Write down what you remember saving
Record the subject, a distinctive phrase and whether you remember bookmarking, favouriting or writing the post. Include the account and server you used. These are search clues, not proof that the post remains accessible today.
Keep this task limited to your own saved material or public resources you are entitled to review. A shared screenshot may omit the original address or context; if that is your starting point, first check the screenshot’s text.
Check what your server can search
Mastodon’s full-text search depends on server support. Its administrator documentation lists eligible material including your own posts, mentions, favourites, bookmarks and public posts from accounts that opted into search. It explicitly distinguishes this from arbitrary searching of the entire database. Source explains that scope.
You do not need to change server configuration to follow this guide. If text search is unavailable, record that limitation and use the saved-post views available to your account. Do not interpret a missing capability as evidence that the author removed a post.
Separate your library from public discovery
The user documentation describes in:library for posts you interacted with and from:me for your own posts. It also documents phrase and date filters; date interpretation uses an account’s configured timezone, otherwise UTC. Searching a full remote post URL can load that known post through your server. Source gives the operators and their limits.
Start with the least uncertain clue. If you remember bookmarking a tutorial, search the remembered phrase within your library where supported. If you wrote it yourself, use the author scope. Add a broad date window only after the subject is recognisable.
Diagnose a missing candidate
| Situation | Next check | Keep this limitation in your notes |
|---|---|---|
| You remember a bookmark | Review your saved-post list and the relevant account | Memory of saving is not a current accessibility check |
| You remember your own wording | Check the author scope before adding more filters | A phrase alone can match someone else’s post |
| You have the original URL | Open or search that complete address | A known URL does not override access restrictions |
| The date seems off | Compare displayed time and the timezone used in your search | A capture date may differ from publication time |
| Text search is unavailable | Use accessible account views and retain the limitation | The search did not cover all possible posts |
This table is a troubleshooting plan, not a claim that any particular server returned a result. Avoid creating several accounts or moving between servers to try to defeat visibility restrictions.
Record the source you recovered
Open the candidate in its full context. Keep the original post URL, visible author, displayed date and a brief description of the useful passage. If the post points to a tutorial elsewhere, open that destination too: a saved comment about a tutorial and the tutorial itself are separate sources.
Stop once the original supports the statement you need, or record that the source remains unresolved. Do not infer an author’s occupation, relationships or other personal facts from your interactions with the post.
For broader public-source work, the AI-assisted search checklist helps retain citations and uncertainty. TraceSeek’s capabilities are described separately; this guide explains Mastodon’s native search, not a promised App connection to your private bookmarks.