{
  "id": 1838209,
  "title": "Mastodon 5.0: Laying the foundation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/mastodon-5-0-laying-the-foundation",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-19T00:03:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Lobsters",
    "slug": "lobsters",
    "url": "https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2026/08/5.0-laying-the-foundation/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mastodon's 5.0 update aims to improve the user experience by addressing key issues with the composer interface and expanding functionality. The composer, previously confined to the sidebar, will now open as an overlay, providing more space for users to create while still being hidden when not needed. The visibility settings have been simplified to better reflect their purpose and functionality, with the 'quiet public' option now displayed as a sub-setting that hides posts from search and discovery views. Quote settings have been restructured to be more intuitive, with 'Allow others to quote' being the default, and options to limit quoting to either everyone or just followers. The term 'private mention' has been replaced with 'message(s)' in the UI for clarity. Direct messaging now operates in its own composer, separate from the main timeline. The navigation menu will showcase the user's server name and Mastodon branding, with plans to introduce custom color schemes and filter options for custom feeds in the future.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}