Connect Mastodon
Mastodon is thousands of independent servers, so NioConnect has to ask which one yours is before it can send you to the right consent screen. You enter a server name and approve access there.
The NioConnect teamUpdated 3 min readOn this page
- Time
- About 1 minute
- You need
- Your Mastodon server address
- Where
- Channels
Before you start
You need a Mastodon account and the address of the server it lives on. It is the part of your handle after the second @. For @someone@fosstodon.org the server is fosstodon.org. If you are unsure, open Mastodon in a browser and read the domain in the address bar.
The server matters beyond connecting. It decides some of the rules for your posts, including how long they can be. NioConnect assumes 500 characters only when a server does not say, and otherwise asks the server for its own limit.
Connect the account
You supply no password or token on this platform; you only name the server.
- Open Channels in NioConnect and choose Connect, then Mastodon.
- Enter your server, for example fosstodon.org. The full https address works too.
- Check the field before you continue. If you leave it blank it defaults to mastodon.social, which is wrong for almost everyone else.
- Press Connect. Your own server’s consent screen opens; sign in there and approve access.
- You return to NioConnect with a working channel.
Each server is a separate connection. If you post from accounts on different servers, connect once for each.
What you should see
The new channel shows in Channels with your account name. It works with any server that speaks the Mastodon API, including forks such as Hometown and Glitch. Posts to it are checked against your server’s limit and against four images per post, each with room for a description.
If you paste a full address with a path, the path is ignored: fosstodon.org/@someone is read as fosstodon.org.
Mastodon also lets a server decide who may post what, and some servers set stricter rules than others for media size or description length. If a post is refused for that reason, the message names the limit, and you can edit the post for that channel alone without touching the others. That is the point of a per channel preview: the problem shows up while you are writing.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| That instance is not a valid URL | A typo, or a whole post address pasted in | Enter the bare domain only, such as fosstodon.org |
| An instance must be reached over https | An address starting with http | Drop the protocol; NioConnect adds https for you |
| An instance must be reachable on the standard https port | The address carries a port such as :8443 | Non standard ports are refused on purpose; tell whoever runs your NioConnect deployment if yours genuinely uses one |
| An instance URL must not contain credentials | An address in the user:pass@host style | Enter the domain on its own |
| The consent screen never appears | The address does not lead to a Mastodon compatible server | Open the domain in a browser first to confirm it is a Mastodon server |
Taking access back
You can cut NioConnect off from your side at any time. On your server, open Settings, then Account, then Authorized apps, where NioConnect is listed. Revoke it there and the channel in NioConnect asks to be reconnected; posts scheduled to it will not go out until you do.
Next steps
Use the character counter for a quick check against the common default, then write in the composer, where the real limit for your server applies. The Mastodon platform page lists what is accepted, and writing one post for several channels shows how to adapt a post for it.
Check your result
- Confirm the server name in the field is yours, not the mastodon.social default.
- Look for the channel in Channels, showing as connected.
- Open the composer and select the new channel.
- Note where Authorized apps lives on your server, in case you need to revoke.
Written by The NioConnect team.
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