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+# Remote Actor Search & Follow
+
+Allows local users to search for and follow users on other ActivityPub instances (e.g. `@user@mastodon.social`) directly from the existing search page.
+
+## Architecture
+
+Approach A: new `FederationActionPort` domain trait + dedicated `/federation/*` REST endpoints. Keeps hexagonal arch intact — presentation has no dep on `activitypub-base`.
+
+## Domain changes
+
+**`domain/src/models/remote_actor.rs`** — add `avatar_url: Option<String>`
+
+**`domain/src/errors.rs`** — add `ExternalService(String)` variant
+
+**`domain/src/ports.rs`** — new trait:
+
+```rust
+pub trait FederationActionPort: Send + Sync {
+    async fn lookup_actor(&self, handle: &str) -> Result<RemoteActor, DomainError>;
+    async fn follow_remote(&self, local_user_id: &UserId, handle: &str) -> Result<(), DomainError>;
+}
+```
+
+## activitypub-base impl
+
+`impl domain::ports::FederationActionPort for ActivityPubService` in `service.rs`:
+
+- `lookup_actor`: calls `webfinger_resolve_actor(handle, &data)` → maps `DbActor` to `domain::RemoteActor`
+- `follow_remote`: delegates to existing `self.follow(local_user_id.inner(), handle)` (already handles WebFinger + Follow activity + federation DB record)
+
+## Bootstrap refactor
+
+`factory.rs` currently builds `FederationData` + `ApFederationConfig` directly. Switch to `ActivityPubService::new(...)` which creates both internally. `Infrastructure` holds `Arc<ActivityPubService>` instead of `ApFederationConfig`. `main.rs` uses `infra.ap_service.federation_config().middleware()`.
+
+`AppState` gets one new field:
+
+```rust
+pub federation: Arc<dyn FederationActionPort>,
+```
+
+Wired to `Arc::clone(&ap_service)` in factory.
+
+## REST endpoints
+
+**`api-types/src/responses.rs`** — new:
+```rust
+pub struct RemoteActorResponse {
+    pub handle: String,
+    pub display_name: Option<String>,
+    pub avatar_url: Option<String>,
+    pub url: String,
+}
+```
+
+**`presentation/src/handlers/federation.rs`** (new file):
+
+| Method | Path | Auth | Body | Response |
+|--------|------|------|------|----------|
+| GET | `/federation/lookup?handle=@user@instance.tld` | none | — | `RemoteActorResponse` |
+| POST | `/federation/follow` | bearer | `{"handle":"@user@instance.tld"}` | 204 |
+
+Mounted in `routes.rs` under `/federation`.
+
+Error mapping: `DomainError::ExternalService` → 502, `DomainError::NotFound` → 404.
+
+## Frontend
+
+**`lib/api.ts`**:
+- `RemoteActorSchema` + `RemoteActor` type
+- `lookupRemoteActor(handle, token)` → `GET /federation/lookup?handle=...`
+- `followRemoteUser(handle, token)` → `POST /federation/follow`
+
+**`app/search/page.tsx`**:
+- Detect `@user@instance.tld` via regex `/^@[\w.-]+@[\w.-]+\.\w+$/`
+- If matches: call `lookupRemoteActor` in parallel with local search
+- Pass remote actor result to component; show in Users tab above local results
+
+**`components/remote-user-card.tsx`** (new client component):
+- Displays avatar, handle, display name
+- Follow button calls `followRemoteUser(handle, token)`
+- No unfollow needed for MVP (remote following status not tracked locally)