diff --git a/src/dispatchers.ts b/src/dispatchers.ts
index d819dad4..bbbcf04b 100644
--- a/src/dispatchers.ts
+++ b/src/dispatchers.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import { addToList } from './kv-helpers';
 import { ContextData } from './app';
 import { ACTOR_DEFAULT_HANDLE } from './constants';
 import { getUserData, getUserKeypair } from './user';
+import { lookupActor } from './lookup-helpers';
 
 export async function actorDispatcher(
     ctx: RequestContext<ContextData>,
@@ -302,31 +303,6 @@ export async function inboxErrorHandler(
     console.error(error);
 }
 
-async function lookupActor(ctx: RequestContext<ContextData>, url: string) {
-    try {
-        console.log('Looking up actor locally', url);
-        const local = await ctx.data.globaldb.get([url]);
-        return await APObject.fromJsonLd(local);
-    } catch (err) {
-        console.log('Error looking up actor locally', url);
-        console.log(err);
-        console.log('Looking up actor remotely', url);
-        const documentLoader = await ctx.getDocumentLoader({handle: 'index'});
-        try {
-            const remote = await lookupObject(url, {documentLoader});
-            if (isActor(remote)) {
-                await ctx.data.globaldb.set([url], await remote.toJsonLd());
-                return remote;
-            }
-        } catch (err) {
-            console.log('Error looking up actor remotely', url);
-            console.log(err)
-            return null;
-        }
-    }
-    return null;
-}
-
 function convertJsonLdToRecipient(result: any): Recipient {
     return {
         ...result,
diff --git a/src/lookup-helpers.ts b/src/lookup-helpers.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..05a1b382
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lookup-helpers.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import {
+    isActor,
+    lookupObject,
+    Actor,
+    RequestContext,
+    Object as APObject,
+} from '@fedify/fedify';
+import { ContextData } from './app';
+
+export async function lookupActor(ctx: RequestContext<ContextData>, url: string): Promise<Actor | null> {
+    try {
+        console.log('Looking up actor locally', url);
+        const local = await ctx.data.globaldb.get([url]);
+        const object = await APObject.fromJsonLd(local);
+        if (isActor(object)) {
+            return object;
+        }
+        return null;
+    } catch (err) {
+        console.log('Error looking up actor locally', url);
+        console.log(err);
+        console.log('Looking up actor remotely', url);
+        const documentLoader = await ctx.getDocumentLoader({handle: 'index'});
+        try {
+            const remote = await lookupObject(url, {documentLoader});
+            if (isActor(remote)) {
+                await ctx.data.globaldb.set([url], await remote.toJsonLd());
+                return remote;
+            }
+        } catch (err) {
+            console.log('Error looking up actor remotely', url);
+            console.log(err)
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+    return null;
+}