diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivity.kt
index e370ec70a..c7389e323 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivity.kt
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import android.content.Intent
 import android.os.Bundle
 import android.view.View
 import android.widget.LinearLayout
+import android.widget.Toast
 import androidx.annotation.VisibleForTesting
 import androidx.lifecycle.Lifecycle
 import com.google.android.material.bottomsheet.BottomSheetBehavior
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ abstract class BottomSheetActivity : BaseActivity() {
 
     }
 
-    open fun viewUrl(url: String) {
+    open fun viewUrl(url: String, lookupFallbackBehavior: PostLookupFallbackBehavior = PostLookupFallbackBehavior.OPEN_IN_BROWSER) {
         if (!looksLikeMastodonUrl(url)) {
             openLink(url)
             return
@@ -88,11 +89,11 @@ abstract class BottomSheetActivity : BaseActivity() {
                         return@subscribe
                     }
 
-                    openLink(url)
+                    performUrlFallbackAction(url, lookupFallbackBehavior)
                 }, {
                     if (!getCancelSearchRequested(url)) {
                         onEndSearch(url)
-                        openLink(url)
+                        performUrlFallbackAction(url, lookupFallbackBehavior)
                     }
                 })
 
@@ -113,6 +114,13 @@ abstract class BottomSheetActivity : BaseActivity() {
         startActivityWithSlideInAnimation(intent)
     }
 
+    protected open fun performUrlFallbackAction(url: String, fallbackBehavior: PostLookupFallbackBehavior) {
+        when (fallbackBehavior) {
+            PostLookupFallbackBehavior.OPEN_IN_BROWSER -> openLink(url)
+            PostLookupFallbackBehavior.DISPLAY_ERROR -> Toast.makeText(this, getString(R.string.post_lookup_error_format, url), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
+        }
+    }
+
     @VisibleForTesting
     fun onBeginSearch(url: String) {
         searchUrl = url
@@ -187,3 +195,8 @@ fun looksLikeMastodonUrl(urlString: String): Boolean {
             path.matches("^/notice/\\d+$".toRegex()) ||
             path.matches("^/objects/[-a-f0-9]+$".toRegex())
 }
+
+enum class PostLookupFallbackBehavior {
+    OPEN_IN_BROWSER,
+    DISPLAY_ERROR,
+}
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/MainActivity.java b/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/MainActivity.java
index c10bbff84..1f85b0348 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/MainActivity.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/MainActivity.java
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ public final class MainActivity extends BottomSheetActivity implements ActionBut
         if (intent != null) {
             String statusUrl = intent.getStringExtra(STATUS_URL);
             if (statusUrl != null) {
-                viewUrl(statusUrl);
+                viewUrl(statusUrl, PostLookupFallbackBehavior.DISPLAY_ERROR);
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/fragment/SFragment.java b/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/fragment/SFragment.java
index 81fa8a8d5..0a4246012 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/fragment/SFragment.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/fragment/SFragment.java
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ import com.keylesspalace.tusky.BottomSheetActivity;
 import com.keylesspalace.tusky.ComposeActivity;
 import com.keylesspalace.tusky.MainActivity;
 import com.keylesspalace.tusky.R;
+import com.keylesspalace.tusky.PostLookupFallbackBehavior;
 import com.keylesspalace.tusky.ViewMediaActivity;
 import com.keylesspalace.tusky.ViewTagActivity;
 import com.keylesspalace.tusky.components.report.ReportActivity;
@@ -134,7 +135,7 @@ public abstract class SFragment extends BaseFragment implements Injectable {
     }
 
     public void onViewUrl(String url) {
-        bottomSheetActivity.viewUrl(url);
+        bottomSheetActivity.viewUrl(url, PostLookupFallbackBehavior.OPEN_IN_BROWSER);
     }
 
     protected void reply(Status status) {
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml b/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
index a1f78a520..cff97ad37 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -536,5 +536,6 @@
     <string name="poll_allow_multiple_choices">Multiple choices</string>
     <string name="poll_new_choice_hint">Choice %d</string>
     <string name="edit_poll">Edit</string>
+    <string name="post_lookup_error_format">Error looking up post %s</string>
 
 </resources>
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivityTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivityTest.kt
index 2db1cd0d7..da80f784a 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivityTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/keylesspalace/tusky/BottomSheetActivityTest.kt
@@ -214,6 +214,16 @@ class BottomSheetActivityTest {
         Assert.assertEquals(nonMastodonQuery, activity.link)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun search_withNoResults_appliesRequestedFallbackBehavior() {
+        for (fallbackBehavior in listOf(PostLookupFallbackBehavior.OPEN_IN_BROWSER, PostLookupFallbackBehavior.DISPLAY_ERROR)) {
+            activity.viewUrl(nonMastodonQuery, fallbackBehavior)
+            testScheduler.advanceTimeBy(100, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
+            Assert.assertEquals(nonMastodonQuery, activity.link)
+            Assert.assertEquals(fallbackBehavior, activity.fallbackBehavior)
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun search_withCancellation_doesNotLoadUrl_forAccount() {
         activity.viewUrl(accountQuery)
@@ -263,6 +273,7 @@ class BottomSheetActivityTest {
         var statusId: String? = null
         var accountId: String? = null
         var link: String? = null
+        var fallbackBehavior: PostLookupFallbackBehavior? = null
 
         init {
             mastodonApi = api
@@ -282,5 +293,9 @@ class BottomSheetActivityTest {
             this.statusId = statusId
         }
 
+        override fun performUrlFallbackAction(url: String, fallbackBehavior: PostLookupFallbackBehavior) {
+            this.link = url
+            this.fallbackBehavior = fallbackBehavior
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file