diff --git a/bin/restore-mastodon-data.js b/bin/restore-mastodon-data.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0412a5cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/restore-mastodon-data.js
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+const times = require('lodash/times')
+
+const actions = times(30, i => ({
+  post: {
+    text: (i + 1)
+  },
+  user: 'admin'
+})).concat([
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: 'hello world'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's a kitten",
+      media: ['kitten1.jpg']
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's a secret kitten",
+      media: ['kitten2.jpg'],
+      sensitive: true
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's 2 kitten photos",
+      media: ['kitten3.jpg', 'kitten4.jpg']
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's an animated kitten gif",
+      media: ['kitten1.gif']
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's a secret animated kitten gif",
+      media: ['kitten2.gif'],
+      sensitive: true
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "content warning",
+      spoiler: 'CW'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's a video",
+      media: ['kitten1.mp4']
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's a secret video",
+      media: ['kitten2.mp4']
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      text: "here's a kitten with a CW",
+      media: ['kitten5.jpg'],
+      sensitive: true,
+      spoiler: 'kitten CW'
+    }
+  },
+  // notifications for foobar
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    follow: 'foobar'
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    post: {
+      text: '@foobar hello foobar',
+      privacy: 'unlisted'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'quux',
+    follow: 'foobar'
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    post: {
+      internalId: 3,
+      text: '@foobar notification of direct message',
+      privacy: 'direct'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    favorite: 3
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    post: {
+      internalId: 4,
+      text: '@foobar notification of followers-only message',
+      privacy: 'private'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    favorite: 4
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    post: {
+      internalId: 1,
+      text: '@foobar notification of unlisted message',
+      privacy: 'unlisted'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    boost: 1
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    post: {
+      internalId: 2,
+      text: 'this is unlisted',
+      privacy: 'private'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    boost: 2
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    favorite: 2
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'quux',
+    post: {
+      internalId: 5,
+      text: 'pinned toot 1',
+      privacy: 'private'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'quux',
+    post: {
+      internalId: 6,
+      text: 'pinned toot 2',
+      privacy: 'private'
+    }
+  }
+]).concat(times(25, i => ({
+  user: 'quux',
+  post: {
+    internalId: 100 + i,
+    text: 'unlisted thread ' + (i + 1),
+    privacy: 'private',
+    inReplyTo: i > 0 && (100 + i)
+  }
+}))).concat([
+  {
+    user: 'quux',
+    pin: 5
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'quux',
+    pin: 6
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    boost: 5
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    favorite: 5
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'foobar',
+    favorite: 5
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'admin',
+    favorite: 6
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'ExternalLinks',
+    post: {
+      text: 'here are some hashtags: #kitten #kitties',
+      privacy: 'private'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'ExternalLinks',
+    post: {
+      text: 'here are some external links: https://joinmastodon.org https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon',
+      privacy: 'private'
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    user: 'ExternalLinks',
+    post: {
+      text: 'here are some users: @admin @quux',
+      privacy: 'private'
+    }
+  }
+])
+
+async function restoreMastodonData () {
+  console.log('Restoring mastodon data...')
+}
+
+module.exports = restoreMastodonData
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bin/run-mastodon.js b/bin/run-mastodon.js
index 450b3bf5..66f6b567 100644
--- a/bin/run-mastodon.js
+++ b/bin/run-mastodon.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+const restoreMastodonData = require ('./restore-mastodon-data')
 const pify = require('pify')
 const exec = require('child-process-promise').exec
 const spawn = require('child-process-promise').spawn
@@ -30,8 +31,8 @@ async function cloneMastodon () {
   }
 }
 
-async function restoreMastodonData () {
-  console.log('Restoring mastodon data...')
+async function setupMastodonDatabase() {
+  console.log('Setting up mastodon database...')
   try {
     await exec('dropdb mastodon_development', {cwd: mastodonDir})
   } catch (e) { /* ignore */ }
@@ -70,8 +71,9 @@ async function runMastodon () {
 
 async function main () {
   await cloneMastodon()
-  await restoreMastodonData()
+  await setupMastodonDatabase()
   await runMastodon()
+  //await restoreMastodonData()
 }
 
 process.on('SIGINT', function () {