diff --git a/froide_govplan/signals.py b/froide_govplan/signals.py
index 550024d..c88dbc1 100644
--- a/froide_govplan/signals.py
+++ b/froide_govplan/signals.py
@@ -2,17 +2,21 @@ from django.db.models.signals import post_save
 from django.dispatch import receiver
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.db import transaction
-from mastodon import Mastodon
 from .models import GovernmentPlanUpdate, GovernmentPlan
 import re
 import html
 
+if not settings.DEBUG:
+    from mastodon import Mastodon
+
 def strip_html_tags(text):
     tag_re = re.compile(r'<[^>]+>')
     plain_text = tag_re.sub('', text)
     return html.unescape(plain_text)
 
 def post_to_mastodon(text):
+    if settings.DEBUG:
+        return
     mastodon = Mastodon(
         access_token=settings.MASTODON_ACCESS_TOKEN,
         api_base_url=settings.MASTODON_API_BASE_URL