diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,3 +1,13 @@
+scuttlebutt-types (0.4.0) unstable; urgency=medium
+
+  * Simplified Post type (API change)
+  * Support parsing a Post with a root or branch that has a value
+    that is not a valid link.
+  * Fix parsing of Post recps.
+  * Mention renamed to UserLink. (API change)
+
+ -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Mon, 26 Feb 2018 14:32:59 -0400
+
 scuttlebutt-types (0.3.0) unstable; urgency=medium
 
   * Handle about messages whose image field is a string linking to a blob,
diff --git a/scuttlebutt-types.cabal b/scuttlebutt-types.cabal
--- a/scuttlebutt-types.cabal
+++ b/scuttlebutt-types.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name: scuttlebutt-types
-Version: 0.3.0
+Version: 0.4.0
 License: BSD3
 License-File: LICENSE
 Author: bkil.hu, Peter Ferenc Hajdu, Joey Hess
diff --git a/src/Ssb/Types/Message.hs b/src/Ssb/Types/Message.hs
--- a/src/Ssb/Types/Message.hs
+++ b/src/Ssb/Types/Message.hs
@@ -10,9 +10,7 @@
 	narrowParse,
 	PrivateContent(..),
 	Post(..),
-	Branch(..),
-	Mentions(..),
-	Mention(..),
+	UserLink(..),
 	About(..),
 	AboutImage(..),
 	Contact(..),
@@ -32,6 +30,7 @@
 import Data.List
 import Data.Char
 import Control.Applicative
+import Control.Monad
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import qualified Data.Vector as V
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as L
@@ -111,48 +110,61 @@
 	{ text :: T.Text
 	, channel :: Maybe T.Text
 	, root :: Maybe MessageLink
-	, branch :: Maybe Branch
-	, recps :: Maybe [FeedLink]
-	, mentions :: Maybe Mentions
+	, branch :: [MessageLink]
+	, recps :: [UserLink]
+	, mentions :: [UserLink]
 	} deriving (Show, Eq, Generic)
 
 instance FromJSON Post where
-	parseJSON = parseMessageType "post" (genericParseJSON defaultOptions)
-
--- | Link to the message in the thread that a Post replies to.
---
--- Generally there is only one link, but sometimes more than one.
-newtype Branch = Branch { fromBranch :: [MessageLink] }
-	deriving (Show, Eq, Monoid)
-
-instance FromJSON Branch where
-	parseJSON v@(String _) = Branch . (:[]) <$> parseJSON v
-	parseJSON v@(Array _) = Branch <$> parseJSON v
-	parseJSON invalid = typeMismatch "Branch" invalid
-
-newtype Mentions = Mentions { fromMentions :: [Mention] }
-	deriving (Show, Eq, Monoid)
+	parseJSON = parseMessageType "post" $ withObject "Post" $ \o -> Post
+		<$> o .: "text"
+		<*> o .:? "channel"
+		<*> parseroot o
+		<*> parsebranch o
+		<*> (o .:? "recps" .!= mempty)
+		<*> parsementions o
+	  where
+	  	-- root is optional.
+		-- Avoid failing if it contains something that is not a
+		-- valid link.
+		parseroot o = join <$> explicitParseFieldMaybe
+			(pure . parseMaybe parseJSON)
+			o "root"
+		-- branch can be a string or an object, and is optional.
+		-- Avoid failing if it contains something that is not a
+		-- valid link.
+		parsebranch o = do
+			v <- explicitParseFieldMaybe
+				(arrayOrSingleton (parseMaybe parseJSON))
+				o "branch"
+				.!= mempty
+			return (catMaybes v)
+		-- mentions can be an array or an object, and is optional.
+		-- Avoid failing if it contains something that is not a
+		-- valid link.
+		parsementions o = do
+			v <- explicitParseFieldMaybe
+				(arrayOrSingleton (parseMaybe parseJSON))
+				o "mentions"
+				.!= mempty
+			return (catMaybes v)
 
--- | Sometimes it's an array of objects.
--- Sometimes there is no array, but a single object.
--- And sometimes the Mention contains an invalid Link; avoid failing on
--- those.
-instance FromJSON Mentions where
-	parseJSON v@(Object _) = pure $
-		Mentions $ catMaybes [parseMaybe parseJSON v]
-	parseJSON (Array v) = pure $
-		Mentions $ mapMaybe (parseMaybe parseJSON) (V.toList v)
-	parseJSON invalid = typeMismatch "Mentions" invalid
+-- | Apply a parser to each thing in an array, or to a single item not in
+-- an array.
+arrayOrSingleton :: (Value -> a) -> Value -> Parser [a]
+arrayOrSingleton p v@(Object _) = pure [p v]
+arrayOrSingleton p v@(String _) = pure [p v]
+arrayOrSingleton p (Array v) = pure (map p (V.toList v))
+arrayOrSingleton _ _ = fail "expected Array or Object"
 
--- | A reference to other feeds, entities, or blobs that were mentioned in
--- a Post.
-data Mention = Mention
-	{ mentionLink :: Link
-	, mentionName :: Maybe T.Text
+-- | A link to a user, sometimes including a name.
+data UserLink = UserLink
+	{ userLink :: Link
+	, userName :: Maybe T.Text
 	} deriving (Show, Eq, Generic)
 
-instance FromJSON Mention where
-	parseJSON = parseStrippingPrefix "mention"
+instance FromJSON UserLink where
+	parseJSON = parseStrippingPrefix "user"
 
 -- | About-messages set attributes about someone or something.
 -- They can be used to set a name or picture for users, files, or messages.
diff --git a/test/MessageSpec.hs b/test/MessageSpec.hs
--- a/test/MessageSpec.hs
+++ b/test/MessageSpec.hs
@@ -68,10 +68,10 @@
 		root (content message) `shouldBe`
 			MessageLink <$> parseSha256 "rf1JvoFg1pHE6TkuuMxsjBNevFck7LQvXGhkLMNlaYs="
 		branch (content message) `shouldBe`
-			Just (Branch [fromJust $ MessageLink <$> parseSha256 "G37a4PUTbysiETQazyYATwLkfn/ZzigmIheAx905MLU="])
-		recps (content message) `shouldBe` Nothing
-		map (linkTo . mentionLink) . fromMentions <$> (mentions (content message)) `shouldBe`
-			Just [ "dnr1swLSAgf36g+FzGjNLgmytj2IIyDaYeKZ7F5GdzY=" ]
+			[fromJust $ MessageLink <$> parseSha256 "G37a4PUTbysiETQazyYATwLkfn/ZzigmIheAx905MLU="]
+		recps (content message) `shouldBe` mempty
+		(map (linkTo . userLink) $ mentions $ content message) `shouldBe`
+			[ "dnr1swLSAgf36g+FzGjNLgmytj2IIyDaYeKZ7F5GdzY=" ]
 
 	it "does not parse content that is not a post" $ do
 		(decode originalAbout :: Maybe (Message Post)) `shouldBe` Nothing