Subscriptions
Automatically archive new posts from your favorite creators.
Overview
Subscriptions run daily at the hour you subscribe, checking for new posts and archiving them to your vault. Previously archived posts are automatically skipped.
Supported Platforms
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit (subreddits), YouTube, Bluesky, and Mastodon.
Free Platforms
YouTube, Bluesky, and Mastodon subscriptions use free APIs and don't consume archive credits.
Subscribing
From Archive Modal
- Enter a profile URL in the archive modal
- Enable Subscribe to new posts
- Choose Crawl Now to archive and subscribe, or Subscribe Only to skip the initial crawl
From Author Badge
In Timeline View, click the subscribe icon next to any author name to subscribe directly.
From Author Catalog
- Open the Subscriptions icon in the Post Composer menu
- Find the author you want to subscribe to
- Click Subscribe
Author Catalog
The Author Catalog lists all creators from your archived posts.
Opening the Catalog
Click the Subscriptions icon at the bottom of the Post Composer panel. Social Archiver scans your vault and displays all authors found in your archives.
Features
Subscribed authors appear first in the list for quick access.
Search and filter:
- Search by name, handle, or URL
- Filter by platform
- Sort by name, archive count, or last subscription run
Author information:
- Avatar (downloaded to your vault)
- Display name and handle
- Bio (when available)
- Platform icon
- Archive count
Author Metadata
When you archive posts, author avatars and bios are automatically updated from the platform. This keeps your author information current.
Managing Subscriptions
Subscription Actions
Click on a subscribed author to access:
- Crawl Now — Run the subscription immediately
- View History — See past crawl runs
- View Archives — Search Timeline for this author's posts
- Unsubscribe — Stop automatic archiving
Crawl History
View the history of subscription runs including:
- Run status (success, failed, partial)
- Trigger type (scheduled or manual)
- Posts archived per run
- Run duration
- Error messages (if any)
How Deduplication Works
Subscriptions track what's already been archived to avoid duplicates.
Tracking Method
Each subscription maintains:
- Post IDs — Unique identifiers from the platform
- Content hashes — SHA-256 hash of post text and media URLs
When a subscription runs, it checks both the post ID and content hash. If either matches a previous archive, the post is skipped.
Cursor Position
Subscriptions remember where they left off. The cursor tracks:
- Last archived post ID
- Last post timestamp
New runs fetch posts newer than the cursor position, making each run efficient.
Hash Retention
Content hashes are retained for 90 days. This prevents re-archiving posts that were previously skipped or deleted.
Profile Crawl vs Subscription
| Feature | Profile Crawl | Subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Manual | Automatic (daily) |
| Deduplication | None | Post ID + content hash |
| Best for | One-time bulk archive | Ongoing updates |
| Use case | Archive a creator's recent posts | Never miss new content |
Tip: Use profile crawl to backfill existing content, then subscribe for new posts.
Next Steps
- Archive posts and profiles
- View your archives in Timeline View
- Share archived posts to the web