Auto-DM
Send a direct message to everyone who reposts or replies to a post, for a few days after it goes out.
Auto-DM turns a post into an offer: "Repost this and reply 'guide', and I'll send you the PDF." For a few days after the post publishes, Orbitwrite messages everyone who does what you asked.
It works on Bluesky and Mastodon. X is built and waiting on X's approval of direct-message access.
Set it up on a post
In the composer, open the channel's auto-engagement options and turn on Auto-DM.
Write the message. You can use these variables:
| Variable | Becomes |
|---|---|
{first_name} | Their first name, such as John |
{name} | Their full display name |
{username} | Their handle, such as @john |
{action} | What they did: repost or reply |
{post_url} | A link to your post |
Choose the trigger: a repost (a boost, on Mastodon), a reply, or both. With both, choose whether people must do all of them or any one.
Optionally, require the reply to contain a keyword, and require people to follow the sending account.
Choose how long it runs after the post publishes: 1 to 7 days, 4 by default.
The campaign starts when the post publishes. To start one on a post that's already published, use the
CLI (orbitwrite autodm start), the SDK or an AI agent over MCP.
Say so in the post
Tell people what engaging gets them ("reply 'guide' and I'll DM you the link"). The composer reminds you if the post doesn't mention a DM or message. People who weren't expecting a message are more likely to report it.
What to expect
| Bluesky | Mastodon | |
|---|---|---|
| Message length | 1,000 characters | 400 characters (a Mastodon DM is a post that mentions them) |
| Messages a day, per account | 250 | 250 |
| People who don't follow you | Bluesky refuses DMs from accounts they don't follow, unless they've opened their DMs | Delivered, but Mastodon may filter it into their requests |
- Nobody is messaged twice, however many times they reply.
- A message that fails, usually because the person doesn't accept DMs, isn't retried.
- Someone who did part of what you asked is remembered, and messaged once they do the rest, as long as the campaign is still running.
Manage a running campaign
The post's Auto-DM card shows how many people have been messaged, are waiting, or failed. Pause stops sending for now, Resume picks it back up, and Stop ends it for good. You can edit the message or the rule while it runs.
Members can add Auto-DM to a post. Starting one on a live post needs permission to publish, and pausing, editing or stopping one is for managers, admins and owners.
Bluesky channels connected before Auto-DM
Bluesky asks for a separate permission to send DMs. A Bluesky channel connected before Auto-DM existed shows that it needs reconnecting; reconnect it once from Settings → Channels and it's ready.