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1. Embed this notice
   bignose (bignose@fosstodon.org)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 13:55:01 JST bignose

   How do I apply an #ActivityPub archive of my posts from one account, and import them as posts on a different account?

   The #Mastodon "export" feature (one of the account Preferences) says:

   > You can request an archive of your posts and uploaded media. The exported data will be in the ActivityPub format, readable by any compliant software.

   Okay, once we have this archive ("in ActivityPub format"), what is the "compliant software" to read it in as posts on my Mastodon account?

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 13:55:01 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     @bignose that's not currently possible.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:06:51 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     @bignose yes, that's correct. Every object in ActivityPub has an URL, and all of the other servers on the network expect that object to be at that URL. We don't have a way yet to say, now this thing is on this other server. There might be a way to do that this year, but it doesn't exist now.

   • Embed this notice
     bignose (bignose@fosstodon.org)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:06:52 JST bignose

     in reply to

     • Evan Prodromou

     So then @evan what is #Mastodon telling me when it says

     > The exported data will be in the ActivityPub format, readable by any compliant software.

     What "compliant software" is it referring to?

     A feature like "restore posts and media from archive" seems the most obvious use of an archive of posts and media.

     Is this a case of "we have backup implemented, but not restore"? wtf

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:09:04 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • Julian Lam

     @bignose @devnull you're also mad because you want a feature we haven't specified for ActivityPub yet. I think it's important, but we don't have it. Maybe there is other compliant software you can use to set up a static archive or do statistical analysis, I don't know. I do know there's no way to backup from one server and restore on another.

   • Embed this notice
     bignose (bignose@fosstodon.org)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:09:05 JST bignose

     in reply to

     • Evan Prodromou
     • Julian Lam

     Yep, I'm aware of that @devnull

     @evan knows I love him, but he opened this up when he asserted what #Mastodon implements and doesn't. I'm asking for more detail of that assertion.

   • Embed this notice
     Julian Lam (devnull@crag.social)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:09:20 JST Julian Lam

     in reply to

     • Evan Prodromou

     @bignose, @evan is not the appropriate person to address for implementation details, he is one of the co-authors of the #ActivityPub spec, but has (probably?) little to do with #Mastodon development...

     However you are correct that this is a case of export being implemented but import not... even by Mastodon itself. There may be other software that can read it, but I am not personally aware of any.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:20:25 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     @bignose yeah, I wish I had better news for you.

   • Embed this notice
     bignose (bignose@fosstodon.org)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:20:27 JST bignose

     in reply to

     • Evan Prodromou

     Thanks @evan.

     Crucially, for the purpose of "the instance for this account already closed down, I want my posts to be preserved" is to figure out how a post can continue to have identity as the same post, even when the original instance is no longer responding.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Monday, 08-Jan-2024 14:21:14 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • Julian Lam

     @devnull @bignose thanks Julian! You're right, I don't know a lot about available tools for Mastodon, but I'm pretty sure there's not a tool that can do this.