diff --git a/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/FollowButton.jsx b/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/FollowButton.jsx
index 5d4737323..5a6abaa1c 100644
--- a/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/FollowButton.jsx
+++ b/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/FollowButton.jsx
@@ -2,11 +2,16 @@ import django from 'django'
 import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react'
 import Alert from '../../../static/Alert'
 
-const api = require('../../../static/api')
+import api from '../../../static/api'
+import config from '../../../static/config'
 
 const translated = {
-  followDescription: django.gettext('Click to be updated about this project via email.'),
-  followingDescription: django.gettext('Click to no longer be updated about this project via email.'),
+  followDescription: django.gettext(
+    'Click to be updated about this project via email.'
+  ),
+  followingDescription: django.gettext(
+    'Click to no longer be updated about this project via email.'
+  ),
   followAlert: django.gettext('You will be updated via email.'),
   followingAlert: django.gettext('You will no longer be updated via email.'),
   follow: django.gettext('Follow'),
@@ -17,9 +22,7 @@ export const FollowButton = (props) => {
   const [following, setFollowing] = useState(null)
   const [alert, setAlert] = useState(null)
 
-  const followBtnText = following
-    ? translated.following
-    : translated.follow
+  const followBtnText = following ? translated.following : translated.follow
 
   const followDescriptionText = following
     ? translated.followingDescription
@@ -30,44 +33,54 @@ export const FollowButton = (props) => {
     : translated.followAlert
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    api.follow.get(props.project)
-      .done((follow) => {
-        setFollowing(follow.enabled)
-        setAlert(follow.alert)
-      })
-      .fail((response) => {
-        if (response.status === 404) {
-          setFollowing(false)
-        }
-      })
-  }, [props.project])
+    if (props.authenticatedAs) {
+      api.follow
+        .get(props.project)
+        .done((follow) => {
+          setFollowing(follow.enabled)
+          setAlert(follow.alert)
+        })
+        .fail((response) => {
+          if (response.status === 404) {
+            setFollowing(false)
+          }
+        })
+    }
+  }, [props.project, props.authenticatedAs])
 
   const removeAlert = () => {
     setAlert(null)
   }
 
   const toggleFollow = () => {
-    api.follow.change({ enabled: !following }, props.project)
-      .done((follow) => {
-        setFollowing(follow.enabled)
-        setAlert({
-          type: 'success',
-          message: followAlertText
-        })
+    if (props.authenticatedAs === null) {
+      window.location.href = config.getLoginUrl()
+      return
+    }
+    api.follow.change({ enabled: !following }, props.project).done((follow) => {
+      setFollowing(follow.enabled)
+      setAlert({
+        type: 'success',
+        message: followAlertText
       })
+    })
   }
 
   return (
     <span className="a4-follow">
       <button
-        className={following ? 'a4-btn a4-btn--following' : 'a4-btn a4-btn--follow'}
+        className={
+          following ? 'a4-btn a4-btn--following' : 'a4-btn a4-btn--follow'
+        }
         type="button"
         onClick={toggleFollow}
         aria-describedby="follow-description"
-        disabled={following === null}
+        disabled={following === null && props.authenticatedAs !== null}
       >
         <span className="a4-follow__btn--content">{followBtnText}</span>
-        <span className="a4-sr-only" id="follow-description">{followDescriptionText}</span>
+        <span className="a4-sr-only" id="follow-description">
+          {followDescriptionText}
+        </span>
       </button>
       <span className="a4-follow__notification">
         <Alert onClick={removeAlert} {...alert} />
diff --git a/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/__tests__/FollowButton.jest.jsx b/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/__tests__/FollowButton.jest.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f4d3eb20f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/__tests__/FollowButton.jest.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import React from 'react'
+import { render, fireEvent, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import '@testing-library/jest-dom'
+import { FollowButton } from '../FollowButton'
+import api from '../../../../static/api'
+
+// mock api and config, as they rely on network and browser
+jest.mock('../../../../static/config')
+jest.mock('../../../../static/api')
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  jest.clearAllMocks()
+})
+
+test('Test render FollowButton not following', async () => {
+  api.follow.setFollowing({ enabled: false })
+  render(<FollowButton authenticatedAs project="test" />)
+  const followButton = await screen.findByText('Follow')
+  expect(followButton).toBeTruthy()
+  const followingButton = screen.queryByText('Following')
+  expect(followingButton).toBeNull()
+  expect(api.follow.get).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+})
+
+test('Test render FollowButton following', async () => {
+  api.follow.setFollowing({ enabled: true })
+  render(<FollowButton authenticatedAs project="test" />)
+  const followingButton = await screen.findByText('Following')
+  expect(followingButton).toBeTruthy()
+  const followButton = screen.queryByText('Follow')
+  expect(followButton).toBeNull()
+  expect(api.follow.get).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+})
+
+test('Test render FollowButton click follow', async () => {
+  api.follow.setFollowing({ enabled: false })
+  render(<FollowButton authenticatedAs project="test" />)
+  let followButton = await screen.findByText('Follow')
+  expect(followButton).toBeTruthy()
+  let followingButton = screen.queryByText('Following')
+  expect(followingButton).toBeNull()
+  fireEvent.click(followButton)
+  followingButton = await screen.findByText('Following')
+  expect(followingButton).toBeTruthy()
+  followButton = screen.queryByText('Follow')
+  expect(followButton).toBeNull()
+  expect(api.follow.change).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  expect(api.follow.get).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+})
+
+test('Test FollowButton redirect', async () => {
+  // testing the redirect doesn't work and will throw an exception
+  // as we are not in a browser.
+  // workaround: delete location and simply check if href is set
+  // to "correct" url
+  delete window.location
+  window.location = {}
+  api.follow.setFollowing({ enabled: false })
+  render(<FollowButton authenticatedAs={null} project="test" />)
+  const followButton = await screen.findByText('Follow')
+  expect(followButton).toBeTruthy()
+  const followingButton = screen.queryByText('Following')
+  expect(followingButton).toBeNull()
+  fireEvent.click(followButton)
+  expect(window.location.href).toBe('/mock-url')
+  expect(api.follow.change).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  expect(api.follow.get).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+})
diff --git a/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/react_follows.jsx b/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/react_follows.jsx
index e78d2b55e..0fb9492e6 100644
--- a/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/react_follows.jsx
+++ b/adhocracy4/follows/static/follows/react_follows.jsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client'
 import { FollowButton } from './FollowButton'
 
 module.exports.renderFollow = function (el) {
-  const project = el.getAttribute('data-project')
+  const props = JSON.parse(el.getAttribute('data-attributes'))
   const root = createRoot(el)
-  root.render(<FollowButton project={project} />)
+  root.render(<FollowButton {...props} />)
 }
diff --git a/adhocracy4/follows/templatetags/react_follows.py b/adhocracy4/follows/templatetags/react_follows.py
index 7ae1280e2..06d20cbf4 100644
--- a/adhocracy4/follows/templatetags/react_follows.py
+++ b/adhocracy4/follows/templatetags/react_follows.py
@@ -1,12 +1,20 @@
+import json
+
 from django import template
 from django.utils.html import format_html
 
 register = template.Library()
 
 
-@register.simple_tag()
-def react_follows(project):
+@register.simple_tag(takes_context=True)
+def react_follows(context, project):
+    request = context["request"]
+    user = request.user
+    authenticated_as = None
+    if user.is_authenticated:
+        authenticated_as = user.username
+    attributes = {"project": project.name, "authenticatedAs": authenticated_as}
     return format_html(
-        '<span data-a4-widget="follows" data-project={project}></span>',
-        project=project.slug,
+        '<span data-a4-widget="follows" data-attributes="{attributes}"></span>',
+        attributes=json.dumps(attributes),
     )
diff --git a/adhocracy4/static/__mocks__/api.js b/adhocracy4/static/__mocks__/api.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dd4f77ab7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adhocracy4/static/__mocks__/api.js
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+let following = null
+
+const api = {
+  follow: {
+    get: jest.fn(() => {
+      const instance = {
+        done: (fn) => {
+          if (following !== null) {
+            fn(following)
+          }
+          return instance
+        },
+        fail: (fn) => {
+          if (following === null) {
+            fn({ status: 400 })
+          }
+          return instance
+        }
+      }
+      return instance
+    }),
+    change: jest.fn((enabled) => {
+      following = { enabled }
+      const instance = {
+        done: (fn) => {
+          if (following !== null) {
+            fn(following)
+          }
+          return instance
+        },
+        fail: (fn) => {
+          if (following === null) {
+            fn({ status: 400 })
+          }
+          return instance
+        }
+      }
+      return instance
+    }),
+    setFollowing: (value) => {
+      following = value
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = api
diff --git a/adhocracy4/static/__mocks__/config.js b/adhocracy4/static/__mocks__/config.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7252d4010
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adhocracy4/static/__mocks__/config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+module.exports = {
+  getLoginUrl: () => '/mock-url'
+}
diff --git a/changelog/7618.md b/changelog/7618.md
index f385f99ae..38525164a 100644
--- a/changelog/7618.md
+++ b/changelog/7618.md
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 ### Changed
 
 - refactor follow to be functional and add aria described by for when no alert shown and use a4 prefix for classes so external style liberies can be used (story !7618/7701)
+- redirect to login page when follow button is pressed and user is not logged
+  in