The Real Grunfink

##
Your snac posts can be fancyMessages in snac allow a special subset of Markdown, that includes *emphasized*, **strong**, monospaced, strikethrough and underlined styles by surrounding text with one asterisk, two asterisks, backquotes, two tildes and two underlines, respectively.
Line breaks are respected and output as you write them.
Prepending a greater-than symbol in a line makes it a quote:
> This is quoted text
> All angle-prepended lines are grouped in the same blockquote
It also allows preformatted text using three backquotes in a single line: /* this is preformatted text */ struct node { struct node *prev; struct node *next; }; <li>One level bullet lists</li><li>are also supported,</li><li>by starting a line with a hyphen or asterisk followed by a space.</li>
URLs like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page are made clickable.
Links can also be written in [standard Markdown style](https://comam.es/what-is-snac ).
Some emojis: 😆 ❤️ 🍺 🤷 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Image URLs written in standard Markdown style for images are converted to ActivityPub attachments.
Three minus symbols in a line make a separator:
Headings can be defined using one, two, or three hash symbols in the beginning of a line, followed by a blank:##
header level 1##
header level 2###
header level 3But please take note that every ActivityPub implementation out there have its own rules for filtering out these formatting styles, so you can only guess what other people will really see.
These acrobatics are better documented in the [snac(5)](https://comam.es/snac-doc/snac.5.html ) man page.
[WHAT IS THIS SNAC THING?](https://comam.es/what-is-snac )
https://comam.es/snac-doc/susie64.png

2026-02-24 17:33:09 UTC

@npub1ef5…gcpc, BSD Cafe barista, developer extraordinaire and even better human being, has started working on an iOS Mastodon API / Fediverse app named #Mastoblaster.
The difference from other Mastodon API clients is that this one has #snac as a first class citizen.
I'm so glad!
https://mastoblaster.app/ @npub1gxv…wqs9

2026-02-21 17:48:40 UTC

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I guess it can be some resource outage, like memory or file descriptors.
CC: @npub1fhf…2t42 @npub1fhf…2t42

2026-01-22 06:07:30 UTC

I've just published version 2.89 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Fixed crash in pronouns processing (contributed by byte).
Added counters in the people page (contributed by byte).
New command-line option refresh, to refresh all follower and following Actor objects, marking them as broken if they are.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider [buying grunfink a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/grunfink ) or contributing via [LiberaPay](https://liberapay.com/grunfink/ ).
#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

2026-01-06 14:11:47 UTC

Hi, everyone. I've just published version 2.87 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It only includes a single change, to avoid using EmojiReacts to harass users:
Hide EmojiReacts from muted actors and blocked instances.
**Sorry for the inconvenience**. Bad people creativity always gets me off-guard. Upgrade your snac to this version ASAP, or revert to 2.85.
There will be another release pretty soon with a better solution to delete offending EmojiReacts.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

2026-01-05 08:35:09 UTC

I've just published version 2.86 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. Once again, most of the work has been done by fellow developers because they are the best. It includes the following changes:
Truncate RSS titles at UTF-8 character boundaries (contributed by lxo).
Link contacts to single-user people pages. Also, user's posts are shown (contributed by lxo).
Added emoji reactions (contributed by violette).
Mastodon API: Fix for some client notifications (contributed by violette), fix for a status visibility error (contributed by fruye).
If the query variable terse of a public post page is set to anything, no header is shown.
Fixed search failures when the query string has any leading blank.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider [buying grunfink a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/grunfink ) or contributing via [LiberaPay](https://liberapay.com/grunfink/ ).
#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

2025-12-20 18:42:21 UTC

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Hi. I know that semaphore.social and Elk work fine. It seems that Phanpy also works, but I haven't tested it personally.

2025-12-02 23:08:02 UTC

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> Also how would Snac perform in a vmm virtual machine using only 1 CPU compared to being in a multi core CPU jail on FreeBSD ??
I have less followers than you, but I run this #snac instance (and two more) in a VPS with only 1 CPU.

2025-10-27 08:45:45 UTC

I've just published version 2.84 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. This time, it includes mostly work by great, brilliant fellow developers while I was just sitting on the porch with the cats on my lap and a beer in my hand:
Implemented more scopes to match other ActivityPub implementations (public, unlisted, followers-only and direct message) (contributed by byte).
New icons showing instance and actor failures.
Mastodon API: Added remote accounts follow metrics and statuses when viewing profiles (contributed by Stefano Marinelli), fixed post deletion.
Fixed outbox collection (contributed by byte).
New file FEDERATION.md (contributed by andypiper).
Updated Czech, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese translations (contributed by pmjv and daltux).
Fixed manpage typos (contributed by r-ricci).
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider [buying grunfink a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/grunfink ) or contributing via [LiberaPay](https://liberapay.com/grunfink/ ).
#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

2025-08-07 08:07:49 UTC

Hi, @npub1xdz…mz2c . I think I haven't talked about Susie :susie:, #snac 's default icon, before.
When I started developing snac, I realized I needed a default icon to show for those accounts that lacked an avatar, similar to the outlined elephant Mastodon has. Given the minimalistic nature of the software, I thought that having a heavily-pixelated one, even 8-bit-like, was a perfect match.
So, I started designing one, inspired by singer/composer [Siouxsie Sioux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siouxsie_Sioux ), whom I'm a big fan of. I've done some pixelart before, but was not totally satisfied, so I asked a friend with more artistic skills, who did some tweaks, and I was finally happy with it.
Also, it's said that all cool software must have some easter eggs; so, Susie looks somewhat different sometimes, and once a year, in a special day, she looks **very** different. Easter eggs are like jokes and if you explain them they lose their power, so I'm leaving it here.

2025-07-07 07:46:31 UTC

I've just published version version 2.80 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It only includes one bugfix; if you use the Mastodon API, you may be interested in upgrading:
Mastodon API: fixed a regression (introduced in previous version in the "boosts disappear in Tusky" fix) that interrupted timelines.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider [buying grunfink a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/grunfink ) or contributing via [LiberaPay](https://liberapay.com/grunfink/ ).
#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

2025-06-30 09:48:05 UTC

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Thank you so much!

2025-06-30 07:57:21 UTC

I've just published version 2.79 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Added a server-wide Webmention hook; this way, if somebody out there (that supports Webmention) links to a user or post in this instance, a notification is sent (this is the complementary of what was implemented in version 2.76).
Fixed regression while sending email via pipe on OpenBSD.
Fixed Markdown parsing when the URL has parenthesis.
Always show the 'pending follow confirmations' section if there are any (even if the toggle is off).
If a metadata value is an account handler, it's also tried to be validated (rel="me" links).
Another search by URL tweak (this time for Pixelfed links).
Mastodon API: fixed a bug that made some boosts disappear after being shown in apps like Tusky, added followed hashtags maintenance, other minor changes.
Renamed command-line actions create_list to list_create and delete_list to list_remove.
The default favicon URL can be changed from the server configuration.
New command-line option export_posts, to export all posts by a user in a JSON format compatible with the one generated by Mastodon.
The command-line options to send notes also allow an optional -r argument, to set the URL of a Fediverse post this note is a reply to.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider [buying grunfink a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/grunfink ) or contributing via [LiberaPay](https://liberapay.com/grunfink/ ).
#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

2025-06-09 12:59:03 UTC

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Hi, #snac author here. The screenshot you provided shows that it's a boost by a user named Newk... if you are not following them, certainly it should not appear in your timeline. I've never seen this happen before, maybe it's some kind of strange bug. I'll investigate and get back to you if I find an explanation.

2025-06-08 05:59:22 UTC

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When #snac receives a post from someone you follow, it also tries to retrieve the posts it's a reply to, up to the first one, to provide some context (and show the conversation as a tree).

2025-06-02 10:48:06 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.78 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Hashtag following also allow URLs to RSS feeds of ActivityPub objects (like e.g. https://mastodon.social/tags/ThankYouTuesday).
Users can now configure a webhook to receive an HTTP POST for every notification. This can be useful for implementing bots that react to activities, like autorepliers, chatbots or interactive textual games (see snac(1) for more information).
The number of pending follow confirmations is shown next to the "people" link.
Faster performance metrics (contributed by dandelions).
Improved lowercasing in hashtags (contributed by postscriptum).
A search-by-url tweak for implementations that return 200 for invalid webfinger queries (e.g. piefed).
Mastodon API: added follow confirmation endpoints, fixed collisions in attachment file names.
Fixed potential crashes in attachment uploads.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider [buying grunfink a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/grunfink ) or contributing via [LiberaPay](https://liberapay.com/grunfink/ ).
#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

2025-05-09 10:24:50 UTC

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Curl also has support for doing SMTP connections, as well as FTP and others (even IMAP? not sure about this).

2025-05-09 08:50:54 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.76 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Added Webmention support for links (Markdown-style or direct) written in a post.
Added new command-line options for list maintenance.
Display custom emoji in more places (contributed by dandelions).
Mastodon API: fixed infinite scroll in many clients (thanks to cheeaun for giving me the clue), added /api/v1/accounts/.../lists endpoint (contributed by dandelions).
Email notifications can now be sent via libcurl SMTP instead of spawning the /usr/sbin/sendmail program. To use this new feature, some additional server configuration is needed, see snac(8) (contributed by shtrophic).
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider [buying grunfink a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/grunfink ) or contributing via [LiberaPay](https://liberapay.com/grunfink/ ).
#snacAnnounces
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
https://ko-fi.com/grunfink
https://liberapay.com/grunfink/

2025-04-29 17:17:02 UTC

I've just enjoyed [this fascinating conversation](https://video.firesidefedi.live/w/vSo87e6Vtd2yQJ6pZj8raj ) between @npub16k9…2nry and @npub1ef5…gcpc, where the latter explains how he planted the seed of the incredibly friendly, great and extense community that is the BSD Cafe. Open source, owning you own data and the importance of interconnecting people is talked about here. Of course, Stefano also talked about https://fedimeteo.com/, his great project that makes weather information available to the whole Fediverse; this makes me, as the developer of #snac (one of the pieces of software that operates Fedimeteo), also a bit proud of being a part of.
As Stefano says, "you can't describe passion", but you can feel it from his words.

2025-03-20 09:06:35 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.74 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes a lot of web UI translations by lovely people and a bit of minor tweaks and fixes:
Added Spanish (default, Argentina and Uruguay) translation (contributed by gnemmi).
Added Czech translation (contributed by pmjv).
Added Brazilian Portuguese translation (contributed by daltux).
Added Finnish translation (contributed by inz).
Added French translation (contributed by Popolon).
Added Russian translation (contributed by sn4il).
Added Chinese translation (contributed by mistivia).
Added German translation (contributed by zen and Menel).
Added Greek translation (contributed by uhuru).
Added Italian translation (contributed by anzu).
Mastodon API: added support for /api/v1/custom_emojis (contributed by violette).
Improved Undo+Follow logic (contributed by rozenglass).
Reverted (temporarily) the Markdown code that converted text between underscores to italics, because it was causing more problems that what it was worth.
Fixed bug in bookmark CSV import.
Don't indent Twitter-like "threads" (i.e. chains of short posts from the same author that are self-replies).
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
#snacAnnounces

2025-03-04 10:00:13 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.73 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Added support for customizing and translating the web UI language via simple .po files. For more information on how to install language files or create new ones, please see snac(8) (the administrator manual).
New user support for blocking hashtags from the web UI.
The Content-Security-Policy HTTP header is now always sent to disable any JavaScript, instead of just being suggested in the documentation.
Image attachments in SVG format are now disabled by default; you can enable them back by setting the enable_svg value to true in server.json.
Several fixes (contributed by inz).
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
#snacAnnounces

2025-02-11 18:42:06 UTC

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Fixed!

2025-02-10 08:51:48 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.72 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Each post can have more than one attachment from the web UI. The maximum number can be configured in server.json via the max_attachments value (default: 4).
Each notification includes a link labelled Context, that leads to a page with the full conversation tree the post is a part of.
Each followed hashtag has now a directly accesible link.
Fixed a search bug (some matches were missed).
Fixed more crashes (contributed by inz).
Fixed link detection in posts (contributed by inz).
Allow multiple editors for command-line posts (contributed by inz).
Separated maximum and default timeline entry count, allowing larger timelines to be requested without having to increase the default (contributed by lxo).
Turned message date into a link to the local post, so that it can be loaded into a separate tab for interacting with (contributed by lxo).
Special thanks to fellow developer inz for bringing my attention to code places where I should have been more careful.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the song [Songe d'un ange](https://song.link/i/1438761053 ) by #KyrieKristmanson and #BrendanPerry.

2025-02-01 17:50:39 UTC

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Thank you very much for your patches, they sound interesting. I'll take a look at them next monday. Have a nice weekend!

2025-01-31 08:16:37 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.70 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Notifications are now shown in a more compact way (i.e. all reactions are shown just above your post, instead of repeating the post *ad nauseam* for every reaction).
New command-line option unmute to, well, no-longer-mute an actor.
The private timeline now includes an approximate mark between new posts and "already seen" ones.
Fixed a spurious 404 error in the instance root URL for some configurations.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the song [The Answers to the Questions](https://song.link/i/1741388178 ) by #Christabell and #DavidLynch.

2025-01-29 08:57:12 UTC

Sysadmin extraordinaire Stefano Marinelli (@npub1ef5…gcpc) has written this great, concise article on how to tune #nginx to improve #snac performance while serving media like images or videos.
https://it-notes.dragas.net/2025/01/29/improving-snac-performance-with-nginx-proxy-cache/

2025-01-27 15:16:53 UTC

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Hi. You're welcome!
Regarding your first point (saving a thread for later replying or reacting): I use bookmarks for that.
Regarding the page reloading after actions, I'm afraid it's not possible without the use of JavaScript, which is a no/no for this project. The action requires a trip to the server, and a response back with the same (or the most similar) content you were previously shown.
And with regard the mark of "below this line, you've already seen this": it has been on my mind for long time, but due to implementation details, it's trickier than it seems. I will implement it eventually, because it's something that I deeply need 😆
Thanks for taking a chance on #snac.

2025-01-24 10:56:48 UTC

#Mastodon is the powerful war rig in the #Fediverse army against the axis of biased social networks; #snac is the little buffon back there in the rearguard, playing their old-fashioned lute and making silly jokes.
#CrazyFediverseAnalogies

2025-01-20 16:08:31 UTC

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Hi. I'm unable to provide you one (my resources are pretty limited), but there are some instances out there where you can ask for one, like https://hj.9fs.net or https://snac.bsd.cafe
CC: @npub1lym…fqe3

2025-01-07 10:31:22 UTC

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Hi. No, not at this moment. You mean, as a standalone, isolated server, with communication only available between users of the same server, right?

2025-01-07 09:24:02 UTC

Happy new year. I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.68 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. This release couldn't have been possible without the help of several fellow developers. It includes the following changes:
Fixed regression in link verification code (contributed by nowster).
Added ipv6 support for the https frontend connection (contributed by hb9hnt).
New "Like by URL" operation (contributed by dheadshot).
Added support for a Mastodon-like /share link sharing URL, like the one provided by sites like https://mastodonshare.com/ and such. To be able to use it, you must reconfigure your https proxy to redirect /share to snac (see snac(8)).
New linux landlock (sandboxing) support for enhanced security (contributed by shtrophic). It's still a bit experimental, so you have to enable it explicitly by recompiling with the WITH_LINUX_SANDBOX directive (e.g. make CFLAGS=-DWITH_LINUX_SANDBOX).
Some search fixes regarding repeated matches.
The export_csv cmdline operation now exports the CSV files inside a user's export/ subdirectory instead of the current directory.
All CSV files to be imported must now be stored inside a user's import/ subdirectory instead of the current directory.
Mastodon API: more timeline paging tunings (contributed by nowster), post language selected in apps is properly set.
The command-line operation note new reads the LANG environment variable to set the post's language.
A new command-line operation, note_unlisted, allows posting "unlisted" or "quiet public" posts.
The maximum number of entries in users' RSS feeds and in outboxes can now be set via the max_public_entries variable in the server.json file.
Fixed broken support for Audio objects.
Made xmpp and mailto URLs clickable.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the painting *Judith Slaying Holofernes* by #ArtemisiaGentileschi.

2025-01-04 07:47:24 UTC

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Hi. I think I'll set the RSS entry count configurable server-wide instead of hardcoded.

2024-12-09 14:13:53 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.66 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
As many users have asked for it, there is now an option to make the number of followed and following accounts public (still disabled by default). These are only the numbers; the lists themselves are never published.
Some fixes to blocked instances code (posts from them were sometimes shown).
Fixed non-appearing buttons Approve and Discard if the account requesting a follow were being followed.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the songs [All Is Lost](https://song.link/i/1440088443 ) by #KatieGarfield and [All Is Not Lost](https://song.link/i/1544552643 ) by #TonyAnderson.

2024-11-21 14:16:48 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.64 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes (mostly bugfixes):
Some tweaks for better integration with https://bsky.brid.gy (the BlueSky bridge by brid.gy).
A corner case bug in the media proxying code has been fixed.
Hashtags can now include underscores.
The server now creates a pidfile inside the data directory.
Mastodon API: fixed a crash in the notification code, fixed autocapitalization in the OAuth login field (contributed by fkooman).
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the song [Take Me To The River](https://song.link/i/1601509361 ) by #Kaleida.

2024-11-07 14:36:03 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.62 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Added a new user option to collapse top level threads by default.
Added a new disable_block_notifications boolean field to server.json to disable the notifications of Block activities.
Added a new strict_public_timelines boolean field to server.json to only show an account's posts and boosts (no trees) in public timelines.
Fixed repeated images in posts from some implementations (those that include an image both as an attachment and as an <img> tag inside the post content).
Added a small HTML/CSS tweak to improve post previews from some implementations (contributed by nyanide).
Notifications for EmojiReact activities now show the emoji.
New command-line action insert, to insert a post by its URL in a user's timeline.
Fixed bad processing/rendering of URLs with two or more @ symbols.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider contributing via LiberaPay: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/donate
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the song *Subways Of Your Mind* by #FEX.

2024-11-04 16:05:49 UTC

Hi, #snacizens. After much hesitation, I finally did what some fellow users suggested: I created a Liberapay account. Until now, I used to accept small donations via ko-fi.com; this will still be possible. This Liberapay account is also linked to a new Stripe account, so any one of you not having a credit card (or disliking Paypal) can also contribute.
Any help will be greatly and sincerely appreciated.
Here it is: https://liberapay.com/grunfink/
Thank very much to everybody.

2024-10-23 15:03:02 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.61 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Migration from a Mastodon account to a snac one has been implemented. Please see snac(8) (the administrator manual) for more information.
Mastodon API: fixed timelines/public (it was showing less posts that it should).
Fixed over-zealous caching to the public timeline.
Some HTML tweaks and fixes to the web interface.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider buying grunfink a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/grunfink
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the painting *The Hands Resist Him* by #BillStoneham.

2024-10-10 13:08:08 UTC

I'm glad to announce the release of version 2.60 of #snac, the simple, minimalistic #ActivityPub instance server written in C. It includes the following changes:
Migration from a snac account to a Mastodon one has been implemented. Please see snac(8) (the administrator manual) for more information.
Fixed a bug in argument parsing regarding some special characters (contributed by ndagestad).
Fixed image emojis in the public profile bio.
https://comam.es/what-is-snac
If you find #snac useful, please consider buying grunfink a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/grunfink
#snacAnnounces
This release has been inspired by the song *State of Independence* versioned by #DonnaSummer.

2024-05-11 17:53:24 UTC

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I've just added some very basic support for this type (basically, not dropping them and showing them as if they were regular posts, with a mark to note that they are events). I understand that what make this type interesting is adding the possibility to add actions like intention to attend and such, but I will also wait for standardization.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
CC: @npub1k90…q43y @npub1pl5…kp2w @npub1uq5…z8a5 @npub1d43…jl5u @npub19yg…wysk @npub1rne…g4qz