Mastodon Introduces Quote Posts with Safeguards Against Misuse

Mastodon, the decentralized social network often positioned as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter), is adding support for quote posts next week. The feature, familiar to users of X as “quote tweets”, allows people to reshare another user’s post while adding their own commentary.

The update is notable because quote posts have historically fuelled negative behaviour on other platforms, where they are often used for public ridicule or so-called “dunking.” To address these concerns, Mastodon is introducing the feature with several protective measures designed to give users control over how their content is quoted.

According to the platform, quote posts are intended to “expand discussions, make new connections, and amplify underrepresented voices.” To support that goal, users will be able to set who can quote their posts, with options including anyone, followers only, or no one. They can also choose how visible quote posts are, including a “quiet public” mode that makes them accessible but removes them from search results, trends, and public timelines.

Controls can also be applied on an individual post basis. If users anticipate posting something potentially contentious, they can adjust settings directly in the composer to limit who can quote it. Importantly, Mastodon will also allow people to revoke permission after the fact: if a post has been quoted, the original author can remove their content from the quote post and update their preferences to block further quoting.

The rollout begins on Mastodon’s largest servers, mastodon.online and mastodon.social, before becoming more widely available through version 4.5 of the software. Because Mastodon operates within the broader “fediverse” of interconnected but independently managed servers, adoption may vary as different platforms decide when to implement the underlying technical changes.