How to Cross-Post from Mastodon to Tumblr Automatically

Post natively on Mastodon and Ferryman automatically syncs supported original posts to Tumblr — no copy-paste, no workflow change. Set up in under two minutes.

Start cross-posting free

Why cross-post from Mastodon to Tumblr

Mastodon and Tumblr reach genuinely different audiences. Mastodon is federated, instance-driven communities — strong technical, academic, and open-source presence. Tumblr, by contrast, is creative communities sharing art, photography, writing, and interests through personal and collaborative blogs.

Publish eligible original content to a Tumblr blog alongside your other destinations without copying and uploading it again. If you're already putting in the effort to write good posts on Mastodon, there's no reason that work shouldn't reach a Tumblr audience too — except that maintaining two presences manually is exhausting and easy to abandon. That's the problem Ferryman exists to solve.

Key differences between Mastodon and Tumblr

Cross-posting isn't just a copy-paste. The two platforms have different limits and conventions, and Ferryman handles each difference so you don't have to think about it.

Capability	Mastodon	Tumblr
Character limit	500	4,096 (Ferryman integration limit)
Images per post	4	30 (adapter ceiling; workflows may allow fewer)
Alt text on images	Yes	Yes
Video support	Yes	Native video up to 100 MiB
Native threading	Yes	No

Ferryman's Tumblr integration supports up to 4,096 characters per post. This is not Tumblr's universal platform maximum. Shorten longer content before publishing through Ferryman. Threads, quote posts, and reposts are not supported or flattened.

What gets synced

Original posts only. Threads, quote posts, and reposts are not supported or flattened.
Images up to 30 per post at the adapter ceiling; workflows may allow fewer, with alt text preserved
Native video up to 100 MiB; automatic video flows require Creator or higher
Links — Ferryman preserves URLs and link cards where Tumblr supports them
Hashtags and mentions are preserved as-is; platform-specific mention syntax is rewritten
Single posts within Ferryman's 4,096-character integration limit; no thread splitting

Set up Mastodon → Tumblr cross-posting

Sign in to Ferryman with your X account. This is how Ferryman authenticates you — you can still set Mastodon as your origin platform afterwards.
Go to Settings and connect your Mastodon account. This is the platform you'll post on natively.
Connect your Tumblr account in Settings. See the Tumblr integration guide for the exact steps.
Set Mastodon as your origin platform and check Tumblr as a target. Toggle cross-posting on, and Ferryman will sync new Mastodon posts to Tumblr within a few minutes.

Edge cases worth knowing

Skip a specific post: include #noferry anywhere in your Mastodon post and Ferryman won't sync it to Tumblr.
Quote posts and reposts cannot be enabled for Tumblr.
Threads on Mastodon: Threads are not supported or flattened for Tumblr.
Editing or deleting: Ferryman doesn't propagate edits or deletions automatically. Each platform keeps its own copy once posted.
Scheduling: Use Ferryman's planner to schedule a post and Ferryman publishes to Mastodon and Tumblr at the same time.

Manual cross-posting vs. Ferryman

Task	Manual	Ferryman
Cross-post a new Mastodon post	Copy text, re-upload images, rewrite mentions	Automatic, within minutes
Handle character-limit differences	Rewrite or split by hand	Single posts within Ferryman's 4,096-character integration limit; no thread splitting
Preserve alt text on images	Retype every time	Carried over automatically
Skip specific posts	Remember to not cross-post	Add #noferry and you're done

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for a Mastodon post to appear on Tumblr?

Ferryman checks for new Mastodon posts every few minutes and syncs them to Tumblr as they arrive. Most cross-posts go live on Tumblr within five minutes of the original Mastodon post.

What happens if my Mastodon post is too long for Tumblr?

Are images and videos preserved when cross-posting from Mastodon to Tumblr?

Supported original posts can include images, photosets, links, and native video. The adapter ceiling is 30 images, but individual workflows may allow fewer. Native video has a 100 MiB ceiling; automatic video flows require Creator or higher.

Can I cross-post one Mastodon post but skip another?

Yes. Include #noferry anywhere in a Mastodon post and Ferryman will skip syncing it to Tumblr (and any other connected platforms).

Does Ferryman cross-post my Mastodon replies and quote posts?

Threads, quote posts, and reposts are not supported or flattened for Tumblr, regardless of settings.

Is cross-posting from Mastodon to Tumblr free?

Every account starts with a 7-day free trial, so you can try cross-posting between Mastodon and Tumblr before you're billed. Cancel anytime before the trial ends and you won't be charged.

Related cross-post guides

Start cross-posting from Mastodon to Tumblr

Set up in under 2 minutes. Free to try.

Get Started