How to Cross-Post from X to Mastodon Automatically

Post natively on X and Ferryman automatically syncs every new post to Mastodon — no copy-paste, no workflow change. Set up in under two minutes.

Start cross-posting free

Why cross-post from X to Mastodon

X and Mastodon reach genuinely different audiences. X is real-time conversation, news, and tech-heavy discourse. The largest cross-platform creator audience by a wide margin. Mastodon, by contrast, is federated, instance-driven communities — strong technical, academic, and open-source presence.

No algorithm, no ads, no central platform risk. Smaller than the giants, but high signal and durable. If you're already putting in the effort to write good posts on X, there's no reason that work shouldn't reach a Mastodon 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 X and Mastodon

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	X	Mastodon
Character limit	280	500
Images per post	4	4
Alt text on images	Yes	Yes
Video support	Up to 2:20	Up to 1:00
Native threading	Yes	Yes

Mastodon's 500-character limit gives you 220 more characters than X's 280. Posts that fit on X always fit on Mastodon.

Videos longer than 60 seconds exceed Mastodon's cap. Ferryman handles the length difference so the rest of your cross-post still goes through.

What gets synced

Original posts (replies and quote posts are off by default and can be enabled)
Images up to 4 per post, with alt text preserved
Videos up to 60-second length on Mastodon (Creator plan)
Links — Ferryman preserves URLs and link cards where Mastodon supports them
Hashtags and mentions are preserved as-is; platform-specific mention syntax is rewritten
Posts fit Mastodon's 500-character limit without splitting

Set up X → Mastodon cross-posting

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

Edge cases worth knowing

Skip a specific post: include #noferry anywhere in your X post and Ferryman won't sync it to Mastodon.
Replies and quote posts: off by default. You can enable them in Settings if you want your X conversations to appear on Mastodon too.
Threads on X: X threads are reconstructed as native Mastodon threads.
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 X and Mastodon at the same time.

Manual cross-posting vs. Ferryman

Task	Manual	Ferryman
Cross-post a new X post	Copy text, re-upload images, rewrite mentions	Automatic, within minutes
Handle character-limit differences	Rewrite or split by hand	Posts fit Mastodon's 500-character limit without 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 X post to appear on Mastodon?

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

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

Mastodon's 500-character limit gives you 220 more characters than X's 280. Posts that fit on X always fit on Mastodon.

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

Yes. Images attached to your X post are uploaded to Mastodon automatically, up to Mastodon's limit of 4 per post. Alt text is carried over so your posts stay accessible on both platforms. Mastodon caps video length at 60 seconds, so longer videos may not be cross-posted to Mastodon.

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

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

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

By default, only original posts are cross-posted. You can opt in to syncing replies, quote posts, or reposts from your Ferryman settings.

Is cross-posting from X to Mastodon free?

Ferryman has a free tier that covers cross-posting between X and Mastodon. Paid plans unlock higher post volume, video cross-posting, and additional features like scheduling.

Related cross-post guides

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