Threads support (blocked on Threads)

[enn-nafnlaus]

A month ago we saw the first account bridged from Threads to ATProto:

https://bsky.app/profile/shnarfed.threads.net.ap.brid.gy

However, it seems to just be a test case at this point. I cannot find any other bridged accounts. I asked a friend on Threads to see if he could follow @bsky.brid.gy@bsky.brid.gy on Threads, as per the docs (https://fed.brid.gy/docs). He cannot find the account. The docs state that Threads is supported, yet provides no other information than that.

What is the actual state? If it's not complete, is a complete implementation coming? Thanks!

[snarfed]

Thanks for filing! Good to have an issue to track this one.

Threads's fediverse support is very incomplete right now. You can share out to the fediverse, and now you can see some amount of replies, likes, and reposts from the fediverse, but you can't see or interact with original fediverse posts, or find or follow people on the fediverse. That includes the @bsky.brid.gy@bsky.brid.gy bot user, which is the immediate technical reason that Threads users can't yet opt into the bridge.

The bigger point, though, is that bridging is complicated and confusing enough right now for people on "normal" fediverse instances. I'm not ready to do anything special to support Threads as long as its fediverse integration is so partial and incomplete.

I'm excited to support it as soon as they're fully ready though! Theoretically BF won't have to do anything new, it will "just work." Supposedly. We'll see!

[snarfed]

Oh, and you're right, the docs shouldn't say that Threads is supported. I'll fix that. Thanks for the nudge!

[enn-nafnlaus]

Got it. Hopefully it comes sooner or later! I was excited to find that an old Twitter friend was now active on threads, thinking we could just bridge... guess not... for the time being. :(

Thanks for your work! :)

[enn-nafnlaus]

Oh, and you're right, the docs shouldn't say that Threads is supported. I'll fix that. Thanks for the nudge!

While you're fixing the docs:

"To follow a web site, first enter it here to make sure it's set up, then wait a minute, then search for it in Bluesky"

The "enter it here" link does nothing.

[mackuba]

Just wondering, if Threads adds the ability to follow Fediverse accounts at some point, will it be possible to opt-in to bridging from there then without any changes, or is that somehow blocked explicitly on your side at the moment?

[snarfed]

Good question. I'm not explicitly blocking Threads at all right now. I am a bit concerned that when they let Threads users follow fediverse users, other parts of federation may still be missing or incomplete, which will cause trouble. Guess we'll see!

[antont]

I'm also curious. You mentioned earlier that somehow Threads' AP implementation is broken / incomplete so that bridging wouldn't (really) work? I wonder if it would help anything to know the details and maybe try to make Meta fix some of the problems. I guess not, they do what they do following their own roadmap and strategy.

[TomCasavant]

I'm also curious. You mentioned earlier that somehow Threads' AP implementation is broken / incomplete so that bridging wouldn't (really) work? I wonder if it would help anything to know the details and maybe try to make Meta fix some of the problems. I guess not, they do what they do following their own roadmap and strategy.

In order to opt in your account to the bridge you need to be able to follow the bridgy account, Threads' implementation is incomplete because that's not possible yet

There could be potential issues with their implementation after they let you follow fediverse accounts, but we won't know until they roll out that feature

[snarfed]

Lots more recent Threads discussion in #1471 (comment) and #1305 (comment) and below.

[TomCasavant]

In order to opt in your account to the bridge you need to be able to follow the bridgy account, Threads' implementation is incomplete because that's not possible yet

FWIW that is possible now, I tested it. The bridge creates the bridged account, https://fed.brid.gy/ap/@mrpresidenttom@threads.net, but the follow still says 'requested' on Threads' side. And it doesn't look like @bsky.brid.gy@bsky.brid.gy followed my Threads account. I created a post (still on that 15 minute timer that Threads has), but I imagine since the follow didn't go through the post will never make it to bluesky.

[snarfed]

Love it! And yeah we're still debugging interop with them, they 500 on some of our activities, including Accepts and maybe still Follows from the bot account. Stay tuned...

[snarfed]

This is largely working now! Still some bumps, but I'm comfortable enough to close this.