Bluesky and Mastodon

Clicking Bluesky or Mastodon on the accounts page opens the window Connect Bluesky or Connect Mastodon with two options. Use option 1: you approve OmniBrand on your own server's page and copy nothing. Option 2, Advanced, is the app password or access token way and still works.

Bluesky

1. In OmniBrand, as an Owner or Admin: Set up → Accounts → click Bluesky. The window Connect Bluesky opens.
2. Under 1 Sign in with Bluesky, type your handle in Your Bluesky handle (for example name.bsky.social; the @ is optional; a custom domain handle works too) and click Sign in with Bluesky.
3. Bluesky's own page opens (on a phone, in the same tab). Sign in there if asked, check that it names your account, and click Authorize. The window closes and the account appears on the accounts page.

OmniBrand asks for the same access an app password gives (post, read replies and mentions), never your direct messages or account settings. To cut OmniBrand off, remove OmniBrand in Bluesky under Settings → Privacy and Security → Connected apps, or disconnect it in OmniBrand.

Advanced: use an app password (option 2): in Bluesky open Settings → Privacy and Security → App Passwords → Add App Password, name it "OmniBrand" and copy it (shown once; never your main password). In the window fill in Handle and App password, then click Connect account. To cut OmniBrand off, delete the app password.

If 1 Sign in with Bluesky is not shown, this workspace's OmniBrand cannot offer it yet: use option 2.

Publish text of up to 300 characters (counted as you see them: an emoji counts as 1) with up to 4 images of up to 1 MB each. Links, #hashtags and @handles in the text are clickable on Bluesky. Replies, mentions and quotes arrive in the inbox (likes, reposts and follows do not).

Mastodon

1. In OmniBrand: Set up → Accounts → click Mastodon. The window Connect Mastodon opens.
2. Under 1 Sign in with Mastodon, type your server in Your Mastodon server: the part after the second @ in your address (for @you@mastodon.social type mastodon.social; you can also paste your whole address). Click Sign in with Mastodon.
3. Your server's page opens. Sign in there if asked and click Authorize. The window closes and the account appears on the accounts page.

OmniBrand asks only for read, write:statuses and write:media: read your profile, notifications and posts, and post statuses with photos or videos. It cannot follow, block or change your account. To cut OmniBrand off, open Preferences → Account → Authorized apps on your server and click Revoke beside OmniBrand.

Advanced: use an access token (option 2): on your server open Preferences → Development → New application, name it "OmniBrand", keep the scopes read and write, submit, open the application and copy Your access token. In the window fill in Instance URL (for example https://mastodon.social) and Access token, then click Connect account.

Publish text up to your server's own limit (500 on most servers; OmniBrand reads your server's limit when you connect, and every link counts as 23 characters) with up to 4 images or one video, not both. Mentions and direct messages arrive in the inbox; a direct message is answered privately, never in public. The sign-in does not expire.

If something goes wrong

• "No Bluesky account that offers sign-in was found for that handle..." (in red under Your Bluesky handle) - the handle is mistyped, or the account's server does not offer sign-in yet. Type the full handle, or use option 2.
• "That is not a Mastodon server we can reach..." (in red under Your Mastodon server) - type only the server name, such as mastodon.social, without your user name.
• "Bluesky did not give OmniBrand permission to post." - connect again and approve everything OmniBrand asks for.
• "This sign-in was started from a different browser..." or "This sign-in took too long..." - finish the approval within 30 minutes in the same browser you started in. Click the platform again to start over.
• "Bluesky did not accept this handle and app password..." or "Mastodon did not accept these sign-in details..." (option 2) - the handle, app password, instance address or token is wrong. Correct it in the same window and click Connect account again. "(Platform) could not be connected just now..." means the platform did not answer: try again in a few minutes.
• Sign-in expired after working - OmniBrand was removed from your account (or the app password or application was deleted). Click Reconnect on the account and sign in again. "This Mastodon access token cannot post." - the application was created without the write scope: create it again with read and write, or use option 1.