mastodon account to sign up for — you join a specific server (also called an instance) that runs Mastodon software, and that server becomes part of your handle.

If you don't have a Mastodon account yet, here's how to get started:

Your Mastodon handle will include both your username and your server — for example, @[email protected]. Keep this in mind when sharing your handle or mentioning others.

To connect your Mastodon account to dlvr.it, log into the Mastodon server you want to connect before starting the connection process. dlvr.it will connect to whichever account is currently active in your browser.

📸 [Screenshot: dlvr.it Social Pages settings showing a Mastodon account connected and active, with the server address visible]
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You can connect multiple Mastodon accounts to dlvr.it. To avoid connecting the wrong account, log into the correct Mastodon server in another browser tab before connecting each one.
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For help reconnecting an expired Mastodon account, see Reconnecting a social channel in dlvr.it.

dlvr.it automatically publishes new content to your Mastodon account when items appear in your connected source. Here are a few things worth knowing.
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Some Mastodon servers have been customized to allow more than 500 characters, but dlvr.it applies the standard 500-character default regardless of your server's settings.
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dlvr.it can publish up to 100 posts per 24 hours to a single Mastodon account.

Links included in your post must start with http:// or https:// — otherwise they'll appear as plain text. All links count as 23 characters toward your character limit, regardless of their actual length, so there's no need to use a link shortener.

Hashtags on Mastodon can contain alphanumeric characters only. Including a hashtag makes your post discoverable to anyone searching for that term.

To mention another Mastodon user, include their full address in your post — for example, @[email protected]. Username autocomplete is not available, so make sure to type the full handle accurately.

If your post contains sensitive content, you can add a content warning — this adds a summary line that readers must click through before seeing the full post. When setting up your route in dlvr.it, check whether your source content may need this applied.

📸 [Screenshot: dlvr.it route settings showing a Mastodon account selected as a publishing destination]

Mastodon supports images, videos, and GIFs. Use the table below when preparing media for Mastodon posts.

GIFs are automatically converted to soundless MP4 videos when published to Mastodon. You can also upload soundless MP4 or WebM files directly and they'll be handled the same way.
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For media troubleshooting, see Photos, Video & Media.

Can I use Mastodon as a content source in dlvr.it? No — Mastodon is supported as a publishing destination only. See Supported channels in dlvr.it for the full list of supported sources.
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Does dlvr.it support Mastodon polls? Not at this time. Polls need to be created directly on your Mastodon server.
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What if my Mastodon connection stops working? Access tokens can expire after a password change or server update. See Reconnecting a social channel in dlvr.it for steps to restore the connection.
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Can I publish to any Mastodon server? Yes — dlvr.it can connect to any Mastodon server, as long as you have an active account there.
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Why isn't my mention linking correctly after publishing? Make sure you're using the full Mastodon handle, including the server — for example, @[email protected]. Partial handles won't resolve as links on Mastodon.

Still have questions about Mastodon and dlvr.it? Reach out to our support team. We're happy to help.