Northsky Migration FAQ

Q: If I migrate to Northsky, will I keep my followers, posts, lists, etc... from my Bluesky account?

A: Yes. When you migrate to Northsky, you will keep your posts, media blobs, follows, followers, lists, feeds, likes, and account preferences (mute words, etc...)

HOWEVER, your Direct Messages will still be accessible, but will remain hosted on Bluesky’s servers. Northsky plans to implement a more secure E2EE direct messaging system in the future, so stay tuned on that front.

Q: Do I need an Invite to migrate to Northsky?

A: Yes. You need an invite code that will look something like: northsky-social-xxxxx-xxxxx. You can get one my signing up for our invite queue at https://northskysocial.com/join

Q: Can I create a brand new account?

A: Yes. You will still need an invite code, but once you have that you can create an account via https://migrate.northsky.social .

Q: What are the benefits of being hosted on Northsky?

A: There are many benefits to being hosted on Northsky:

You keep all your followers, follows, posts, and data

You can get a .northsky.social handle, or keep your custom domain one

Your data is hosted in Canada and subject to Canadian laws.

Our moderation team is made up of members from marginalized groups, especially the 2SLGBTQIA community, and make decisions based on OUR Terms of Service and Community Guidelines (not Bluesky’s)

Protection from account-level bans by Bluesky Moderation.

We generate you a “Rotation Key” that lets you migrate your account to another PDS, even in a hostile exit scenario, where your account is banned on our server.

You can migrate back to Bluesky’s servers, even after joining Northsky, as long as your account originated there.

Q: What are the drawbacks of being hosted on Northsky?

A: The main drawback is our financial stability as your host. Northsky is not as well resourced as Bluesky and relies on donations and grants for its continued operations. We currently have substantial financial runway due to the generosity of our userbase, however if Northsky runs out of funding we could be forced to shut down. However, we would ensure adequate time to migrate off our servers. Finally, thanks to rotation keys, you’ll even be able to recover your account in the event of a sudden unexpected shutdown scenario.

Q: Will my posts on Northsky still be visible on Bluesky?

A: Yes. All posts on AT protocol are currently public by design, and are thus visibile by anyone on the AT protocol network (Bluesky, Blacksky, Northsky, etc...)

Q: Will I be able to post Northsky-only content?

A: Not yet. But we plan to implement this in the near future when we have our own App and appview implemented. This is coming in “Phase 2” of our development roadmap.

Q: If I’m banned on Bluesky, can I migrate to Northsky?

A: It depends. You cannot move a deactivated account from Bluesky to Northsky without a pre-existing backup of your account and a rotation key (which Bluesky does not generate for you like Northsky does).

Q: Will migrating remove me from another user’s blocklist?

A: No. Due to how AT Protocol is designed, each user stores the data for who they follow and block. So moving your data from one PDS to another will not unblock you, because their blocklist is canonical to their account and your DID (unique account identifier) does not change when you migrate.

Q: Can I make a new Northsky account and then merge it with my old Bluesky account?

A: No. Each AT protocol account has a unique DID, and you cannot merge them together at a later date. You’ll want to either migrate now, or maintain two different accounts across servers.

Q: What do I do if I never got my PLC token during migration?

A: Try these steps to help troubleshoot:

Check your Spam folder in your e-mail client.

Ensure your Bluesky e-mail address is “verified” in the app, and try again.

If neither of these help, contact support@northskysocial.com for help.

later date. You’ll want to either migrate now, or maintain two different accounts across servers.

Q: What do I do if I lost my rotation key?

A: Don’t do that. Your rotation key is powerful and allows someone to redirect the official “you” to an account hosted on another PDS. It could hijack your account in the wrong hands.

Keep your rotation key secure and backed up somewhere only accessible to you. Like a password manager, or a physical binder in a fireproof safe.

If you need to generate another rotation key because you lost yours, you can do so using our downloadable tool: https://github.com/NorthskySocial/pds-migration/releases