Skythread#

Skythread is a web tool that allows you to read long Bluesky threads in the form of a tree of comments nested under one another, like e.g. on Reddit, to make it easier to see which comment is a reply to which.

It looks like this:

List of features#

Main parts of the app:

viewing threads (look up by bsky.app URL or an at:// URI)
listing quotes of a given post (including "detached" ones)
hashtag feed – latest posts with a given hashtag
personal statistics & search tools:
- posting stats: statistics of who posts how much
- like stats: who likes your posts and vice versa
- timeline search: search in the recent posts in your Following feed
- archive search: search in your likes, reposts, quotes and bookmarks (pins)

Also:

liking comments in the thread
loading contents of a blocked post on demand
detecting & loading "hidden replies" hidden by Bluesky because of a "nuclear block" (look for an orange link with a "biohazard" icon)
alternatively, both "hidden replies" and blocked post links can be hidden for peace of mind by turning off "Show infohazards" in the top-right menu
"incognito mode" which lets you browse threads logged out but still be able to like comments from your account
displays outline tags (the tags field in the post record), link cards for normal links, starter packs, feeds and lists
special handling for Mastodon posts bridged through Bridgy – full post content beyond 300 characters is loaded from the record data
Tenor GIFs are loaded and played inline once you click on the tenor.com link card
nested quotes (quote-chains) are automatically loaded beyond the first level
self-replies are collapsed into a flat vertical list if possible

What is currently missing (but planned)#

images and videos aren't shown inline yet, only as links like [Image] (I'll need to make sure first that labels and moderation preferences are always applied as needed)
UI is not currently designed with mobile phones in mind (though it should work)
OAuth support – only app passwords are supported
easy configuration of things like date format, language, preferred AppView and other services, enabled labellers, some UI preferences etc.

Running#

You can access the public Skythread site at skythread.mackuba.eu.

You can also download a zipped copy of this repo or clone it and use it locally – just open the index.html at the root of the project, no need to start any servers!

Development#

If you want to make any changes, then you do need to use a bundler/server:

Install Bun.
Install dependencies with bun install.
Start the server with bun serve.js.
- Alternatively, to just build the project without starting a server, use bun build.js.
Navigate to localhost:3000 in your browser.
Refresh to see changes.

Credits#

Pull requests, bug reports and suggestions are welcome :)