Masto2X: Mastodon to X (Twitter) Cross-Poster 🔄

From Mastodon

To X (Twitter)

---

A lightweight Python application that automatically syncs your Mastodon posts to your X (formerly Twitter) account. Perfect for maintaining presence across both platforms without manual cross-posting.

✨ Features

• 🔄 Automatic Syncing: Checks for new Mastodon posts and cross-posts to X
• 🖼️ Media Support: Handles images attached to Mastodon posts (up to 4 images)
• 🏷️ Hashtag Preservation: Converts Mastodon tags to X hashtags
• 📝 Content Cleaning: Intelligently formats HTML content for X
• ⚡ Lightweight: Simple Python script with minimal dependencies
• 🔒 Self-Hosted: Your data remains under your control
• ⏰ Scheduling Ready: Easy to set up with cron or similar schedulers

📋 Prerequisites

Before installing Masto2X, make sure you have:

• Python 3.7 or higher
• A Mastodon account
• An X Developer account (for API access)
• Basic command-line knowledge

🚀 Installation

1. Clone or download this repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/masto2x.git
   cd masto2x

2. Create a virtual environment

   python -m venv .masto2x-venv

3. Activate the virtual environment

   On Windows:

   .masto2x-venv\Scripts\activate

   On macOS/Linux:

   source .masto2x-venv/bin/activate

4. Install required dependencies

   pip install tweepy feedparser requests beautifulsoup4

⚙️ Configuration

1. Set up X API Access

   • Apply for a developer account at developer.twitter.com
   • Create a new Project with Read/Write permissions
   • Navigate to your Project > Settings > User authentication set up
   • Set OAuth 1.0a with Read/Write permissions
   • For callback URL, use your Mastodon instance URL
   • Generate API keys and access tokens

2. Create config.json
   Create a config.json file in the project directory:

   {
     "mastodon_rss": "https://mastodon.social/@yourusername.rss",
     "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
     "api_secret": "YOUR_API_SECRET",
     "access_token": "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN",
     "access_secret": "YOUR_ACCESS_SECRET"
   }

3. Initialize last_post.json

   {}

🎯 Usage

Manual Run

python mastodon_to_x.py

Automated Scheduling

Set up a cron job to run the script periodically:

# Run every 15 minutes
*/15 * * * * cd /path/to/masto2x && ./.masto2x-venv/bin/python mastodon_to_x.py

📁 Project Structure

masto2x/
│
├─ .masto2x-venv/        # virtual environment
├─ config.json           # store your API keys and settings
├─ mastodon_to_x.py      # main script
└─ last_post.json        # keeps track of last posted Mastodon toot

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

API Authentication Errors

• Verify your X API keys have write permissions
• Check that your access tokens are valid

RSS Feed Not Loading

• Ensure your Mastodon RSS URL is correct
• Verify your Mastodon profile is public

Character Limit Issues

• Mastodon allows 500 characters while X limits to 280
• Long posts will be automatically truncated

Media Upload Failures

• Check internet connection for image downloads
• Verify X API media permissions

💰 Alternative Services

Service	Price	Limitations
dlvr.it	$8.29/month	Unlimited posts
CircleBoom	$5.99-$17/month	Free tier: 3 posts/day
SocialOomph	$15/month	No RSS in free tier
Hootsuite RSS AutoPublisher	$5.99/month	App subscription required

🤝 Support & Contributing

☕ Buy Me a Coffee

If this tool has saved you time, consider supporting its development:

⭐ Give a Star

If you find this useful, please give it a star! ⭐ It helps others discover the project.

🐛 Report Issues & Contributions

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue or submit a pull request!

We welcome contributions for:

• Support for more social media platforms (Bluesky, Threads, etc.)
• Improved error handling
• Additional features

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Mastodon API team for the RSS feed format
• X API for posting capabilities
• Python community for excellent libraries

Disclaimer: This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Mastodon gGmbH or X Corp. Use at your own risk. API limitations and changes may affect functionality.

Happy Cross-Posting! 🚀