How to Schedule a BlueSky Thread

A thread on BlueSky is just a series of posts linked together, where each one is a reply to the one before it. People use threads when an idea is too big for a single post, which on BlueSky means anything that runs past 300 characters. The format works well: each part stays short and readable, and the whole thing reads as one connected story.

The catch is that BlueSky doesn't have a built-in scheduler. There's no native 'post this later' button, and there's certainly no way to queue up a five-part thread to publish on its own. So if you want a thread to go out at a specific time, you either sit at your keyboard and post each part by hand, or you use a tool that does the scheduling for you. This guide covers both, plus how to write a thread that's worth scheduling in the first place.

Plan the thread before you write it

The best threads have a shape. Before you write a single post, decide what the thread is actually about and roughly how many parts it needs. A good rule: if you can't summarize the whole thread in one sentence, it's probably two threads. Once you know the arc, sketch the beats in a notes app or on paper.

A simple structure that tends to work:

Post 1 is the hook. It has to stand on its own, because most people only ever see the first post in their feed. Make it clear what they'll get if they keep reading.

The middle posts each carry one idea. Don't cram two thoughts into one post just to save space.

The last post closes the loop or gives the reader something to do next, like a question, a link, or a summary.

Respect the 300-character limit per post

Every post in a BlueSky thread caps at 300 characters, including spaces, mentions, and links. That's the single most important constraint when you write a thread, because a sentence that fits in your head often doesn't fit in the box. The trick is to break ideas at natural pauses rather than mid-thought, so each post feels complete on its own.

It helps to draft the whole thread as one long block of text first, then cut it into 300-character chunks. If you're doing this by hand, a counter that mirrors BlueSky's exact limit saves a lot of trimming and re-trimming.

a BlueSky character counterto check each post against the real 300-character cap before you commit

Splitting long text into a clean thread

If you already have a long piece of writing, the slow part is chopping it into posts that each land under the limit without breaking sentences in awkward places. You can do this manually by pasting your text and counting as you go, but it's tedious and error-prone, especially past three or four posts.

A thread splitter handles the math for you: it takes one long passage and breaks it into properly sized posts, keeping sentences intact where it can. You still want to read the result and adjust the breaks, since a tool doesn't always know where the meaningful pauses are, but it removes the busywork.

a thread splitterthat turns one long block of text into correctly sized BlueSky posts

Posting the thread by hand

The free way to schedule a thread is to schedule yourself. Write all the posts in a document ahead of time, set a reminder for when you want to publish, and then post them in order. To build the chain, publish the first post, then reply to it with the second, reply to the second with the third, and so on. Each reply becomes the next link in the thread.

This is perfectly workable for the occasional thread. The downsides show up when you do it often: you have to be physically present at the right moment, you can fat-finger the order, and posting all the parts back to back too quickly can feel mechanical to readers. If you only thread once in a while, none of that matters much.

Scheduling a thread with a tool

If you post threads regularly, or you want one to go live while you're asleep or busy, a scheduler is the practical answer. Because BlueSky is built on the open AT Protocol, third-party tools can connect to your account and publish on your behalf, including posting a full reply chain in the right order at a set time.

A scheduler for threads should let you do a few specific things:

Write all the parts of the thread in one place and keep them grouped as a single unit.

Pick the date and time the first post goes out, with the rest following automatically as replies.

Preview each post so you can confirm none of them quietly run over the character limit.

Edit or cancel the thread before it publishes, in case you change your mind.

ONYX is a BlueSky-native scheduler built for exactly this, with a flat price and a small free tier so you can try scheduling before paying for anything. If you want to see how the scheduling flow works, the guide below walks through it step by step.

the BlueSky scheduling guidefor a full walkthrough of queueing posts and threads ahead of time

Pick a time when people are actually around

Scheduling only pays off if you aim for a good moment. The honest answer on timing is that there's no universal best time; it depends on where your followers are and when they check in. What you can do is post when your own audience tends to be active, then watch which threads get traction and adjust.

A few habits that help more than chasing a magic hour:

Lead with your strongest first post, since timing can't rescue a weak hook.

Give a thread room to breathe rather than stacking three in the same hour.

Use hashtags sparingly. They work on BlueSky, but most posts don't use them, so one or two relevant tags is plenty when a tag genuinely fits.

Pay attention to which past threads landed, and reuse the timing and structure that worked.

Put those pieces together and the workflow is simple: plan the arc, write each post under 300 characters, build or generate the reply chain, and either post it yourself at the right moment or queue it to go out on its own. The thread does the talking; the scheduling just makes sure it's said when someone's listening.