How to Schedule Mastodon Toots: Step-by-Step Guide 2026

Knowing how to schedule Mastodon toots transforms sporadic posting into consistent presence. Whether you want to hit optimal engagement times, batch your content creation, or simply post while you’re away from your device, mastering scheduled toots gives you control over your fediverse timeline.

This step-by-step guide walks through exactly how to schedule Mastodon toots using both native features and popular third-party tools.

Understanding Toots and Scheduling

Before diving into the how-to, a quick clarification on terminology. “Toots” is the traditional Mastodon term for posts—equivalent to tweets on Twitter or posts on other platforms. While some in the community prefer the more generic “posts,” many still use “toots” and it remains the original and recognized term.

Scheduling a toot means composing your content now but setting it to publish at a future time. The toot exists in a pending state until the scheduled moment, when it automatically becomes visible to your followers just as if you’d manually posted it at that time.

Why does this matter? Mastodon’s chronological timeline means your toot’s visibility depends heavily on when it’s posted. Unlike algorithm-driven platforms that might resurface content hours later, a Mastodon toot appears in followers’ feeds at posting time. If they’re not online, they might scroll past it later or miss it entirely. Scheduling lets you target optimal times regardless of your personal availability.

Method 1: Native Mastodon Scheduling

Most Mastodon instances now include built-in scheduling. Here’s exactly how to use it.

Step 1: Open the Compose Window

Click the “Compose” or “Publish” button in your Mastodon interface—typically located in the bottom right on mobile or in the left column on desktop. This opens the standard compose window where you’d normally write and post immediately.

Step 2: Write Your Toot

Compose your content as usual. Write your message, attach any media (images, videos, polls), set your visibility preference (public, unlisted, followers-only, or direct), and add a content warning if appropriate for your instance’s norms.

Everything you can do in a normal toot works in a scheduled toot. There’s no feature limitation.

Step 3: Find the Schedule Option

Look for a calendar or clock icon in the compose toolbar. On web interfaces, this typically appears alongside other compose options like media upload, polls, and privacy settings. On mobile apps, it may be behind a menu.

If you don’t see a schedule option, your instance might be running an older Mastodon version that doesn’t include this feature, or the administrator has disabled it. Check with your instance if you’re unsure.

Step 4: Set Your Date and Time

Clicking the schedule icon opens date and time selectors. Choose when you want the toot to publish. You can typically schedule anywhere from minutes to weeks in advance.

Pay attention to time zones. The interface should show times in your local timezone, but confirm this the first time you schedule to avoid posting at unexpected times.

Step 5: Submit the Scheduled Toot

With the schedule set, click the button to schedule—it likely changed from “Publish” or “Toot” to “Schedule” to reflect the action. Your toot is now queued for future publication.

Step 6: Manage Your Scheduled Toots

Scheduled toots appear in a dedicated section of your Mastodon interface. Find this through settings or preferences—look for “Scheduled posts” or similar. From here you can:

• View all pending scheduled toots
• Edit content before publication
• Change the scheduled time
• Delete scheduled toots you no longer want to post

This management interface lets you maintain oversight of everything you’ve queued up.

Method 2: Using Buffer

Buffer offers a more feature-rich scheduling experience with queues, analytics, and multi-account support.

Initial Setup

1. Create a Buffer account if you don’t have one
2. Navigate to channel connections
3. Select Mastodon from the available platforms
4. Authenticate with your Mastodon account by providing your instance URL
5. Authorize Buffer to post on your behalf

This connection needs to happen once; Buffer remembers it for future scheduling.

Scheduling a Toot in Buffer

Once connected, scheduling works through Buffer’s interface:

1. Click “Create Post” or the compose button
2. Select your Mastodon account as the destination
3. Write your toot (Buffer shows character count for Mastodon’s limits)
4. Add images, set visibility, or add content warnings using Buffer’s formatting options
5. Choose “Schedule” rather than post immediately
6. Select specific date/time or add to your queue
7. Confirm the schedule

Buffer’s queue system is particularly useful. Instead of picking specific times for each post, you define a schedule (like 9am, 2pm, and 7pm on weekdays) and posts automatically fill those slots in order. This makes batch scheduling many toots efficient.

Viewing and Managing in Buffer

Buffer’s calendar view shows all scheduled content across connected accounts. You can drag to reschedule, click to edit, or bulk-manage multiple scheduled posts. For users managing volume, this interface significantly improves over Mastodon’s native management.

Method 3: Using the Mastodon API

For developers or users comfortable with technical tools, the API enables custom scheduling workflows.

Getting API Access

1. Log into your Mastodon instance
2. Navigate to Settings → Development → Your applications
3. Create a new application
4. Note the access token provided
5. Ensure write:statuses scope is enabled

This token authenticates your API requests. Guard it carefully—it provides posting access to your account.

Making a Scheduled Post Request

With your token, schedule a toot by sending a POST request to /api/v1/statuses with a scheduled_at parameter:

curl -X POST "https://your.instance/api/v1/statuses" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -d "status=Your toot content here" \
  -d "scheduled_at=2026-03-01T14:00:00.000Z"

The scheduled_at parameter accepts ISO 8601 formatted timestamps. The API returns a scheduled status object confirming your toot is queued.

Managing Scheduled Toots via API

The API includes endpoints for managing scheduled posts:

• GET /api/v1/scheduled_statuses - List all scheduled toots
• GET /api/v1/scheduled_statuses/:id - View a specific scheduled toot
• PUT /api/v1/scheduled_statuses/:id - Update a scheduled toot
• DELETE /api/v1/scheduled_statuses/:id - Cancel a scheduled toot

These enable building custom scheduling tools, integrating with other systems, or automating scheduling workflows.

Best Practices for Scheduling Toots

Regardless of which method you use, some practices help ensure scheduled content succeeds.

Check After Scheduling

Don’t schedule and forget. Verify your scheduled toots appear correctly in the management interface. Confirm any images uploaded properly and visibility settings are correct.

Review Before Publication

For important scheduled content, check back before the scheduled publication time if possible. Circumstances change—news events, context shifts, or errors you notice after the fact might warrant edits.

Leave Room for Real-Time

Scheduling enables consistency, but the fediverse values authentic presence. Don’t schedule so heavily that you’re never posting in real-time. A mix of scheduled content and spontaneous posting feels more genuine.

Mind Time Zones

If your audience spans multiple time zones, consider how your scheduled times translate for different regions. What’s optimal for your local morning might be middle-of-night for followers elsewhere.

Include Alt Text

When scheduling toots with images, include alt text at scheduling time. Don’t leave this for later—if you forget, the published toot has inaccessible images.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes scheduling doesn’t work as expected.

Scheduled Toot Didn’t Post

If a scheduled toot doesn’t appear at the expected time, check:

• Whether the scheduled time actually passed (time zone confusion is common)
• Your account status (suspensions prevent posting)
• Instance stability (outages during scheduled time delay posts)
• Whether you accidentally deleted the scheduled toot

Can’t Find Schedule Option

If native scheduling isn’t visible, your instance may not support it. Confirm with your instance administrator, or use third-party tools that work regardless of instance features.

Third-Party Tool Posts Failed

If Buffer or another tool fails to post, check:

• Your account connection status (re-authenticate if needed)
• Your instance accessibility (outages can block external tools)
• Rate limits if posting many scheduled items simultaneously

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance can I schedule toots?

Native scheduling typically allows weeks or months ahead. Third-party tools may have their own limits. Practically, scheduling more than a few weeks out risks content becoming outdated.

Do scheduled toots support all features?

Yes. Images, polls, content warnings, visibility settings, and all standard toot features work in scheduled posts.

Will my scheduled toot show exactly at the set time?

Typically within seconds of the scheduled time. Minor delays can occur during high server load, but posts generally publish promptly.

Can I schedule republishing old toots?

Mastodon doesn’t have a built-in repost-scheduling feature. You’d need to copy content into a new scheduled toot manually or use automation tools.

Conclusion

Learning to schedule Mastodon toots opens up flexibility in how you manage your fediverse presence. Whether using native features for simplicity, Buffer for advanced queue management, or the API for custom integrations, scheduled posting helps maintain consistent presence aligned with your audience’s active times.

Start with native scheduling to learn the basics, then expand to other tools as your needs grow. The fediverse benefits from your consistent, thoughtful presence—scheduling helps make that sustainable.

For a broader view of scheduling options, see our complete guide on how to schedule Mastodon posts.