diff --git a/assets/css/clacks.scss b/assets/css/clacks.scss
index 7f43d19..3b71145 100644
--- a/assets/css/clacks.scss
+++ b/assets/css/clacks.scss
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ input, button:not(.btn-link) {
 	height: 1.75rem;
 }
 
-button[type=submit]:not(.btn-link) {
+button:not(.btn-link) {
 	padding: 0 2rem;
 	font-family: $sans-serif;
 	background-color: $tint-color;
@@ -186,3 +186,7 @@ ul.status-list {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+.actor-actions {
+	margin-bottom: 1rem;
+}
diff --git a/lib/clacks/activitypub.ex b/lib/clacks/activitypub.ex
index 1321790..88a35cf 100644
--- a/lib/clacks/activitypub.ex
+++ b/lib/clacks/activitypub.ex
@@ -110,6 +110,28 @@ defmodule Clacks.ActivityPub do
     }
   end
 
+  @spec follow(
+          actor :: String.t(),
+          followee :: String.t(),
+          published :: NaiveDateTime.t(),
+          state :: String.t()
+        ) ::
+          map()
+  def follow(actor, followee, published \\ DateTime.utc_now(), state \\ "pending") do
+    %{
+      "@context" => @context,
+      "type" => "Follow",
+      "id" => activity_id(Ecto.UUID.generate()),
+      "actor" => actor,
+      "object" => followee,
+      "context" => context_id(Ecto.UUID.generate()),
+      "to" => [followee],
+      "cc" => [@public],
+      "published" => published |> DateTime.to_iso8601(),
+      "state" => state
+    }
+  end
+
   @spec object_id(id :: String.t()) :: String.t()
   def object_id(id) do
     url = Application.get_env(:clacks, ClacksWeb.Endpoint)[:url]
diff --git a/lib/clacks/activitypub/helper.ex b/lib/clacks/activitypub/helper.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b11936
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/clacks/activitypub/helper.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+defmodule Clacks.ActivityPub.Helper do
+  alias Clacks.{Activity, Actor, Repo}
+  require Logger
+
+  @spec save_and_federate(activity_data :: map(), actor :: Actor.t()) ::
+          {:ok, Activity.t()} | :error
+  def save_and_federate(activity_data, actor) do
+    changeset = Activity.changeset_for_creating(activity_data, true)
+
+    case Repo.insert(changeset) do
+      {:error, changeset} ->
+        Logger.error("Couldn't save activity: #{inspect(changeset)}")
+        :error
+
+      {:ok, activity} ->
+        worker =
+          %{id: activity.id, actor_id: actor.id}
+          |> Clacks.Worker.Federate.new()
+
+        case Oban.insert(worker) do
+          {:ok, _} ->
+            {:ok, activity}
+
+          {:error, changeset} ->
+            Logger.error("Couldn't save federate job: #{inspect(changeset)}")
+            :error
+        end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/clacks/inbox.ex b/lib/clacks/inbox.ex
index b9b5a00..25e788d 100644
--- a/lib/clacks/inbox.ex
+++ b/lib/clacks/inbox.ex
@@ -2,15 +2,16 @@ defmodule Clacks.Inbox do
   require Logger
   alias Clacks.{Repo, Activity, Object, Actor, ActivityPub}
 
-  defp store_activity(%{"actor" => actor} = activity, local \\ false) when is_binary(actor) do
+  defp store_activity(%{"actor" => actor, "id" => ap_id} = activity, local \\ false)
+       when is_binary(actor) do
     changeset =
-      Activity.changeset(%Activity{}, %{
+      Activity.changeset(Activity.get_cached_by_ap_id(ap_id) || %Activity{}, %{
         data: activity,
         local: local,
         actor: actor
       })
 
-    Repo.insert(changeset)
+    Repo.insert_or_update(changeset)
   end
 
   @spec handle(activity :: map()) :: :ok | {:error, reason :: any()}
@@ -47,8 +48,8 @@ defmodule Clacks.Inbox do
 
     case Repo.update(changeset) do
       {:error, changeset} ->
-        Logger.error("Couldn't store Follow activity: #{inspect(changeset)}")
-        {:error, "Couldn't store Follow activity"}
+        Logger.error("Couldn't store updated followers: #{inspect(changeset)}")
+        {:error, "Couldn't store updated followers"}
 
       {:ok, _followed} ->
         accept = ActivityPub.accept_follow(activity)
@@ -64,6 +65,45 @@ defmodule Clacks.Inbox do
     end
   end
 
+  def handle(
+        %{
+          "type" => "Accept",
+          "actor" => followee_id,
+          "object" => %{"type" => "Follow", "id" => follow_activity_id, "actor" => follower_id}
+        } = activity
+      ) do
+    followee = Actor.get_by_ap_id(followee_id)
+    follower = Actor.get_by_ap_id(follower_id)
+
+    store_activity(activity)
+
+    follow_activity = Activity.get_cached_by_ap_id(follow_activity_id)
+
+    changeset =
+      Activity.changeset(follow_activity, %{
+        data: %{follow_activity.data | "state" => "accepted"}
+      })
+
+    case Repo.update(changeset) do
+      {:error, changeset} ->
+        Logger.error("Couldn't store updated Follow activity: #{inspect(changeset)}")
+        {:error, "Couldn't store updated Follow activity"}
+
+      {:ok, _follow_activity} ->
+        new_followers = [follower_id | followee.followers] |> Enum.uniq()
+        changeset = Actor.changeset(followee, %{followers: new_followers})
+
+        case Repo.update(changeset) do
+          {:error, changeset} ->
+            Logger.error("Couldn't store updated followers: #{inspect(changeset)}")
+            {:error, "Couldn't store updated followers"}
+
+          {:ok, _followee} ->
+            :ok
+        end
+    end
+  end
+
   # as a fallback, just store the activity
   def handle(activity) do
     case store_activity(activity) do
diff --git a/lib/clacks_web/controllers/frontend_controller.ex b/lib/clacks_web/controllers/frontend_controller.ex
index 4db431d..fd8c1db 100644
--- a/lib/clacks_web/controllers/frontend_controller.ex
+++ b/lib/clacks_web/controllers/frontend_controller.ex
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ defmodule ClacksWeb.FrontendController do
   alias Clacks.{Actor, User, Timeline, Repo, ActivityPub, Activity, Object}
   alias ClacksWeb.Router.Helpers, as: Routes
   alias ClacksWeb.Endpoint
+  import Ecto.Query
 
   @public "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public"
 
@@ -129,7 +130,8 @@ defmodule ClacksWeb.FrontendController do
         render(conn, "profile.html", %{
           current_user: current_user,
           actor: user.actor,
-          statuses: actor_statuses(user.actor, params, only_public: true)
+          statuses: actor_statuses(user.actor, params, only_public: true),
+          following_state: following_state(current_user.actor, user.actor)
         })
     end
   end
@@ -145,11 +147,33 @@ defmodule ClacksWeb.FrontendController do
         render(conn, "profile.html", %{
           current_user: current_user,
           actor: actor,
-          statuses: actor_statuses(actor, params, only_public: true)
+          statuses: actor_statuses(actor, params, only_public: true),
+          following_state: following_state(current_user.actor, actor)
         })
     end
   end
 
+  def follow(conn, %{"id" => id}) do
+    current_user = conn.assigns[:user] |> Repo.preload(:actor)
+
+    case Repo.get(Actor, id) do
+      nil ->
+        resp(conn, 404, "Not Found")
+
+      followee ->
+        if current_user.actor.ap_id in followee.followers do
+          redirect(conn, to: ClacksWeb.FrontendView.local_actor_link(followee))
+        else
+          follow = ActivityPub.follow(current_user.actor.ap_id, followee.ap_id)
+          ActivityPub.Helper.save_and_federate(follow, current_user.actor)
+
+          conn
+          |> put_flash(:info, "Follow request sent")
+          |> redirect(to: ClacksWeb.FrontendView.local_actor_link(followee))
+        end
+    end
+  end
+
   def search(conn, %{"q" => q}) when is_binary(q) do
     current_user = conn.assigns[:user]
 
@@ -201,12 +225,7 @@ defmodule ClacksWeb.FrontendController do
     {:ok, object} = Repo.insert(note_changeset)
 
     create = ActivityPub.create(note)
-    create_changeset = Activity.changeset_for_creating(create, true)
-    {:ok, activity} = Repo.insert(create_changeset)
-
-    %{id: activity.id, actor_id: current_user.actor.id}
-    |> Clacks.Worker.Federate.new()
-    |> Oban.insert()
+    {:ok, activity} = ActivityPub.Helper.save_and_federate(create, current_user.actor)
 
     path = Map.get(params, "continue", Routes.frontend_path(Endpoint, :status, activity.id))
     redirect(conn, to: path)
@@ -238,4 +257,24 @@ defmodule ClacksWeb.FrontendController do
   defp note_for_posting(current_user, %{"content" => content}) do
     ActivityPub.note(current_user.actor.ap_id, content)
   end
+
+  @spec following_state(follower :: Actor.t(), followee :: Actor.t()) :: boolean()
+  defp following_state(follower, followee) do
+    query =
+      Activity
+      |> where([a], fragment("?->>'type'", a.data) == "Follow")
+      |> where([a], fragment("?->>'actor'", a.data) == ^follower.ap_id)
+      |> where([a], fragment("?->>'object'", a.data) == ^followee.ap_id)
+
+    case Repo.one(query) do
+      nil ->
+        :not_following
+
+      %Activity{data: %{"state" => "pending"}} ->
+        :pending
+
+      %Activity{data: %{"state" => "accepted"}} ->
+        :following
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/lib/clacks_web/router.ex b/lib/clacks_web/router.ex
index 4dc04ac..c3d3f18 100644
--- a/lib/clacks_web/router.ex
+++ b/lib/clacks_web/router.ex
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ defmodule ClacksWeb.Router do
     get "/status/:id/reply", FrontendController, :reply
     get "/search", FrontendController, :search
     get "/actors/:id", FrontendController, :actor
+    post "/actors/:id/follow", FrontendController, :follow
+    post "/actors/:id/unfollow", FrontendController, :unfollow
   end
 
   scope "/", ClacksWeb do
diff --git a/lib/clacks_web/templates/frontend/profile.html.eex b/lib/clacks_web/templates/frontend/profile.html.eex
index 28a0af3..48d83d8 100644
--- a/lib/clacks_web/templates/frontend/profile.html.eex
+++ b/lib/clacks_web/templates/frontend/profile.html.eex
@@ -10,4 +10,26 @@
 </h2>
 <p><%= @actor.data["summary"] %></p>
 
+<div class="actor-actions">
+  <%= unless @current_user.actor.ap_id == @actor.ap_id do %>
+
+    <%= case @following_state do %>
+      <% :not_following -> %>
+        <%= form_tag Routes.frontend_path(@conn, :follow, @actor.id), method: :post, class: "follow-form" do %>
+          <%= submit "Follow" %>
+        <% end %>
+
+      <% :following -> %>
+        <%= form_tag Routes.frontend_path(@conn, :unfollow, @actor.id), method: :post, class: "follow-form" do %>
+          <%= submit "Unfollow" %>
+        <% end %>
+
+        <% :pending -> %>
+          <!-- todo: cancel follow request -->
+          <button type="button">Pending</button>
+    <% end %>
+
+  <% end %>
+</div>
+
 <%= render "_timeline.html", conn: @conn, statuses_with_authors: Enum.map(@statuses, &({&1, @actor})) %>