A decorative banner featuring a repeating pattern of small purple robot icons against a light background, creating a retro-tech wallpaper effect

Altbot Accessibility Robot

_Making the Fediverse more inclusive, one image at a time_

About

Altbot is an open-source accessibility bot designed to enhance the Fediverse by generating alt-text descriptions for images, video, and audio. This helps make content more accessible to users with visual impairments.

Privacy & GDPR Compliance

Altbot 2.0 now processes everything 100% locally with zero data retention!

In compliance with GDPR, Altbot requires explicit informed consent before processing any user requests. When you interact with Altbot for the first time, you'll receive a consent request with information about data collection practices and a link to our Privacy Policy.

What we collect: Request timestamps, processing times, language preferences, media type
What we don't collect: Images, personal information, content of your posts
How to revoke consent: Simply block the bot account

Your post content is never saved or shared. Only images without existing alt-text will be processed, and all processing happens privately on our local server.

Disclaimer

Alt-texts are generated using a Large Language Model (LLM). While we strive for accuracy, results may sometimes be factually incorrect. Always double-check the alt-text before using it.

How It Works

Altbot listens for mentions and follows on Mastodon. When it detects a mention or a new post from a followed user, it checks for images without alt-text. If it finds any, it uses a Large Language Model (LLM) to generate descriptive alt-text and replies with the generated text.

Features

Mention-Based Alt-Text Generation: Mention @Altbot in a reply to any post containing an image, video, or audio, and Altbot will generate an alt-text description for it.
Automatic Alt-Text for Followers: Follow @Altbot, and it will monitor your posts. If you post an image, video, or audio without alt-text, Altbot will automatically generate one for you.
Local LLM Support: Use local LLMs via Ollama for generating alt-text descriptions.
GDPR Compliance: Explicit informed consent system that requires users to provide consent before processing their requests, with clear information about data usage.
Consent Requests: Ask for consent from the original poster before generating alt-text when mentioned by non-OP users.
Configurable Settings: Easily configure the bot using a TOML file.

Setup

Standard

Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/micr0-dev/Altbot.git
   cd Altbot
   ``
Run the setup wizard:
   `sh
   go run .
   `
   The setup wizard will guide you through configuring the essential values required for the bot, including:
Your Mastodon server URL, client secret, access token, and bot username.
   The admin contact handle for moderation notifications.
   Enabling optional features like metrics and alt-text reminders.
   
Alternatively, copy the example configuration file and edit it manually:   `sh
   cp example.config.toml config.toml
   `
Run the bot:

   
`sh
   go run .
   `
Docker
Clone the repository:
   `sh
   git clone https://github.com/micr0-dev/Altbot.git
   cd Altbot
   `
Run the setup wizard:
   `sh
   docker run -it -v ./:/data --rm ghcr.io/micr0-dev/altbot:latest
   `
   The setup wizard will guide you through configuring the essential values required for the bot, including:
Your Mastodon server URL, client secret, access token, and bot username.
   The admin contact handle for moderation notifications.
   Enabling optional features like metrics and alt-text reminders.
   
Alternatively, copy the example configuration file and edit it manually:   `sh
   cp example.config.toml config.toml
   `
Run the bot:
   
`sh
   docker compose up -d
   `
Development Setup
Prerequisites
Go 1.24+: Install from go.dev
LLM Provider (one of the following):
  Gemini API: Get an API key from Google AI Studio
  Ollama: Install from ollama.ai and pull a vision model (e.g., ollama pull llava-phi3)

  Transformers: Requires Python with transformers library and a compatible GPU
Getting Started
Clone the repository:
   
`sh
   git clone https://github.com/micr0-dev/Altbot.git
   cd Altbot
   `
Install dependencies:
   `sh
   go mod download
   `
Copy and configure the config file:
   `sh
   cp example.config.toml config.toml
   # Edit config.toml with your LLM API and model of choice
   `
Run the bot:
   `sh
   go run .
   `
Development Mode
Use the --dev flag to run the bot in development mode. This provides an interactive command-line interface for testing without posting to Mastodon:

sh
go run . --dev

Note: Dev mode skips Mastodon authentication, but you still need a valid LLM API (Gemini, Ollama, etc.) configured in config.toml to test image/video/audio processing.
#### Dev Mode Commands| Command        | Description                                        |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| /image  | Process an image URL and generate alt-text         |
| /video  | Process a video URL and generate alt-text          |
| /audio  | Process an audio URL and generate alt-text         |
| /lang [code] | Set/show language for responses (e.g., en, de, ja) |
| /follow      | Simulate a follow event                            |
| /status      | Show current dev mode status                       |
| /help        | Show available commands                            |
| /quit        | Exit dev mode                                      |
You can also paste a URL directly to process it as an image.
Example session:

[dev] > /lang de
Language set to: de
[dev] > https://example.com/image.jpg
Processing image: https://example.com/image.jpg
Please wait...
=== Generated Alt-Text ===
Ein Foto von...

Building
sh
go build -o altbot .

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please open an issue or submit a pull request with your improvements.

Support / Community

Questions? Want to chat? Join us at chat.micr0.dev

Channels: #dev for project discussion, #help for support

IRC: irc.micr0.dev (ports 6667/6697)

Thank You

Special Thanks

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Henrik Schönemann (@Schoeneh) who motivated me throughout this journey. His help with handling criticism and transforming it into constructive feedback has been invaluable. I truly would not be where I am today without his support and guidance.

Kofi Supporters

A heartfelt thank you to all my Ko-fi supporters! Your generous contributions help keep Altbot running and continually improving. Your support means the world to me and helps make the Fediverse a more accessible place for everyone.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3 (AGPLv3). See the LICENSE file for details.

Join us in making the Fediverse a more inclusive place for everyone!

--- Tranlated By Open Ai Tx | Last indexed: 2026-06-28 ---