fiddle with it! (that's what she said)

internal/processing/account/alias.go

@@ -107,9 +107,14 @@ func (p *Processor) Alias(
 		}
 
 		// Ensure we have account dereferenced.
+		//
+		// As this comes from user input, allow checking
+		// by URL to make things easier, not just to an
+		// exact AP URI (which a user might not even know).
 		targetAccount, _, err := p.federator.GetAccountByURI(ctx,
 			account.Username,
 			newAKA.uri,
+			true,
 		)
 		if err != nil {
 			err := fmt.Errorf(

internal/processing/account/get.go

@@ -66,10 +66,13 @@ func (p *Processor) Get(ctx context.Context, requestingAccount *gtsmodel.Account
 
 		// Perform a last-minute fetch of target account to
 		// ensure remote account header / avatar is cached.
+		//
+		// Match by URI only.
 		latest, _, err := p.federator.GetAccountByURI(
 			gtscontext.SetFastFail(ctx),
 			requestingAccount.Username,
 			targetAccountURI,
+			false,
 		)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Errorf(ctx, "error fetching latest target account: %v", err)

internal/processing/account/move.go

@@ -119,11 +119,15 @@ func (p *Processor) MoveSelf(
 	unlock := p.state.ProcessingLocks.Lock(lockKey)
 	defer unlock()
 
-	// Ensure we have a valid, up-to-date representation of the target account.
+	// Ensure we have a valid, up-to-date
+	// representation of the target account.
+	//
+	// Match by uri only.
 	targetAcct, targetAcctable, err = p.federator.GetAccountByURI(
 		ctx,
 		originAcct.Username,
 		targetAcctURI,
+		false,
 	)
 	if err != nil {
 		const text = "error dereferencing moved_to_uri"

internal/processing/search/get.go

@@ -564,10 +564,15 @@ func (p *Processor) accountsByURI(
 	if resolve {
 		// We're allowed to resolve, leave the
 		// rest up to the dereferencer functions.
+		//
+		// Allow dereferencing by URL and not just URI;
+		// there are many cases where someone might
+		// paste a URL into the search bar.
 		account, _, err := p.federator.GetAccountByURI(
 			gtscontext.SetFastFail(ctx),
 			requestingAccount.Username,
 			uri,
+			true,
 		)
 
 		return []*gtsmodel.Account{account}, err

internal/processing/workers/fromfediapi_move.go

@@ -303,10 +303,13 @@ func (p *fediAPI) MoveAccount(ctx context.Context, fMsg *messages.FromFediAPI) e
 	}
 
 	// Account to which the Move is taking place.
+	//
+	// Match by uri only.
 	targetAcct, targetAcctable, err := p.federate.GetAccountByURI(
 		ctx,
 		fMsg.Receiving.Username,
 		targetAcctURI,
+		false,
 	)
 	if err != nil {
 		return gtserror.Newf(