Free Mastodon profile lookup
Resolve any Mastodon handle in user@instance.example form to a public profile. Works against any Mastodon-compatible instance (Mastodon, Pleroma, Akkoma, GoToSocial, Pixelfed, Misskey, Iceshrimp) that exposes the public lookup endpoint.
For OSINT investigations: account-creation date, custom profile fields with verified-link checkmarks, last-status timestamp, group/bot flags, follower counts, and a direct webfinger URL for the federated identity record. The RSS feed lets you monitor a target without following or notifying them.
Webfinger is the federation-discovery protocol underneath the fediverse. The link in the metadata returns the JSON document that maps a handle to the underlying ActivityPub actor URL — useful for cross-instance investigations where someone moved their account.
Frequently asked questions
How is Mastodon different from Bluesky?
Mastodon is a federation of independent servers (instances). Each instance has its own URL, rules, and admin. A handle like user@mastodon.social means "user named user on the mastodon.social server." This page queries the instance directly via its public API.
Why might a lookup fail?
Common reasons: (1) The instance is small and CORS-locks its API, (2) The instance is offline, (3) The user moved to a new instance and the redirect isn't federated, (4) You typed the instance domain wrong.
What's a verified profile field?
Mastodon lets you put up to 4 link fields on your profile. If the link's target page contains a rel="me" link back to your Mastodon profile, the field gets a green checkmark — proof of cross-platform identity. The OSINT value: a verified link to a personal blog is much stronger evidence than an unverified one.
Can I see deleted posts?
Generally no via the API — Mastodon respects deletion. However, federated copies on other instances may persist briefly, and search engines/Wayback Machine may have cached public posts. The
Archive Engine can find archived snapshots.
Where do I subscribe to a Mastodon RSS feed?
Append .rss to any user URL: https://instance.example/@user.rss. The "RSS feed" link in the metadata above does this for you. Most RSS readers will pick it up.