diff --git a/src/Model/Contact.php b/src/Model/Contact.php
index cf90406e24..2d6bc716bb 100644
--- a/src/Model/Contact.php
+++ b/src/Model/Contact.php
@@ -155,6 +155,23 @@ class Contact extends BaseObject
 		return PortableContact::detectServer($url);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Returns the public contact id of the given user id
+	 *
+	 * @param  integer $uid User ID
+	 *
+	 * @return integer|boolean Public contact id for given user id
+	 * @throws Exception
+	 */
+	public static function getPublicIdByUserId($uid)
+	{
+		$self = DBA::selectFirst('contact', ['url'], ['self' => true, 'uid' => $uid]);
+		if (!DBA::isResult($self)) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		return self::getIdForURL($self['url'], 0, true);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * @brief Returns the contact id for the user and the public contact id for a given contact id
 	 *
diff --git a/src/Model/Item.php b/src/Model/Item.php
index 6a5ff01d59..54bd4a0ef7 100644
--- a/src/Model/Item.php
+++ b/src/Model/Item.php
@@ -1315,6 +1315,8 @@ class Item extends BaseObject
 			$item['gravity'] = GRAVITY_PARENT;
 		} elseif (activity_match($item['verb'], ACTIVITY_POST)) {
 			$item['gravity'] = GRAVITY_COMMENT;
+		} elseif (activity_match($item['verb'], ACTIVITY_FOLLOW)) {
+			$item['gravity'] = GRAVITY_ACTIVITY;
 		} else {
 			$item['gravity'] = GRAVITY_UNKNOWN;   // Should not happen
 			Logger::log('Unknown gravity for verb: ' . $item['verb'], Logger::DEBUG);
@@ -1459,6 +1461,22 @@ class Item extends BaseObject
 			return 0;
 		}
 
+		if ($item['verb'] == ACTIVITY_FOLLOW) {
+			if (!$item['origin'] && ($item['author-id'] == Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid))) {
+				// Our own follow request can be relayed to us. We don't store it to avoid notification chaos.
+				Logger::log("Follow: Don't store not origin follow request from us for " . $item['parent-uri'], Logger::DEBUG);
+				return 0;
+			}
+
+			$condition = ['verb' => ACTIVITY_FOLLOW, 'uid' => $item['uid'],
+				'parent-uri' => $item['parent-uri'], 'author-id' => $item['author-id']];
+			if (self::exists($condition)) {
+				// It happens that we receive multiple follow requests by the same author - we only store one.
+				Logger::log('Follow: Found existing follow request from author ' . $item['author-id'] . ' for ' . $item['parent-uri'], Logger::DEBUG);
+				return 0;
+			}
+		}
+
 		// Check for hashtags in the body and repair or add hashtag links
 		self::setHashtags($item);