diff --git a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/Inbox.tsx b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/Inbox.tsx
index dbe4fa802d..b78923416b 100644
--- a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/Inbox.tsx
+++ b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/Inbox.tsx
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ const Inbox: React.FC<InboxProps> = ({}) => {
         return commentsMap.get(id) ?? [];
     };
 
-    const handleViewContent = (object: ObjectProperties, actor: ActorProperties, comments: Activity[]) => {
+    const handleViewContent = (object: ObjectProperties, actor: ActorProperties, comments: Activity[], focusReply = false) => {
         setArticleContent(object);
         setArticleActor(actor);
-        NiceModal.show(ArticleModal, {object, actor, comments, allComments: commentsMap});
+        NiceModal.show(ArticleModal, {object, actor, comments, allComments: commentsMap, focusReply});
     };
 
     function getContentAuthor(activity: Activity) {
@@ -101,6 +101,12 @@ const Inbox: React.FC<InboxProps> = ({}) => {
                                         layout={layout}
                                         object={activity.object}
                                         type={activity.type}
+                                        onCommentClick={() => handleViewContent(
+                                            activity.object,
+                                            getContentAuthor(activity),
+                                            getCommentsForObject(activity.object.id),
+                                            true
+                                        )}
                                     />
                                     {index < activities.length - 1 && (
                                         <div className="h-px w-full bg-grey-200"></div>
diff --git a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/ArticleModal.tsx b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/ArticleModal.tsx
index a21bb9176d..52986326bb 100644
--- a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/ArticleModal.tsx
+++ b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/ArticleModal.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ interface ArticleModalProps {
     actor: ActorProperties;
     comments: Activity[];
     allComments: Map<string, Activity[]>;
+    focusReply: boolean;
 }
 
 const ArticleBody: React.FC<{heading: string, image: string|undefined, html: string}> = ({heading, image, html}) => {
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ const FeedItemDivider: React.FC = () => (
     <div className="mx-[-32px] h-px w-[120%] bg-grey-200"></div>
 );
 
-const ArticleModal: React.FC<ArticleModalProps> = ({object, actor, comments, allComments}) => {
+const ArticleModal: React.FC<ArticleModalProps> = ({object, actor, comments, allComments, focusReply}) => {
     const MODAL_SIZE_SM = 640;
     const MODAL_SIZE_LG = 2800;
 
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ const ArticleModal: React.FC<ArticleModalProps> = ({object, actor, comments, all
                             object={object}
                             type='Note'
                         />
-                        <APReplyBox object={object}/>
+                        <APReplyBox focused={focusReply} object={object}/>
                         <FeedItemDivider />
 
                         {/* {object.content && <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={({__html: object.content})} className='ap-note-content text-pretty text-[1.5rem] text-grey-900'></div>} */}
diff --git a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/FeedItem.tsx b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/FeedItem.tsx
index 48d7779ca7..7ede2d5ef8 100644
--- a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/FeedItem.tsx
+++ b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/feed/FeedItem.tsx
@@ -205,11 +205,12 @@ interface FeedItemProps {
     comments?: Activity[];
     last?: boolean;
     onClick?: () => void;
+    onCommentClick?: () => void;
 }
 
 const noop = () => {};
 
-const FeedItem: React.FC<FeedItemProps> = ({actor, object, layout, type, comments = [], last, onClick = noop}) => {
+const FeedItem: React.FC<FeedItemProps> = ({actor, object, layout, type, comments = [], last, onClick = noop, onCommentClick}) => {
     const timestamp =
         new Date(object?.published ?? new Date()).toLocaleDateString('default', {year: 'numeric', month: 'short', day: '2-digit'}) + ', ' + new Date(object?.published ?? new Date()).toLocaleTimeString('default', {hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit'});
 
@@ -292,7 +293,7 @@ const FeedItem: React.FC<FeedItemProps> = ({actor, object, layout, type, comment
                                     </div>
                                 </div>
                                 <Menu items={menuItems} position='end' trigger={UserMenuTrigger}/>
-                                
+
                             </div>
                             <div className={`relative z-10 col-start-2 col-end-3 w-full gap-4`}>
                                 <div className='flex flex-col'>
@@ -303,7 +304,7 @@ const FeedItem: React.FC<FeedItemProps> = ({actor, object, layout, type, comment
                                         commentCount={comments.length}
                                         likeCount={1}
                                         object={object}
-                                        onCommentClick={onLikeClick}
+                                        onCommentClick={onCommentClick}
                                         onLikeClick={onLikeClick}
                                     />
                                 </div>
@@ -348,7 +349,7 @@ const FeedItem: React.FC<FeedItemProps> = ({actor, object, layout, type, comment
                                             commentCount={comments.length}
                                             likeCount={1}
                                             object={object}
-                                            onCommentClick={onLikeClick}
+                                            onCommentClick={onCommentClick}
                                             onLikeClick={onLikeClick}
                                         />
                                     </div>
@@ -395,7 +396,7 @@ const FeedItem: React.FC<FeedItemProps> = ({actor, object, layout, type, comment
                                         commentCount={comments.length}
                                         likeCount={1}
                                         object={object}
-                                        onCommentClick={onLikeClick}
+                                        onCommentClick={onCommentClick}
                                         onLikeClick={onLikeClick}
                                     />
                                 </div>
@@ -432,7 +433,7 @@ const FeedItem: React.FC<FeedItemProps> = ({actor, object, layout, type, comment
                                     commentCount={comments.length}
                                     likeCount={1}
                                     object={object}
-                                    onCommentClick={onLikeClick}
+                                    onCommentClick={onCommentClick}
                                     onLikeClick={onLikeClick}
                                 />
                             </div>
diff --git a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/global/APReplyBox.tsx b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/global/APReplyBox.tsx
index f4a1f16fb3..a8a57e280a 100644
--- a/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/global/APReplyBox.tsx
+++ b/apps/admin-x-activitypub/src/components/global/APReplyBox.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import React, {HTMLProps, useId, useState} from 'react';
+import React, {HTMLProps, useEffect, useId, useRef, useState} from 'react';
 
 import * as FormPrimitive from '@radix-ui/react-form';
 import APAvatar from './APAvatar';
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import {useReplyMutationForUser, useUserDataForUser} from '../../hooks/useActivi
 // import {useFocusContext} from '@tryghost/admin-x-design-system/types/providers/DesignSystemProvider';
 
 export interface APTextAreaProps extends HTMLProps<HTMLTextAreaElement> {
-    inputRef?: React.RefObject<HTMLTextAreaElement>;
     title?: string;
     value?: string;
     rows?: number;
@@ -20,10 +19,10 @@ export interface APTextAreaProps extends HTMLProps<HTMLTextAreaElement> {
     className?: string;
     onChange?: (event: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLTextAreaElement>) => void;
     object: ObjectProperties;
+    focused: boolean;
 }
 
 const APReplyBox: React.FC<APTextAreaProps> = ({
-    inputRef,
     title,
     value,
     rows = 1,
@@ -32,6 +31,7 @@ const APReplyBox: React.FC<APTextAreaProps> = ({
     hint,
     className,
     object,
+    focused,
     // onChange,
     // onFocus,
     // onBlur,
@@ -43,6 +43,14 @@ const APReplyBox: React.FC<APTextAreaProps> = ({
 
     const {data: user} = useUserDataForUser('index');
 
+    const textareaRef = useRef<HTMLTextAreaElement>(null);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        if (textareaRef.current && focused) {
+            textareaRef.current.focus();
+        }
+    }, [focused]);
+
     const styles = clsx(
         'ap-textarea order-2 w-full resize-none rounded-lg border py-2 pr-3 text-[1.5rem] transition-all dark:text-white',
         error ? 'border-red' : 'border-transparent placeholder:text-grey-500 dark:placeholder:text-grey-800',
@@ -76,7 +84,7 @@ const APReplyBox: React.FC<APTextAreaProps> = ({
                         <FormPrimitive.Field name={id} asChild>
                             <FormPrimitive.Control asChild>
                                 <textarea
-                                    ref={inputRef}
+                                    ref={textareaRef}
                                     className={styles}
                                     id={id}
                                     maxLength={maxLength}