diff --git a/bookwyrm/models/antispam.py b/bookwyrm/models/antispam.py
index b894ade7..f506b6f1 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/models/antispam.py
+++ b/bookwyrm/models/antispam.py
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ def automod_users(reporter):
     users = User.objects.filter(
         reduce(operator.or_, (Q(**f) for f in filters)),
         is_active=True,
+        local=True,
         report__isnull=True,  # don't flag users that already have reports
     ).distinct()
 
@@ -127,6 +128,7 @@ def automod_statuses(reporter):
     statuses = status_model.objects.filter(
         reduce(operator.or_, (Q(**f) for f in filters)),
         deleted=False,
+        local=True,
         report__isnull=True,  # don't flag statuses that already have reports
     ).distinct()
 
diff --git a/bookwyrm/templates/settings/automod/rules.html b/bookwyrm/templates/settings/automod/rules.html
index 5585dfde..8205b3d7 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/templates/settings/automod/rules.html
+++ b/bookwyrm/templates/settings/automod/rules.html
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 <div class="notification content">
     <p>
-        {% trans "Auto-moderation rules will create reports for any user or status with fields matching the provided string." %}
+        {% trans "Auto-moderation rules will create reports for any local user or status with fields matching the provided string." %}
         {% trans "Users or statuses that have already been reported (regardless of whether the report was resolved) will not be flagged." %}
         {% trans "At this time, reports are <em>not</em> being generated automatically, and you must manually trigger a scan." %}
     </p>