diff --git a/Changelog.md b/Changelog.md
index 72df9668d..a91043b78 100644
--- a/Changelog.md
+++ b/Changelog.md
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ The way services are shown in the `statistics.json` route is changing. The keys
 
 The keys will still be available in the root level within the 0.5 release. The old keys will be removed in the 0.6 release.
 
+## New maintenance feature to automatically expire inactive accounts
+Removing of old inactive users can now be done automatically by background processing. The amount of inactivity is set by `after_days`. A warning email will be sent to the user and after an additional `warn_days`, the account will be automatically closed.
+
+This maintenance is not enabled by default. Podmins can enable it by for example copying over the new settings under `settings.maintenance` to their `diaspora.yml` file and setting it enabled. The default setting is to expire accounts that have been inactive for 2 years (no login).
+
 ## Refactor
 * Redesign contacts page [#5153](https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/pull/5153)
 * Improve profile page design on mobile [#5084](https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/pull/5084)
@@ -87,6 +92,7 @@ The keys will still be available in the root level within the 0.5 release. The o
 * Strip search query from leading and trailing whitespace [#5317](https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/pull/5317)
 * Add the "network" key to statistics.json and set it to "Diaspora" [#5308](https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/pull/5308)
 * Infinite scrolling in the notifications dropdown [#5237](https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/pull/5237)
+* Maintenance feature to automatically expire inactive accounts [#5288](https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/pull/5288)
 
 # 0.4.1.1
 
diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 02d4ff733..430600de2 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ gem 'simple_captcha2', '0.3.2', :require => 'simple_captcha'
 gem 'sidekiq', '3.2.5'
 gem 'sinatra', '1.3.3'
 
+# Scheduled processing
+
+gem 'sidetiq', '0.6.3'
+
 # Compression
 
 gem 'uglifier', '2.5.3'
diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index 27c859367..5ccc00efc 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -243,6 +243,7 @@ GEM
       actionpack (>= 3.0.0)
       i18n-inflector (~> 2.6)
       railties (>= 3.0.0)
+    ice_cube (0.11.1)
     inflecto (0.0.2)
     ipaddress (0.8.0)
     jasmine (2.0.3)
@@ -463,6 +464,10 @@ GEM
       json
       redis (>= 3.0.6)
       redis-namespace (>= 1.3.1)
+    sidetiq (0.6.3)
+      celluloid (>= 0.14.1)
+      ice_cube (= 0.11.1)
+      sidekiq (>= 3.0.0)
     simple_captcha2 (0.3.2)
       rails (>= 4.1)
     simple_oauth (0.3.0)
@@ -612,6 +617,7 @@ DEPENDENCIES
   sass-rails (= 4.0.3)
   selenium-webdriver (= 2.43.0)
   sidekiq (= 3.2.5)
+  sidetiq (= 0.6.3)
   simple_captcha2 (= 0.3.2)
   sinatra (= 1.3.3)
   sinon-rails (= 1.10.3)
diff --git a/app/mailers/maintenance.rb b/app/mailers/maintenance.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d44b28f51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/mailers/maintenance.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+class Maintenance < ActionMailer::Base
+  default :from => AppConfig.mail.sender_address
+
+  def account_removal_warning(user)
+    @user = user
+    @login_url  = new_user_session_path
+    @pod_url = AppConfig.environment.url
+    @after_days = AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.after_days.to_s
+    @remove_after = @user.remove_after
+    mail(:to => @user.email, :subject => I18n.t('notifier.remove_old_user.subject')) do |format|
+      format.text
+      format.html
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 5f7a5fd22..35fe032f9 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -481,12 +481,28 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
+  def flag_for_removal(remove_after)
+    # flag inactive user for future removal
+    if AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable?
+      self.remove_after = remove_after
+      self.save
+    end
+  end
+  
+  def after_database_authentication
+    # remove any possible remove_after timestamp flag set by maintenance.remove_old_users
+    unless self.remove_after.nil?
+      self.remove_after = nil
+      self.save
+    end
+  end
+
   private
   def clearable_fields
     self.attributes.keys - ["id", "username", "encrypted_password",
                             "created_at", "updated_at", "locked_at",
                             "serialized_private_key", "getting_started",
                             "disable_mail", "show_community_spotlight_in_stream",
-                            "email"]
+                            "email", "remove_after"]
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/maintenance/account_removal_warning.markerb b/app/views/maintenance/account_removal_warning.markerb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7303bafae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/maintenance/account_removal_warning.markerb
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+<%= t('notifier.remove_old_user.body', pod_url: @pod_url, login_url: @login_url, after_days: @after_days, remove_after: @remove_after) %>
+
diff --git a/app/workers/queue_users_for_removal.rb b/app/workers/queue_users_for_removal.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..63efa3365
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/workers/queue_users_for_removal.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#   Copyright (c) 2010-2011, Diaspora Inc.  This file is
+#   licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3 or later.  See
+#   the COPYRIGHT file.
+
+module Workers
+  class QueueUsersForRemoval < Base
+    include Sidetiq::Schedulable
+    
+    sidekiq_options queue: :maintenance
+    
+    recurrence { daily }
+    
+    def perform
+      # Queue users for removal due to inactivity
+      if AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable?
+        users = User.where("last_seen < ? and locked_at is null and remove_after is null", 
+          Time.now - (AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.after_days.to_i).days)
+          .order(:last_seen)
+          .limit(AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.limit_removals_to_per_day)
+
+        # deliver to be closed emails to account holders
+        # and queue accounts for closing to sidekiq
+        # for those who have not signed in, skip warning and queue removal
+        # in +1 days
+        users.find_each do |user|
+          if user.sign_in_count > 0
+            remove_at = Time.now + AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.warn_days.to_i.days
+          else
+            remove_at = Time.now
+          end
+          user.flag_for_removal(remove_at)
+          if user.sign_in_count > 0
+            # send a warning
+            Maintenance.account_removal_warning(user).deliver
+          end
+          Workers::RemoveOldUser.perform_in(remove_at+1.day, user.id)
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end 
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/workers/remove_old_user.rb b/app/workers/remove_old_user.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d8619b4bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/workers/remove_old_user.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#   Copyright (c) 2010-2011, Diaspora Inc.  This file is
+#   licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3 or later.  See
+#   the COPYRIGHT file.
+
+module Workers
+  class RemoveOldUser < Base
+    sidekiq_options queue: :maintenance
+    
+    def safe_remove_after
+      # extra safety time to compare in addition to remove_after
+      Time.now-
+        (AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.after_days.to_i).days-
+        (AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.warn_days.to_i).days
+    end
+    
+    def perform(user_id)
+      # if user has been flagged as to be removed (see settings.maintenance.remove_old_users)
+      # and hasn't logged in since that flag has been set, we remove the user
+      if AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable?
+        user = User.find(user_id)
+        if user.remove_after < Time.now and user.last_seen < self.safe_remove_after
+          user.close_account!
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end 
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/defaults.yml b/config/defaults.yml
index 01e2599be..841fc2643 100644
--- a/config/defaults.yml
+++ b/config/defaults.yml
@@ -93,6 +93,12 @@ defaults:
       enable: false
       jurisdiction: false
       minimum_age: false
+    maintenance:
+      remove_old_users:
+        enable: false
+        after_days: 730
+        warn_days: 30
+        limit_removals_to_per_day: 100
   services:
     facebook:
       enable: false
diff --git a/config/diaspora.yml.example b/config/diaspora.yml.example
index 0555ee9bc..3a4153edf 100644
--- a/config/diaspora.yml.example
+++ b/config/diaspora.yml.example
@@ -330,6 +330,21 @@ configuration: ## Section
       ## Set a number to activate this setting. This age limit is shown
       ## in the default ToS document.
       #minimum_age: false
+      
+    ## Maintenance
+    ## Various pod maintenance related settings are controlled from here.
+    maintenance: ## Section
+      ## Removing of old inactive users can be done automatically by background
+      ## processing. The amount of inactivity is set by `after_days`. A warning
+      ## email will be sent to the user and after an additional `warn_days`, the
+      ## account will be automatically closed.
+      ## This maintenance is not enabled by default.
+      remove_old_users: ## Section
+        #enable: true
+        #after_days: 730
+        #warn_days: 30
+        ## Limit queuing for removal per day.
+        #limit_removals_to_per_day: 100
 
   ## Posting from Diaspora to external services (all are disabled by default)
   services: ## Section
diff --git a/config/initializers/maintenance.rb b/config/initializers/maintenance.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..76bc58aae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/initializers/maintenance.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2010-2011, Diaspora Inc.  This file is
+# licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3 or later.  See
+# the COPYRIGHT file.
+
+unless AppConfig.mail.enable?
+  if AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable?
+    # The maintenance job remove_old_users will warn users
+    # of inactivity removal before removing the users.
+    # Warn podmins here that enable it but don't have mail enabled.
+    puts "
+WARNING: Maintenance that removes inactive users is enabled
+but mail is disabled! This means there will be no warning email
+sent to users whose accounts are flagged for removal!
+See configuration setting 'settings.maintenance.remove_old_users'."
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml b/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
index 014841156..b078c33d5 100644
--- a/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
@@ -802,6 +802,22 @@ en:
         The diaspora* email robot!
 
         [1]: %{invite_url}
+    remove_old_user:
+      subject: "Your diaspora* account has been flagged for removal due to inactivity"
+      body: |-
+        Hello,
+        
+        Due to inactivity on your diaspora* account at %{pod_url}, we regret to inform you that the system has flagged this account for automated removal. This happens automatically after an inactivity period of more than %{after_days} days.
+        
+        You can avoid the loss of this account by logging into the account before %{remove_after}, in which case removal will be automatically cancelled.
+        
+        This maintenance is done to ensure our active users get the most out of the resources of this diaspora* instance. Thank you for your understanding.
+        
+        If you would like to keep your account, please login here: %{login_url}
+        
+        Hoping to see you again,
+
+        The diaspora* email robot!
   people:
     zero: "no people"
     one: "1 person"
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index dbb06bde4..08da714cb 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #   the COPYRIGHT file.
 
 require 'sidekiq/web'
+require 'sidetiq/web'
 
 Diaspora::Application.routes.draw do
   resources :report, :except => [:edit, :new]
diff --git a/db/migrate/20141001162851_add_remove_after_to_users.rb b/db/migrate/20141001162851_add_remove_after_to_users.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c63b916b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20141001162851_add_remove_after_to_users.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+class AddRemoveAfterToUsers < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  def change
+  	add_column :users, :remove_after, :datetime
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/schema.rb b/db/schema.rb
index 80202933c..a19ba2b5f 100644
--- a/db/schema.rb
+++ b/db/schema.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 #
 # It's strongly recommended that you check this file into your version control system.
 
-ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20140906192846) do
+ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20141001162851) do
 
   create_table "account_deletions", force: true do |t|
     t.string   "diaspora_handle"
@@ -219,8 +219,8 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20140906192846) do
   create_table "open_graph_caches", force: true do |t|
     t.string "title"
     t.string "ob_type"
-    t.text "image"
-    t.text "url"
+    t.text   "image"
+    t.text   "url"
     t.text   "description"
   end
 
@@ -530,6 +530,7 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20140906192846) do
     t.text     "hidden_shareables"
     t.datetime "reset_password_sent_at"
     t.datetime "last_seen"
+    t.datetime "remove_after"
   end
 
   add_index "users", ["authentication_token"], name: "index_users_on_authentication_token", unique: true, using: :btree
@@ -570,4 +571,4 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20140906192846) do
 
   add_foreign_key "share_visibilities", "contacts", name: "post_visibilities_contact_id_fk", dependent: :delete
 
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/lib/tasks/maintenance.rake b/lib/tasks/maintenance.rake
index fd8c9e59d..746a773f5 100644
--- a/lib/tasks/maintenance.rake
+++ b/lib/tasks/maintenance.rake
@@ -36,4 +36,13 @@ RUBY
       puts "Could not install logrotate configs. Perhaps you should try running this task as root and ensuring logrotate is installed:\n#{logrotate_conf}"
     end
   end
+  
+  desc "Queue users for removal"
+  task :queue_users_for_removal => :environment do
+    # Queue users for removal due to inactivity
+    # Note! settings.maintenance.remove_old_users
+    # must still be enabled, this only bypasses
+    # scheduling to run the queuing immediately
+    Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.perform_async
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/mailers/maintenance_spec.rb b/spec/mailers/maintenance_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1ca07c513
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/mailers/maintenance_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#   Copyright (c) 2010-2011, Diaspora Inc.  This file is
+#   licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3 or later.  See
+#   the COPYRIGHT file.
+
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Maintenance, :type => :mailer do
+  describe 'create warning' do
+    before do
+      @removal_timestamp = Time.now + 3.days
+      @user = FactoryGirl.create(:user_with_aspect, :username => "local", :remove_after => @removal_timestamp) 
+    end
+    
+    it "#should deliver successfully" do
+      expect {
+        Maintenance.account_removal_warning(@user).deliver
+      }.to_not raise_error
+    end
+    
+    it "#should be added to the delivery queue" do
+      expect {
+        Maintenance.account_removal_warning(@user).deliver
+      }.to change(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries, :size).by(1)
+    end
+
+    it "#should include correct recipient" do
+      Maintenance.account_removal_warning(@user).deliver
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.last.to[0]).to include(@user.email)
+    end
+    
+    it "#should include after inactivity days from settings" do
+      Maintenance.account_removal_warning(@user).deliver
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.last.body.parts[0].body.raw_source).to include("more than "+AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.after_days.to_s+" days")
+    end
+    
+    it "#should include timestamp for account removal" do
+      Maintenance.account_removal_warning(@user).deliver
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.last.body.parts[0].body.raw_source).to include("logging into the account before "+@removal_timestamp.utc.to_s)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/models/user_spec.rb b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
index b6bcbf802..4648b3196 100644
--- a/spec/models/user_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
@@ -1025,4 +1025,30 @@ describe User, :type => :model do
       @user.sign_up
     end
   end
+  
+  describe "maintenance" do
+    before do
+      @user = bob
+      AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable = true
+    end
+    
+    it "#flags user for removal" do
+      remove_at = Time.now+5.days
+      @user.flag_for_removal(remove_at)
+      expect(@user.remove_after).to eq(remove_at)
+    end
+  end
+  
+  describe "#auth database auth maintenance" do
+    before do
+      @user = bob
+      @user.remove_after = Time.now
+      @user.save
+    end
+    
+    it "remove_after is cleared" do
+      @user.after_database_authentication
+      expect(@user.remove_after).to eq(nil)
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/workers/queue_users_for_removal_spec.rb b/spec/workers/queue_users_for_removal_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e00fe76c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/workers/queue_users_for_removal_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval do
+  describe 'remove_old_users is active' do
+    before do
+      AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable = true
+      ActionMailer::Base.deliveries = nil
+      Timecop.freeze
+    end
+    
+    it '#does not queue user that is not inactive' do
+      user = FactoryGirl.create(:user, :last_seen => Time.now-728.days, :sign_in_count => 5)
+      Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.new.perform
+      user.reload
+      expect(user.remove_after).to eq(nil)
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.count).to eq(0)
+    end
+    
+    it '#queues user that is inactive' do
+      removal_date = Time.now + (AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.warn_days.to_i).days
+      user = FactoryGirl.create(:user, :last_seen => Time.now-732.days, :sign_in_count => 5)
+      Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.new.perform
+      user.reload
+      expect(user.remove_after.to_i).to eq(removal_date.utc.to_i)
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.count).to eq(1)
+    end
+    
+    it '#queues user that is inactive and has not logged in' do
+      removal_date = Time.now
+      user = FactoryGirl.create(:user, :last_seen => Time.now-735.days, :sign_in_count => 0)
+      Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.new.perform
+      user.reload
+      expect(user.remove_after.to_i).to eq(removal_date.utc.to_i)
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.count).to eq(0)  # no email sent
+    end
+    
+    it '#does not queue user that is not inactive and has not logged in' do
+      user = FactoryGirl.create(:user, :last_seen => Time.now-728.days, :sign_in_count => 0)
+      Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.new.perform
+      user.reload
+      expect(user.remove_after).to eq(nil)
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.count).to eq(0)
+    end
+    
+    it '#does not queue user that has already been flagged for removal' do
+      removal_date = Date.today + 5.days
+      user = FactoryGirl.create(:user, :last_seen => Time.now-735.days, :sign_in_count => 5, :remove_after => removal_date)
+      Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.new.perform
+      user.reload
+      expect(user.remove_after).to eq(removal_date)
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.count).to eq(0)
+    end
+    
+    after do
+      Timecop.return
+    end 
+  end
+  
+  describe 'remove_old_users is inactive' do
+    before do
+      AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable = false
+      ActionMailer::Base.deliveries = nil
+    end
+    
+    it '#does not queue user that is not inactive' do
+      user = FactoryGirl.create(:user, :last_seen => Time.now-728.days, :sign_in_count => 5)
+      Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.new.perform
+      user.reload
+      expect(user.remove_after).to eq(nil)
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.count).to eq(0)
+    end
+    
+    it '#does not queue user that is inactive' do
+      user = FactoryGirl.create(:user, :last_seen => Time.now-735.days, :sign_in_count => 5)
+      Workers::QueueUsersForRemoval.new.perform
+      user.reload
+      expect(user.remove_after).to eq(nil)
+      expect(ActionMailer::Base.deliveries.count).to eq(0)
+    end
+    
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/workers/remove_old_user_spec.rb b/spec/workers/remove_old_user_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..12e0fad57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/workers/remove_old_user_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Workers::RemoveOldUser do
+  describe 'remove_old_users is active' do
+    before do
+      AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable = true
+    end
+    
+    it '#removes user whose remove_after timestamp has passed' do
+      user = double(id: 1, remove_after: 1.day.ago, last_seen: 1000.days.ago)
+      allow(User).to receive(:find).with(user.id).and_return(user)
+      expect(user).to receive(:close_account!)
+      Workers::RemoveOldUser.new.perform(user.id)
+    end
+    
+    it '#doesnt remove user whose remove_after timestamp hasnt passed' do
+      user = double(id: 1, remove_after: 1.day.from_now, last_seen: 1000.days.ago)
+      allow(User).to receive(:find).with(user.id).and_return(user)
+      expect(user).to_not receive(:close_account!)
+      Workers::RemoveOldUser.new.perform(user.id)
+    end
+    
+    it '#doesnt remove user whose remove_after timestamp has passed but last_seen is recent' do
+      user = double(id: 1, remove_after: 1.day.ago, last_seen: 1.day.ago)
+      allow(User).to receive(:find).with(user.id).and_return(user)
+      expect(user).to_not receive(:close_account!)
+      Workers::RemoveOldUser.new.perform(user.id)
+    end
+    
+  end
+  
+  describe 'remove_old_users is inactive' do
+    before do
+      AppConfig.settings.maintenance.remove_old_users.enable = false
+    end
+    
+    it '#doesnt remove user whose remove_after timestamp has passed' do
+      user = double(id: 1, remove_after: 1.day.ago, last_seen: 1000.days.ago)
+      allow(User).to receive(:find).with(user.id).and_return(user)
+      expect(user).to_not receive(:close_account!)
+      Workers::RemoveOldUser.new.perform(user.id)
+    end
+    
+    it '#doesnt remove user whose remove_after timestamp hasnt passed' do
+      user = double(id: 1, remove_after: 1.day.from_now, last_seen: 1000.days.ago)
+      allow(User).to receive(:find).with(user.id).and_return(user)
+      expect(user).to_not receive(:close_account!)
+      Workers::RemoveOldUser.new.perform(user.id)
+    end
+    
+  end
+end