Mastodon NotifyBot

NotifyBot watches Mastodon hashtags and DMs you when new posts appear, so you never miss the conversations that matter.

NotifyBot is best for niche or low-traffic hashtags — the ones that slip past your timeline.

How It Works

Example notification

• Chat with the bot to create hashtag subscriptions.
• The bot monitors your subscribed hashtags across the Fediverse.
• When new posts appear, the bot sends you a notification via DM.
• To avoid overloading you, the bot won't DM you more than once every 6 hours per hashtag.
• Each notification includes a link to view recent posts for that hashtag. Clicking this link also resets the notification timer, so you'll get immediate updates for the next post.

How to Use It

1. Follow NotifyBot: Search for @NotifyBot@pdx.social and request to follow. Your follow request will be reviewed by a human, typically within the day.

2. Once approved: Create subscriptions to hashtags by sending direct messages to the bot account. See the full list of commands the bot understands.

3. Get notified: When someone posts with one of your subscribed hashtags, the bot will send you a direct message.

Limitations

• Mastodon app users -- NotifyBot works best for people who read Mastodon via web. It sends notifications that direct you to a web page. If your Mastodon app does not support hashtag "intents" (I don't think any do) the experience may be less delightful.
• Posts that occur while the bot is offline won't be seen and won't generate notifications.
• The bot is still in development, so occasional flakiness is expected.

See the current issue queue for current plans.

Questions?

The author of this bot is Courtney Rosenthal. You can contact her by email at cr@crosenthal.com or on Mastodon at @courtney@pdx.social.

Questions, suggestions, and feedback are welcome.