diff --git a/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/event_handler.rs b/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/event_handler.rs
index 322184a..dc4d290 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/event_handler.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/event_handler.rs
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ impl ActivityPubEventHandler {
         let json = serde_json::to_value(obj)?;
 
         self.ap_service
-            .broadcast_add_to_followers(user_id.value(), ap_id, json)
+            .broadcast_create_note(user_id.value(), json, ApVisibility::Public, vec![])
             .await?;
 
         Ok(())
diff --git a/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/federation_event_bridge.rs b/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/federation_event_bridge.rs
index 6a47f2a..2f9ca53 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/federation_event_bridge.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/federation_event_bridge.rs
@@ -22,16 +22,10 @@ impl k_ap::EventPublisher for FederationEventBridge {
                 owner_user_id,
                 follower_inbox_url,
             } => {
-                tracing::info!(
-                    owner = %owner_user_id,
-                    inbox = %follower_inbox_url,
-                    "federation BackfillRequested → FollowAccepted"
-                );
                 self.domain_publisher
-                    .publish(&DomainEvent::FollowAccepted {
-                        local_user_id: UserId::from_uuid(owner_user_id),
-                        remote_actor_url: follower_inbox_url.clone(),
-                        outbox_url: follower_inbox_url,
+                    .publish(&DomainEvent::BackfillFollower {
+                        owner_user_id: UserId::from_uuid(owner_user_id),
+                        follower_inbox_url,
                     })
                     .await
                     .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!(e.to_string()))
diff --git a/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/port.rs b/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/port.rs
index bcbca40..1271e94 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/port.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/activitypub/src/port.rs
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ pub trait ActivityPubPort: Send + Sync {
     async fn import_remote_outbox(&self, outbox_url: &str, actor_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<()>;
     async fn followers_collection_json(&self, user_id: Uuid, page: Option<u32>) -> anyhow::Result<String>;
     async fn following_collection_json(&self, user_id: Uuid, page: Option<u32>) -> anyhow::Result<String>;
+    async fn run_backfill_for_follower(&self, owner_user_id: Uuid, follower_inbox_url: String) -> anyhow::Result<()>;
 }
 
 #[async_trait]
@@ -109,6 +110,9 @@ impl ActivityPubPort for ActivityPubService {
     async fn following_collection_json(&self, user_id: Uuid, page: Option<u32>) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
         self.following_collection_json(user_id, page).await
     }
+    async fn run_backfill_for_follower(&self, owner_user_id: Uuid, follower_inbox_url: String) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        self.run_backfill_for_follower(owner_user_id, follower_inbox_url).await
+    }
 }
 
 pub struct NoopActivityPubService;
@@ -175,4 +179,7 @@ impl ActivityPubPort for NoopActivityPubService {
     async fn following_collection_json(&self, _: Uuid, _: Option<u32>) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
         Ok(String::new())
     }
+    async fn run_backfill_for_follower(&self, _: Uuid, _: String) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/adapters/event-payload/src/lib.rs b/crates/adapters/event-payload/src/lib.rs
index c0a351e..1372e0e 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/event-payload/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/event-payload/src/lib.rs
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@ pub enum EventPayload {
         remote_actor_url: String,
         outbox_url: String,
     },
+    BackfillFollower {
+        owner_user_id: String,
+        follower_inbox_url: String,
+    },
 }
 
 impl EventPayload {
@@ -79,6 +83,7 @@ impl EventPayload {
             EventPayload::WatchlistEntryAdded { .. } => "WatchlistEntryAdded",
             EventPayload::WatchlistEntryRemoved { .. } => "WatchlistEntryRemoved",
             EventPayload::FollowAccepted { .. } => "FollowAccepted",
+            EventPayload::BackfillFollower { .. } => "BackfillFollower",
         }
     }
 }
@@ -181,6 +186,13 @@ impl From<&DomainEvent> for EventPayload {
                 remote_actor_url: remote_actor_url.clone(),
                 outbox_url: outbox_url.clone(),
             },
+            DomainEvent::BackfillFollower {
+                owner_user_id,
+                follower_inbox_url,
+            } => EventPayload::BackfillFollower {
+                owner_user_id: owner_user_id.value().to_string(),
+                follower_inbox_url: follower_inbox_url.clone(),
+            },
         }
     }
 }
@@ -281,6 +293,13 @@ impl TryFrom<EventPayload> for DomainEvent {
                 remote_actor_url,
                 outbox_url,
             }),
+            EventPayload::BackfillFollower {
+                owner_user_id,
+                follower_inbox_url,
+            } => Ok(DomainEvent::BackfillFollower {
+                owner_user_id: UserId::from_uuid(parse_uuid(&owner_user_id, "owner_user_id")?),
+                follower_inbox_url,
+            }),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/adapters/nats/src/subject.rs b/crates/adapters/nats/src/subject.rs
index e3691e0..bba796b 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/nats/src/subject.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/nats/src/subject.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ pub fn event_to_subject(prefix: &str, event: &DomainEvent) -> String {
         DomainEvent::WatchlistEntryAdded { .. } => "watchlist.entry.added",
         DomainEvent::WatchlistEntryRemoved { .. } => "watchlist.entry.removed",
         DomainEvent::FollowAccepted { .. } => "follow.accepted",
+        DomainEvent::BackfillFollower { .. } => "backfill.follower",
     };
     format!("{prefix}.{suffix}")
 }
diff --git a/crates/adapters/postgres-federation/src/lib.rs b/crates/adapters/postgres-federation/src/lib.rs
index 085d6a1..2bc4a3d 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/postgres-federation/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/postgres-federation/src/lib.rs
@@ -58,7 +58,12 @@ fn pg_remote_actor(row: &sqlx::postgres::PgRow, url_col: &str) -> RemoteActor {
             .try_get::<Option<String>, _>("also_known_as")
             .ok()
             .flatten()
-            .map(|s| serde_json::from_str(&s).unwrap_or_default())
+            .map(|s| {
+                serde_json::from_str::<Vec<String>>(&s).unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+                    tracing::warn!(raw = %s, error = %e, "failed to parse also_known_as JSON");
+                    vec![s]
+                })
+            })
             .unwrap_or_default(),
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/adapters/sqlite-federation/src/lib.rs b/crates/adapters/sqlite-federation/src/lib.rs
index dd00272..77717ce 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/sqlite-federation/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/sqlite-federation/src/lib.rs
@@ -58,7 +58,12 @@ fn remote_actor_from_row(row: &sqlx::sqlite::SqliteRow, url_col: &str) -> Remote
             .try_get::<Option<String>, _>("also_known_as")
             .ok()
             .flatten()
-            .map(|s| serde_json::from_str(&s).unwrap_or_default())
+            .map(|s| {
+                serde_json::from_str::<Vec<String>>(&s).unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+                    tracing::warn!(raw = %s, error = %e, "failed to parse also_known_as JSON");
+                    vec![s]
+                })
+            })
             .unwrap_or_default(),
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/domain/src/events.rs b/crates/domain/src/events.rs
index 8250efa..f1dad6b 100644
--- a/crates/domain/src/events.rs
+++ b/crates/domain/src/events.rs
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@ pub enum DomainEvent {
         remote_actor_url: String,
         outbox_url: String,
     },
+    BackfillFollower {
+        owner_user_id: UserId,
+        follower_inbox_url: String,
+    },
 }
 
 #[async_trait]
diff --git a/crates/worker/src/follow_backfill_handler.rs b/crates/worker/src/follow_backfill_handler.rs
index 3886da3..386377f 100644
--- a/crates/worker/src/follow_backfill_handler.rs
+++ b/crates/worker/src/follow_backfill_handler.rs
@@ -10,18 +10,29 @@ pub struct FollowBackfillHandler {
 #[async_trait]
 impl EventHandler for FollowBackfillHandler {
     async fn handle(&self, event: &DomainEvent) -> Result<(), DomainError> {
-        let DomainEvent::FollowAccepted {
-            remote_actor_url,
-            outbox_url,
-            ..
-        } = event
-        else {
-            return Ok(());
-        };
-        tracing::info!(actor = %remote_actor_url, outbox = %outbox_url, "starting outbox backfill");
-        self.ap_service
-            .import_remote_outbox(outbox_url, remote_actor_url)
-            .await
-            .map_err(|e| DomainError::InfrastructureError(e.to_string()))
+        match event {
+            DomainEvent::FollowAccepted {
+                remote_actor_url,
+                outbox_url,
+                ..
+            } => {
+                tracing::info!(actor = %remote_actor_url, outbox = %outbox_url, "importing remote outbox");
+                self.ap_service
+                    .import_remote_outbox(outbox_url, remote_actor_url)
+                    .await
+                    .map_err(|e| DomainError::InfrastructureError(e.to_string()))
+            }
+            DomainEvent::BackfillFollower {
+                owner_user_id,
+                follower_inbox_url,
+            } => {
+                tracing::info!(owner = %owner_user_id.value(), inbox = %follower_inbox_url, "backfilling local content to new follower");
+                self.ap_service
+                    .run_backfill_for_follower(owner_user_id.value(), follower_inbox_url.clone())
+                    .await
+                    .map_err(|e| DomainError::InfrastructureError(e.to_string()))
+            }
+            _ => Ok(()),
+        }
     }
 }