What is a Bluesky bot, and how do you make one people trust?
A Bluesky bot is an account run by a program instead of a person. Bots post the weather, share art, summarise news or answer questions, and the best ones make it obvious what they are.
What a bot can do
Anything an account can do through the AT Protocol: post, reply, follow and like. A bot runs on a server or on a schedule, signs in with an app password and talks to Bluesky through an SDK. The result is an account that keeps working while you sleep.
Build it
You need a little code. Bluesky’s SDKs for TypeScript and Python do the heavy lifting, and our TypeScript and Python guides get a first post out in minutes. Follow the automation rules: no unsolicited replies, a steady pace and an easy way to opt out.
Make it recognisable
People trust a bot more when they can tell it is one. Give it a name.bluesky.bot handle, say in the profile who runs it, and list it in the bot directory so others can find it.
Questions, answered
- Are bots allowed on Bluesky?
- Yes, as long as they follow Bluesky’s community guidelines and rate limits and do not get in people’s way. Bluesky publishes the rules, and our best practices link to them.
- Do I need to be a developer?
- You need to run a small program, so some coding helps. Many bots are under a hundred lines. If you have never written one, start with the TypeScript guide.