diff --git a/internal/federation/federatingdb/create.go b/internal/federation/federatingdb/create.go
index 60232efe3..cdd725c05 100644
--- a/internal/federation/federatingdb/create.go
+++ b/internal/federation/federatingdb/create.go
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@ func (f *federatingDB) Create(ctx context.Context, asType vocab.Type) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	// Cache entry for this create activity ID for later
+	// checks in the Exist() function if we see it again.
+	f.createdIDs.Set(ap.GetJSONLDId(asType).String(), struct{}{})
+
 	switch name := asType.GetTypeName(); name {
 	case ap.ActivityBlock:
 		// BLOCK SOMETHING
diff --git a/internal/federation/federatingdb/db.go b/internal/federation/federatingdb/db.go
index ba10ed98b..300f48c56 100644
--- a/internal/federation/federatingdb/db.go
+++ b/internal/federation/federatingdb/db.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"net/url"
 
+	"codeberg.org/gruf/go-cache/v3/simple"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/activity/pub"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/activity/streams/vocab"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/filter/interaction"
@@ -61,6 +62,10 @@ type federatingDB struct {
 	visFilter  *visibility.Filter
 	intFilter  *interaction.Filter
 	spamFilter *spam.Filter
+
+	// tracks Activity IDs we have handled creates for,
+	// for use in the Exists() function during forwarding.
+	createdIDs simple.Cache[string, struct{}]
 }
 
 // New returns a DB that satisfies the pub.Database
@@ -79,5 +84,6 @@ func New(
 		intFilter:  intFilter,
 		spamFilter: spamFilter,
 	}
+	fdb.createdIDs.Init(0, 1000)
 	return &fdb
 }
diff --git a/internal/federation/federatingdb/exists.go b/internal/federation/federatingdb/exists.go
index abac9960e..c707baa54 100644
--- a/internal/federation/federatingdb/exists.go
+++ b/internal/federation/federatingdb/exists.go
@@ -22,12 +22,8 @@ import (
 	"net/url"
 )
 
-// Exists returns true if the database has an entry for the specified
-// id. It may not be owned by this application instance.
-//
-// The library makes this call only after acquiring a lock first.
-//
-// Implementation note: this just straight up isn't implemented, and doesn't *really* need to be either.
+// Exists is an implementation of pub.Database{}.Exists(), optimized specifically for
+// the only usecase in which go-fed/activity/pub actually calls it. Do not use otherwise!
 func (f *federatingDB) Exists(ctx context.Context, id *url.URL) (exists bool, err error) {
-	return false, nil
+	return f.createdIDs.Has(id.String()), nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/federation/federator.go b/internal/federation/federator.go
index 4e11c7d4d..b6f54906b 100644
--- a/internal/federation/federator.go
+++ b/internal/federation/federator.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import (
 var _ interface {
 	pub.CommonBehavior
 	pub.FederatingProtocol
-} = &Federator{}
+} = (*Federator)(nil)
 
 type Federator struct {
 	db                  db.DB
diff --git a/internal/federation/transport.go b/internal/federation/transport.go
index b6f7a46c8..bab89eafc 100644
--- a/internal/federation/transport.go
+++ b/internal/federation/transport.go
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ import (
 // Note that the library will not maintain a long-lived pointer to the
 // returned Transport so that any private credentials are able to be
 // garbage collected.
-func (f *Federator) NewTransport(ctx context.Context, actorBoxIRI *url.URL, gofedAgent string) (pub.Transport, error) {
+func (f *Federator) NewTransport(ctx context.Context, actorBoxIRI *url.URL, _ string) (pub.Transport, error) {
 	var username string
 	var err error