diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index d1eb53a..064256e 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -856,7 +856,7 @@ export default class ActivityPubEndpoint {
         "pkcs8",
         Buffer.from(pemBody, "base64"),
         { name: "RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5", hash: "SHA-256" },
-        false,
+        true,
         ["sign"],
       );
     } catch (error) {
@@ -1827,6 +1827,7 @@ export default class ActivityPubEndpoint {
         federation: this._federation,
         followActor: (url, info) => pluginRef.followActor(url, info),
         unfollowActor: (url) => pluginRef.unfollowActor(url),
+        loadRsaKey: () => pluginRef._loadRsaPrivateKey(),
       },
     });
     Indiekit.addEndpoint({
diff --git a/lib/controllers/interactions-boost.js b/lib/controllers/interactions-boost.js
index b8ea98e..c564cf5 100644
--- a/lib/controllers/interactions-boost.js
+++ b/lib/controllers/interactions-boost.js
@@ -72,11 +72,16 @@ export function boostController(mountPath, plugin) {
         identifier: handle,
       });
       const { application } = request.app.locals;
+      const rsaKey = await plugin._loadRsaPrivateKey();
       const recipient = await resolveAuthor(
         url,
         ctx,
         documentLoader,
         application?.collections,
+        {
+          privateKey: rsaKey,
+          keyId: `${ctx.getActorUri(handle).href}#main-key`,
+        },
       );
 
       if (recipient) {
diff --git a/lib/controllers/interactions-like.js b/lib/controllers/interactions-like.js
index 723b5f4..1fe5707 100644
--- a/lib/controllers/interactions-like.js
+++ b/lib/controllers/interactions-like.js
@@ -49,11 +49,16 @@ export function likeController(mountPath, plugin) {
       });
 
       const { application } = request.app.locals;
+      const rsaKey = await plugin._loadRsaPrivateKey();
       const recipient = await resolveAuthor(
         url,
         ctx,
         documentLoader,
         application?.collections,
+        {
+          privateKey: rsaKey,
+          keyId: `${ctx.getActorUri(handle).href}#main-key`,
+        },
       );
 
       if (!recipient) {
@@ -170,11 +175,16 @@ export function unlikeController(mountPath, plugin) {
         identifier: handle,
       });
 
+      const rsaKey2 = await plugin._loadRsaPrivateKey();
       const recipient = await resolveAuthor(
         url,
         ctx,
         documentLoader,
         application?.collections,
+        {
+          privateKey: rsaKey2,
+          keyId: `${ctx.getActorUri(handle).href}#main-key`,
+        },
       );
 
       if (!recipient) {
diff --git a/lib/mastodon/helpers/interactions.js b/lib/mastodon/helpers/interactions.js
index f8b702c..a285dab 100644
--- a/lib/mastodon/helpers/interactions.js
+++ b/lib/mastodon/helpers/interactions.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import { resolveAuthor } from "../../resolve-author.js";
  * @param {object} params.interactions - ap_interactions collection
  * @returns {Promise<{ activityId: string }>}
  */
-export async function likePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl, collections, interactions }) {
+export async function likePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl, collections, interactions, loadRsaKey }) {
   const { Like } = await import("@fedify/fedify/vocab");
   const ctx = federation.createContext(
     new URL(publicationUrl),
@@ -32,10 +32,14 @@ export async function likePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl,
   const documentLoader = await ctx.getDocumentLoader({ identifier: handle });
   // resolveAuthor makes up to 3 signed HTTP requests to the remote server.
   // Cap at 5 s so a slow/unreachable remote never blocks the client response.
+  const rsaKey = loadRsaKey ? await loadRsaKey() : null;
   let recipient = null;
   try {
     recipient = await Promise.race([
-      resolveAuthor(targetUrl, ctx, documentLoader, collections),
+      resolveAuthor(targetUrl, ctx, documentLoader, collections, {
+        privateKey: rsaKey,
+        keyId: `${ctx.getActorUri(handle).href}#main-key`,
+      }),
       new Promise((_, reject) => setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("resolveAuthor timeout")), 5000)),
     ]);
   } catch { /* skip AP delivery — interaction is still recorded locally */ }
@@ -87,7 +91,7 @@ export async function likePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl,
  * @param {object} params.interactions - ap_interactions collection
  * @returns {Promise<void>}
  */
-export async function unlikePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl, collections, interactions }) {
+export async function unlikePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl, collections, interactions, loadRsaKey }) {
   const existing = interactions
     ? await interactions.findOne({ objectUrl: targetUrl, type: "like" })
     : null;
@@ -103,10 +107,14 @@ export async function unlikePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl
   );
 
   const documentLoader = await ctx.getDocumentLoader({ identifier: handle });
+  const rsaKey = loadRsaKey ? await loadRsaKey() : null;
   let recipient = null;
   try {
     recipient = await Promise.race([
-      resolveAuthor(targetUrl, ctx, documentLoader, collections),
+      resolveAuthor(targetUrl, ctx, documentLoader, collections, {
+        privateKey: rsaKey,
+        keyId: `${ctx.getActorUri(handle).href}#main-key`,
+      }),
       new Promise((_, reject) => setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("resolveAuthor timeout")), 5000)),
     ]);
   } catch { /* skip AP delivery */ }
@@ -145,7 +153,7 @@ export async function unlikePost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl
  * @param {object} params.interactions - ap_interactions collection
  * @returns {Promise<{ activityId: string }>}
  */
-export async function boostPost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl, collections, interactions }) {
+export async function boostPost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl, collections, interactions, loadRsaKey }) {
   const { Announce } = await import("@fedify/fedify/vocab");
   const ctx = federation.createContext(
     new URL(publicationUrl),
@@ -176,10 +184,14 @@ export async function boostPost({ targetUrl, federation, handle, publicationUrl,
 
   // Also send directly to the original post author (best-effort, 5 s cap)
   const documentLoader = await ctx.getDocumentLoader({ identifier: handle });
+  const rsaKey = loadRsaKey ? await loadRsaKey() : null;
   let recipient = null;
   try {
     recipient = await Promise.race([
-      resolveAuthor(targetUrl, ctx, documentLoader, collections),
+      resolveAuthor(targetUrl, ctx, documentLoader, collections, {
+        privateKey: rsaKey,
+        keyId: `${ctx.getActorUri(handle).href}#main-key`,
+      }),
       new Promise((_, reject) => setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("resolveAuthor timeout")), 5000)),
     ]);
   } catch { /* skip author delivery — follower delivery already happened */ }
diff --git a/lib/mastodon/routes/statuses.js b/lib/mastodon/routes/statuses.js
index 6a34367..6fec78c 100644
--- a/lib/mastodon/routes/statuses.js
+++ b/lib/mastodon/routes/statuses.js
@@ -793,6 +793,7 @@ function getFederationOpts(req) {
     handle: pluginOptions.handle || "user",
     publicationUrl: pluginOptions.publicationUrl,
     collections: req.app.locals.mastodonCollections,
+    loadRsaKey: pluginOptions.loadRsaKey,
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/resolve-author.js b/lib/resolve-author.js
index cfdd9f6..003a436 100644
--- a/lib/resolve-author.js
+++ b/lib/resolve-author.js
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
  *
  * Strategies (tried in order):
  * 1. lookupObject on post URL → getAttributedTo
+ * 1b. Raw signed fetch fallback (for servers like wafrn that return
+ *     non-standard JSON-LD that Fedify can't parse)
  * 2. Timeline/notification DB lookup → lookupObject on stored author URL
  * 3. Extract author URL from post URL pattern → lookupObject
  */
@@ -60,6 +62,9 @@ export function extractAuthorUrl(postUrl) {
  * @param {object} ctx - Fedify context
  * @param {object} documentLoader - Authenticated document loader
  * @param {object} [collections] - Optional MongoDB collections map (application.collections)
+ * @param {object} [options] - Additional options
+ * @param {CryptoKey} [options.privateKey] - RSA private key for raw signed fetch fallback
+ * @param {string} [options.keyId] - Key ID for HTTP Signature (e.g. "...#main-key")
  * @returns {Promise<object|null>} - Fedify Actor object or null
  */
 export async function resolveAuthor(
@@ -67,6 +72,7 @@ export async function resolveAuthor(
   ctx,
   documentLoader,
   collections,
+  options = {},
 ) {
   // Strategy 1: Look up remote post via Fedify (signed request)
   try {
@@ -90,6 +96,46 @@ export async function resolveAuthor(
     );
   }
 
+  // Strategy 1b: Raw signed fetch fallback
+  // Some servers (e.g. wafrn) return AP JSON without @context, which Fedify's
+  // JSON-LD processor rejects. A raw fetch can still extract attributedTo/actor.
+  if (options.privateKey && options.keyId) {
+    try {
+      const { signRequest } = await import("@fedify/fedify/sig");
+      const request = new Request(postUrl, {
+        method: "GET",
+        headers: { Accept: "application/activity+json" },
+      });
+      const signed = await signRequest(request, options.privateKey, new URL(options.keyId), {
+        spec: "draft-cavage-http-signatures-12",
+      });
+      const res = await fetch(signed, { redirect: "follow" });
+      if (res.ok) {
+        const contentType = res.headers.get("content-type") || "";
+        if (contentType.includes("json")) {
+          const json = await res.json();
+          const authorUrl = json.attributedTo || json.actor;
+          if (authorUrl && typeof authorUrl === "string") {
+            const actor = await lookupWithSecurity(ctx, new URL(authorUrl), {
+              documentLoader,
+            });
+            if (actor) {
+              console.info(
+                `[ActivityPub] Resolved author via raw fetch for ${postUrl} → ${authorUrl}`,
+              );
+              return actor;
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.warn(
+        `[ActivityPub] Raw fetch fallback failed for ${postUrl}:`,
+        error.message,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
   // Strategy 2: Use author URL from timeline or notifications
   if (collections) {
     const ap_timeline = typeof collections.get === "function" ? collections.get("ap_timeline") : collections.ap_timeline;
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 224bed5..f29b3e3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-activitypub",
-  "version": "3.8.4",
+  "version": "3.8.5",
   "description": "ActivityPub federation endpoint for Indiekit via Fedify. Adds full fediverse support: actor, inbox, outbox, followers, following, syndication, and Mastodon migration.",
   "keywords": [
     "indiekit",