diff --git a/app/controllers/api/v1/accounts_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api/v1/accounts_controller.rb
index 84b604b305..dfe3cfa4a1 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api/v1/accounts_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api/v1/accounts_controller.rb
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ class Api::V1::AccountsController < Api::BaseController
     options = @account.locked? || current_user.account.silenced? ? {} : { following_map: { @account.id => { reblogs: follow.show_reblogs?, notify: follow.notify?, languages: follow.languages } }, requested_map: { @account.id => false } }
 
     render json: @account, serializer: REST::RelationshipSerializer, relationships: relationships(**options)
+  rescue FollowService::SelfFollowError
+    render json: { error: 'Following your own account is not allowed' }, status: 403
   end
 
   def block
diff --git a/app/services/follow_service.rb b/app/services/follow_service.rb
index af5f996077..af96042c2e 100644
--- a/app/services/follow_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/follow_service.rb
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ class FollowService < BaseService
   include Payloadable
   include DomainControlHelper
 
+  class Error < StandardError; end
+  class SelfFollowError < Error; end
+
   # Follow a remote user, notify remote user about the follow
   # @param [Account] source_account From which to follow
   # @param [Account] target_account Account to follow
@@ -50,7 +53,11 @@ class FollowService < BaseService
   end
 
   def following_not_possible?
-    @target_account.nil? || @target_account.id == @source_account.id || @target_account.unavailable?
+    @target_account.nil? || @target_account.unavailable?
+  end
+
+  def following_self?
+    @target_account.id == @source_account.id
   end
 
   def following_not_allowed?
diff --git a/spec/requests/api/v1/accounts_spec.rb b/spec/requests/api/v1/accounts_spec.rb
index 2ebe56fa7d..608be22016 100644
--- a/spec/requests/api/v1/accounts_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/api/v1/accounts_spec.rb
@@ -147,6 +147,27 @@ RSpec.describe '/api/v1/accounts' do
       end
     end
 
+    context 'when user tries to follow their own account' do
+      let(:locked) { false }
+      let(:other_account) { user.account }
+
+      it 'returns http forbidden' do
+        expect(response).to have_http_status(403)
+      end
+
+      it 'returns JSON with an error message' do
+        json = body_as_json
+
+        expect(json[:error]).to eq 'Follow your own account is not allowed'
+      end
+
+      it 'does not create a following relation between user and their own account' do
+        expect(user.account.following?(other_account)).to be false
+      end
+
+      it_behaves_like 'forbidden for wrong scope', 'read:accounts'
+    end
+
     context 'when modifying follow options' do
       let(:locked) { false }
 
diff --git a/spec/services/follow_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/follow_service_spec.rb
index 0c4cd60046..6ac322735d 100644
--- a/spec/services/follow_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/follow_service_spec.rb
@@ -136,6 +136,16 @@ RSpec.describe FollowService do
         expect(Follow.find_by(account: sender, target_account: bob)&.languages).to match_array %w(en es)
       end
     end
+
+    describe 'cannot follow own account' do
+      it 'raises an exception and does not create a following relation' do
+        expect { subject.call(sender, sender) }
+          .to raise_error(FollowService::SelfFollowError)
+          .and(not_change { sender.following?(sender) })
+
+        expect(sender.following?(sender)).to be false
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   context 'when remote ActivityPub account' do