Connect a Fediverse account

Do you post on Mastodon, GoToSocial, Pleroma, Pixelfed, or another Fediverse server? Connect that account to Sifa ID. Your public posts then appear in your activity feed, next to the rest of your Atmosphere activity.

Pick one route

There are two separate ways to connect a Fediverse account. Do one or the other, not both. They are different entry points, not steps in a sequence:

• Option 1: add it in Sifa. Then add your Sifa link to a profile field (recommended). You add the account under External accounts. You then put your Sifa profile link in one of your Fediverse profile fields.
• Option 2: verify it on Keytrace. You do not add anything in Sifa. Keytrace verifies the account and Sifa surfaces it automatically.

Both routes prove that you own the account. Sifa surfaces no posts before that proof exists. We recommend Option 1, because it needs only your Fediverse server and your Sifa profile. Option 2 is a shortcut for people who already use Keytrace, or who want to verify several accounts at once.

Option 1: add it in Sifa, verify with a profile field

Step 1: add the account. Open your profile. Go to External accounts. Add an account with:

• Platform: pick Fediverse. If you pick "Website" instead, Sifa treats it as a plain link and will not pull in your posts.
• URL: your profile address, for example https://mastodon.social/@you.

Save. Sifa displays the account as @you@mastodon.social. Until you finish step 2 it shows as a link only, with no posts pulled in.

Step 2: add your Sifa link to a profile field. Put your Sifa profile URL (for example https://sifa.id/p/<your-username>) in one of your Fediverse profile fields. Sifa reads the fields on your profile, finds the match, and verifies the account. Your DID works too. If you already added it for Keytrace, Sifa finds that as well.

It has to go in a profile field, not your bio. Sifa reads the structured fields on your profile, so a link buried in your bio text is not picked up.

• Mastodon: Preferences -> Profile -> Profile metadata (the same "Custom fields" section Keytrace uses). Add a row, for example name Sifa and content https://sifa.id/p/<your-username>.
• GoToSocial / Pleroma / Akkoma: add the URL in your profile's fields / metadata (the same key-value fields Mastodon uses).
• Pixelfed: add the URL in your profile's website or links field.

When the field is in place, use the Verify button on the account in Sifa for an immediate check. You can also wait, because Sifa re-checks the field from time to time. There is no rel="me" step, and your own server needs no green checkmark. Sifa reads the field value directly.

Option 2: verify on Keytrace

Verify the account on Keytrace. On Mastodon and similar servers, you add your DID to a profile field, and Keytrace guides you. That is the whole flow.

You do not add the account under External accounts for this route. Sifa detects the Keytrace verification and surfaces the account on its own. A second entry under External accounts creates a duplicate. On the Keytrace route, skip the "add it in Sifa" step.

What shows up

Sifa reads the public outbox of your account. That outbox is the standard ActivityPub feed of your published work. Sifa shows those posts in your activity feed.

• Only your own posts appear. Sifa omits boosts, likes, and follows, exactly as it omits the posts you like on Bluesky.
• Only public posts. Followers-only posts and direct messages are never read.
• Posts sync from time to time, not at once. Your first posts appear within an hour of the verification, and later posts follow.

One account per kind of content

The Fediverse spreads content across different apps, each with its own account: microblog posts on Mastodon or GoToSocial, long-form writing on WriteFreely, photos on Pixelfed, video on PeerTube, events on Mobilizon. Are you active on more than one? Connect each account that you want on your profile, through either route above. They all feed the same Sifa activity stream, so your writing, photos, and video sit side by side.

Today Sifa ingests text posts, articles, photos, and video. Event support is on the way. A Mobilizon account that you connect today fills in when that support ships.

A note on some servers

A few servers run in a hardened mode, such as "Secure mode" on Mastodon, and GoToSocial by default. That mode limits what Sifa can read from outside. If your posts do not appear after an hour, your server may be one of them. We work on wider support.

Related

• External accounts covers linking blogs, GitHub, ORCID, and other profiles.
• Your activity feed explains how Sifa brings it all together.