diff --git a/src/components/SearchBar/index.tsx b/src/components/SearchBar/index.tsx
index bad11d88..00f6a3ab 100644
--- a/src/components/SearchBar/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/SearchBar/index.tsx
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ const SearchBar = forwardRef<
   const [displayList, setDisplayList] = useState(false)
   const [selectableOptions, setSelectableOptions] = useState<TSearchParams[]>([])
   const [selectedIndex, setSelectedIndex] = useState(-1)
+  const prevSelectableCountRef = useRef(0)
   const searchInputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null)
   const barContainerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
   const [suggestPanelTop, setSuggestPanelTop] = useState(0)
@@ -271,9 +272,32 @@ const SearchBar = forwardRef<
   }, [selectableOptions, selectedIndex, isFetchingProfiles, profiles])
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    setDisplayList(searching && !!input)
+    setDisplayList(searching && !!input.trim())
   }, [searching, input])
 
+  /**
+   * Prefilled / parent-controlled `input` (e.g. URL sync) can have suggestions while the field never received
+   * focus, so `searching` stays false and the dropdown never mounts. When options first appear, focus the input
+   * once so `onFocus` runs and the list opens (mousedown on suggestions still prevents premature blur).
+   */
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const trimmed = input.trim()
+    const len = selectableOptions.length
+    if (!trimmed) {
+      prevSelectableCountRef.current = 0
+      return
+    }
+    if (len > 0 && prevSelectableCountRef.current === 0) {
+      const el = searchInputRef.current
+      if (el && document.activeElement !== el) {
+        queueMicrotask(() => {
+          el.focus({ preventScroll: true })
+        })
+      }
+    }
+    prevSelectableCountRef.current = len
+  }, [input, selectableOptions])
+
   useEffect(() => {
     if (displayList && list) {
       modalManager.register(id, () => {
@@ -389,12 +413,18 @@ const SearchBar = forwardRef<
         ref={searchInputRef}
         className={cn(
           'bg-surface-background shadow-inner h-full border-none',
-          searching && isSmallScreen && 'relative z-[120]',
-          searching && !isSmallScreen && 'z-50'
+          displayList && isSmallScreen && 'relative z-[120]',
+          displayList && !isSmallScreen && 'z-50'
         )}
         placeholder={t('People, keywords, or relays')}
         value={input}
-        onChange={(e) => setInput(e.target.value)}
+        onChange={(e) => {
+          setSearching(true)
+          setInput(e.target.value)
+        }}
+        onPaste={() => {
+          setSearching(true)
+        }}
         onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
         onFocus={() => setSearching(true)}
         onBlur={() => setSearching(false)}
diff --git a/src/components/SearchResult/FullTextSearchByRelay.tsx b/src/components/SearchResult/FullTextSearchByRelay.tsx
index 5c852899..8d2cf8eb 100644
--- a/src/components/SearchResult/FullTextSearchByRelay.tsx
+++ b/src/components/SearchResult/FullTextSearchByRelay.tsx
@@ -4,11 +4,13 @@ import { Skeleton } from '@/components/ui/skeleton'
 import { toRelay } from '@/lib/link'
 import { compareEventsForDTagQuery } from '@/lib/dtag-search'
 import { mergedSearchNoteHasPreviewBody } from '@/lib/merged-search-note-preview'
+import { eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery } from '@/lib/nip50-local-text-match'
 import { formatPubkey, pubkeyToNpub } from '@/lib/pubkey'
 import { normalizeUrl } from '@/lib/url'
 import { NoteFeedProfileContext, type NoteFeedProfileContextValue } from '@/providers/NoteFeedProfileContext'
 import client from '@/services/client.service'
 import { NIP50_QUERY_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT_FLOOR_MS } from '@/services/client-query.service'
+import indexedDb from '@/services/indexed-db.service'
 import { relayHostForSubscribeLog } from '@/services/relay-operation-log.service'
 import type { TProfile } from '@/types'
 import type { Event, Filter } from 'nostr-tools'
@@ -20,6 +22,8 @@ import { useSmartRelayNavigationOptional } from '@/PageManager'
 type MergedHit = {
   event: Event
   relayUrls: string[]
+  /** Matched publication cache / event archive on this device (not relay NIP-50). */
+  fromLocalArchive?: boolean
 }
 
 /**
@@ -278,9 +282,10 @@ export default function FullTextSearchByRelay({
       return dispose
     }
 
+    const kindsArr = [...kinds]
     const filter: Filter = {
       search: q,
-      kinds: [...kinds],
+      kinds: kindsArr,
       limit: FULL_TEXT_SEARCH_PER_RELAY_LIMIT
     }
 
@@ -348,36 +353,96 @@ export default function FullTextSearchByRelay({
       return normalizedRelays[relayCursor++]!
     }
 
-    const mergeIntoHits = (relayUrl: string, events: Event[]) => {
-      const rk = relayKey(relayUrl)
+    const applyMergedUpdate = (
+      mutate: (map: Map<string, { event: Event; relays: Set<string>; local: boolean }>) => void
+    ) => {
       setMergedHits((prev) => {
-        const map = new Map<string, { event: Event; relays: Set<string> }>()
+        const urlByKey = new Map<string, string>()
+        for (const u of normalizedRelays) {
+          urlByKey.set(relayKey(u), normalizeUrl(u) || u)
+        }
+        const map = new Map<string, { event: Event; relays: Set<string>; local: boolean }>()
         for (const hit of prev) {
-          map.set(hit.event.id, { event: hit.event, relays: new Set(hit.relayUrls.map((u) => relayKey(u))) })
+          map.set(hit.event.id, {
+            event: hit.event,
+            relays: new Set(hit.relayUrls.map((u) => relayKey(u))),
+            local: hit.fromLocalArchive ?? false
+          })
         }
+        mutate(map)
+        return [...map.values()]
+          .map(({ event, relays, local }) => {
+            const relayUrls = sortRelaysByHost(
+              [...relays].map((k) => urlByKey.get(k) || k).filter((u) => /^wss?:\/\//i.test(u))
+            )
+            const row: MergedHit = { event, relayUrls }
+            if (local) row.fromLocalArchive = true
+            return row
+          })
+          .filter((h) => h.relayUrls.length > 0 || h.fromLocalArchive)
+          .sort((a, b) => compareEventsForDTagQuery(q, a.event, b.event))
+          .slice(0, FULL_TEXT_SEARCH_MAX_MERGED_EVENTS)
+      })
+    }
+
+    const mergeIntoHits = (relayUrl: string, events: Event[]) => {
+      const rk = relayKey(relayUrl)
+      applyMergedUpdate((map) => {
         for (const ev of events) {
           if (!mergedSearchNoteHasPreviewBody(ev)) continue
           const cur = map.get(ev.id)
           if (cur) {
             cur.relays.add(rk)
           } else {
-            map.set(ev.id, { event: ev, relays: new Set([rk]) })
+            map.set(ev.id, { event: ev, relays: new Set([rk]), local: false })
           }
         }
-        const urlByKey = new Map<string, string>()
-        for (const u of normalizedRelays) {
-          urlByKey.set(relayKey(u), normalizeUrl(u) || u)
-        }
-        return [...map.values()]
-          .map(({ event, relays }) => ({
-            event,
-            relayUrls: sortRelaysByHost([...relays].map((k) => urlByKey.get(k) || k))
-          }))
-          .sort((a, b) => compareEventsForDTagQuery(q, a.event, b.event))
-          .slice(0, FULL_TEXT_SEARCH_MAX_MERGED_EVENTS)
       })
     }
 
+    void (async () => {
+      const fromSession = client.getSessionEventsMatchingSearch(q, 220, kindsArr)
+      let fromIdb: Event[] = []
+      try {
+        fromIdb = await indexedDb.getCachedAndArchivedEventsMatchingLocalSearch(q, 120, kindsArr, {
+          archiveScanMaxMs: 15_000
+        })
+      } catch {
+        fromIdb = []
+      }
+      if (myRun !== runGeneration.current || abort.signal.aborted) return
+      const seen = new Set<string>()
+      const mergedLocal: Event[] = []
+      for (const e of fromSession) {
+        if (seen.has(e.id)) continue
+        seen.add(e.id)
+        mergedLocal.push(e)
+      }
+      for (const e of fromIdb) {
+        if (seen.has(e.id)) continue
+        seen.add(e.id)
+        mergedLocal.push(e)
+      }
+      const mergedLocalMatching = mergedLocal.filter(
+        (e) =>
+          kindsArr.includes(e.kind) &&
+          eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery(e, q) &&
+          mergedSearchNoteHasPreviewBody(e)
+      )
+      if (mergedLocalMatching.length === 0) return
+      applyMergedUpdate((map) => {
+        for (const ev of mergedLocalMatching) {
+          const cur = map.get(ev.id)
+          if (cur) {
+            cur.local = true
+          } else {
+            map.set(ev.id, { event: ev, relays: new Set(), local: true })
+          }
+        }
+      })
+      void addSearchEventsToSessionCacheBatched(mergedLocalMatching, runGeneration, myRun)
+    })()
+
     const runOneRelay = async (relayUrl: string) => {
       if (myRun !== runGeneration.current || abort.signal.aborted) return
       beginWaveIfNeeded()
@@ -502,30 +567,44 @@ export default function FullTextSearchByRelay({
               key={hit.event.id}
               className="min-w-0 overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-border/60 bg-card/30 shadow-none transition-[border-color,box-shadow,background-color] duration-150 hover:border-border hover:bg-muted/15 hover:shadow-sm"
             >
-              <div
-                className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-1 border-b border-border/40 px-2.5 py-1"
-                aria-label={t('Full-text search seen on relays')}
-              >
-                <span className="text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-wide text-muted-foreground/90 shrink-0">
-                  {t('Full-text search seen on label')}
-                </span>
-                <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-0.5">
-                  {hit.relayUrls.map((url) => (
-                    <button
-                      key={`${hit.event.id}-${relayKey(url)}`}
-                      type="button"
-                      title={relayHostForSubscribeLog(url)}
-                      className="inline-flex shrink-0 rounded-sm opacity-90 ring-offset-background hover:opacity-100 focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-1"
-                      onClick={(e) => {
-                        e.stopPropagation()
-                        navigateToRelay(toRelay(url))
-                      }}
-                    >
-                      <RelayIcon url={url} className="h-5 w-5 rounded-sm" iconSize={12} />
-                    </button>
-                  ))}
+              {(hit.relayUrls.length > 0 || hit.fromLocalArchive) && (
+                <div
+                  className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-1 border-b border-border/40 px-2.5 py-1"
+                  aria-label={
+                    hit.relayUrls.length > 0
+                      ? t('Full-text search seen on relays')
+                      : t('Full-text search local archive description')
+                  }
+                >
+                  <span className="text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-wide text-muted-foreground/90 shrink-0">
+                    {t('Full-text search seen on label')}
+                  </span>
+                  <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-0.5">
+                    {hit.relayUrls.map((url) => (
+                      <button
+                        key={`${hit.event.id}-${relayKey(url)}`}
+                        type="button"
+                        title={relayHostForSubscribeLog(url)}
+                        className="inline-flex shrink-0 rounded-sm opacity-90 ring-offset-background hover:opacity-100 focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-1"
+                        onClick={(e) => {
+                          e.stopPropagation()
+                          navigateToRelay(toRelay(url))
+                        }}
+                      >
+                        <RelayIcon url={url} className="h-5 w-5 rounded-sm" iconSize={12} />
+                      </button>
+                    ))}
+                    {hit.fromLocalArchive && (
+                      <span
+                        className="ml-0.5 inline-flex shrink-0 rounded-sm border border-border/50 px-1.5 py-0.5 text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-wide text-muted-foreground/90"
+                        title={t('Full-text search local archive description')}
+                      >
+                        {t('Full-text search local archive badge')}
+                      </span>
+                    )}
+                  </div>
                 </div>
-              </div>
+              )}
               <NoteCard
                 event={hit.event}
                 className="w-full border-0 bg-transparent shadow-none"
diff --git a/src/constants.ts b/src/constants.ts
index 1cfde56c..54f3a7dc 100644
--- a/src/constants.ts
+++ b/src/constants.ts
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ export const OUTBOX_PUBLISH_RETRY_DELAY_MS = 5000
  * After the first relay accepts a publish, resolve {@link ClientService.publishEvent} after this many ms
  * so the UI does not wait for every slow or dead relay (callers typically only need ≥1 success).
  */
-export const EARLY_PUBLISH_SUCCESS_GRACE_MS = 1200
+export const EARLY_PUBLISH_SUCCESS_GRACE_MS = 900
 
 /**
  * Budget for `fetchRelayLists` / NIP-65 resolution on the publish path. Longer waits block the reply button
@@ -152,7 +152,13 @@ export const PUBLISH_PRIORITIZE_RELAY_ORDER_TIMEOUT_MS = PUBLISH_RELAY_LIST_RESO
  * hung relay (e.g. 90s timeout) does not delay returning until every parallel publish settles. Single-relay
  * publishes keep {@link RELAY_NIP42_PUBLISH_ACK_TIMEOUT_MS} for extension signers on slow paths.
  */
-export const MULTI_RELAY_PUBLISH_ACK_CAP_MS = 24_000
+export const MULTI_RELAY_PUBLISH_ACK_CAP_MS = 16_000
+
+/**
+ * When many relays are targeted, cap the `ensureRelay` handshake race so the reply/post dialog does not sit
+ * on “Publishing…” while several slow TLS peers each burn the full pool timeout in parallel.
+ */
+export const PUBLISH_MULTI_RELAY_CONNECTION_CAP_MS = 12_000
 
 /** Max merged URLs per REQ / timeline relay list (see `relay-url-priority`). */
 export const MAX_REQ_RELAY_URLS = MAX_CONCURRENT_RELAY_CONNECTIONS
diff --git a/src/i18n/locales/de.ts b/src/i18n/locales/de.ts
index b13e71cc..789c507d 100644
--- a/src/i18n/locales/de.ts
+++ b/src/i18n/locales/de.ts
@@ -1490,6 +1490,11 @@ export default {
     "Font size": "Font size",
     "Full Quote/Context": "Full Quote/Context",
     "Full-text search query": "Volltextsuchanfrage",
+    "Full-text search local archive badge": "Dieses Gerät",
+    "Full-text search local archive description":
+      "Treffer im Veröffentlichungs-Cache oder Event-Archiv auf diesem Gerät. Index-Relays haben die Notiz ggf. noch nicht.",
+    "Full-text search empty merged":
+      "Keine Notizen zu dieser Suche in deinem Archiv oder auf den konfigurierten Index-Relays (langsam oder offline).",
     Geohash: "Geohash",
     "Geohash (optional)": "Geohash (optional)",
     "Global quiet mode": "Global quiet mode",
diff --git a/src/i18n/locales/en.ts b/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
index e118f964..4f579268 100644
--- a/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
+++ b/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
@@ -1860,7 +1860,11 @@ export default {
     "Full-text search progress relays": "{{done}} / {{total}} index relays",
     "Full-text search seen on label": "Seen on",
     "Full-text search seen on relays": "Relays that returned this note",
-    "Full-text search empty merged": "No notes matched this search on any index relay.",
+    "Full-text search local archive badge": "This device",
+    "Full-text search local archive description":
+      "Matched in your publication cache or event archive on this device. Index relays may not have ingested the note yet.",
+    "Full-text search empty merged":
+      "No notes matched this search in your archive or on the configured index relays (they can be slow or offline).",
     "Full-text search relay errors summary": "{{count}} relay(s) could not be queried.",
     "Full-text search relay querying": "Querying relay…",
     "Full-text search relay error": "Query failed",
diff --git a/src/lib/nip50-local-text-match.ts b/src/lib/nip50-local-text-match.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bb0c6ca4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/nip50-local-text-match.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { decodeProfileSearchQueryToPubkeyHex } from '@/lib/profile-search-query'
+import type { Event } from 'nostr-tools'
+import { kinds } from 'nostr-tools'
+
+/**
+ * Whether `query` matches `ev` for local / client-side “full text” discovery aligned with NIP-50 intent:
+ * substring match over id, pubkey, stringified kind, raw content, every tag cell, and (for kind 0) parsed
+ * profile fields. No row is a hit on recency alone — the term must appear in one of these fields.
+ */
+export function eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery(ev: Event, query: string): boolean {
+  const raw = query.trim()
+  const q = raw.toLowerCase()
+  if (!q) return false
+
+  const decodedAuthor = decodeProfileSearchQueryToPubkeyHex(raw)
+  if (decodedAuthor && ev.pubkey.toLowerCase() === decodedAuthor) return true
+
+  if (ev.id.toLowerCase().includes(q)) return true
+  if (ev.pubkey.toLowerCase().includes(q)) return true
+  if (String(ev.kind).includes(q)) return true
+  if ((ev.content ?? '').toLowerCase().includes(q)) return true
+  for (const tag of ev.tags ?? []) {
+    if (!Array.isArray(tag)) continue
+    for (const cell of tag) {
+      if (String(cell).toLowerCase().includes(q)) return true
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (ev.kind === kinds.Metadata) {
+    try {
+      const o = JSON.parse(ev.content || '{}') as {
+        name?: unknown
+        display_name?: unknown
+        about?: unknown
+        nip05?: unknown
+      }
+      const pick = (v: unknown) => (typeof v === 'string' ? v.toLowerCase() : '')
+      const nip05 = pick(o.nip05)
+      const blob = [pick(o.name), pick(o.display_name), pick(o.about), nip05]
+        .filter(Boolean)
+        .join(' ')
+      if (blob.includes(q)) return true
+      const qNeedle = q.startsWith('@') ? q.slice(1) : q
+      if (q.startsWith('@') && qNeedle.length > 0 && blob.includes(qNeedle)) return true
+    } catch {
+      /* ignore invalid profile JSON */
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false
+}
diff --git a/src/pages/primary/SearchPage/index.tsx b/src/pages/primary/SearchPage/index.tsx
index 003bcdd9..ae2d10a2 100644
--- a/src/pages/primary/SearchPage/index.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/primary/SearchPage/index.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { syncUserDeletionTombstones } from '@/lib/sync-user-deletions'
 import { usePrimaryPage } from '@/contexts/primary-page-context'
 import { useNostr } from '@/providers/NostrProvider'
 import { TPageRef, TSearchParams } from '@/types'
-import { BookOpen, Search, X } from 'lucide-react'
+import { BookOpen, Search } from 'lucide-react'
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import { forwardRef, useCallback, useEffect, useImperativeHandle, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next'
@@ -52,14 +52,6 @@ const SearchPage = forwardRef<TPageRef>((_props, ref) => {
     layoutRef.current?.scrollToTop('instant')
   }
 
-  const clearSearch = useCallback(() => {
-    setInput('')
-    setSearchParams(null)
-    setResultRefreshKey((k) => k + 1)
-    searchBarRef.current?.blur()
-    void Promise.resolve().then(() => searchBarRef.current?.focus())
-  }, [])
-
   return (
     <PrimaryPageLayout
       ref={layoutRef}
@@ -69,21 +61,8 @@ const SearchPage = forwardRef<TPageRef>((_props, ref) => {
     >
       <div className="min-w-0 pt-4 px-4 pb-4">
         <div className="mb-4 space-y-2 relative z-40">
-          <div className="flex items-stretch gap-2">
-            <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
-              <SearchBar ref={searchBarRef} onSearch={onSearch} input={input} setInput={setInput} />
-            </div>
-            <Button
-              type="button"
-              variant="outline"
-              className="h-auto min-h-9 shrink-0 px-3 text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
-              onClick={clearSearch}
-              title={t('Search page clear description')}
-              aria-label={t('Search page clear description')}
-            >
-              <X className="h-4 w-4 sm:mr-1.5" aria-hidden />
-              <span className="hidden sm:inline">{t('Search page clear')}</span>
-            </Button>
+          <div className="min-w-0">
+            <SearchBar ref={searchBarRef} onSearch={onSearch} input={input} setInput={setInput} />
           </div>
           <Button
             variant="ghost"
diff --git a/src/pages/secondary/SearchPage/index.tsx b/src/pages/secondary/SearchPage/index.tsx
index 5d4bc6b3..900787d1 100644
--- a/src/pages/secondary/SearchPage/index.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/secondary/SearchPage/index.tsx
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { syncUserDeletionTombstones } from '@/lib/sync-user-deletions'
 import { usePrimaryNoteView } from '@/contexts/primary-note-view-context'
 import { useSecondaryPage } from '@/PageManager'
 import { useNostr } from '@/providers/NostrProvider'
-import { BookOpen, X } from 'lucide-react'
+import { BookOpen } from 'lucide-react'
 import { TSearchParams } from '@/types'
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import { forwardRef, useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
@@ -145,15 +145,6 @@ const SearchPage = forwardRef(({ index, hideTitlebar = false }: { index?: number
     bumpLocationRevision()
   }
 
-  const clearSearch = useCallback(() => {
-    push(toSearch())
-    setInput('')
-    setResultRefreshKey((k) => k + 1)
-    bumpLocationRevision()
-    searchBarRef.current?.blur()
-    void Promise.resolve().then(() => searchBarRef.current?.focus())
-  }, [push, bumpLocationRevision])
-
   return (
     <SecondaryPageLayout
       ref={ref}
@@ -168,21 +159,8 @@ const SearchPage = forwardRef(({ index, hideTitlebar = false }: { index?: number
           <div className="text-2xl font-bold">Search Nostr</div>
         </div>
         <div className="mb-4 space-y-2 relative z-40">
-          <div className="flex items-stretch gap-2">
-            <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
-              <SearchBar ref={searchBarRef} input={input} setInput={setInput} onSearch={onSearch} />
-            </div>
-            <Button
-              type="button"
-              variant="outline"
-              className="h-auto min-h-9 shrink-0 px-3 text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
-              onClick={clearSearch}
-              title={t('Search page clear description')}
-              aria-label={t('Search page clear description')}
-            >
-              <X className="h-4 w-4 sm:mr-1.5" aria-hidden />
-              <span className="hidden sm:inline">{t('Search page clear')}</span>
-            </Button>
+          <div className="min-w-0">
+            <SearchBar ref={searchBarRef} input={input} setInput={setInput} onSearch={onSearch} />
           </div>
           <Button
             variant="ghost"
diff --git a/src/services/client-events.service.ts b/src/services/client-events.service.ts
index 7a250b3f..b54d3fcb 100644
--- a/src/services/client-events.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/client-events.service.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import { getDefaultSessionLruMaxSync } from '@/lib/event-archive-config'
 import { isCalendarEventKind } from '@/lib/calendar-event'
 import { citationPickerMatchesQuery } from '@/lib/citation-picker-search'
 import { shouldDropEventOnIngest, type ShouldDropEventOnIngestOptions } from '@/lib/event-ingest-filter'
+import { eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery } from '@/lib/nip50-local-text-match'
 import { eventMatchesAnyLocalFeedFilter } from '@/lib/feed-local-event-match'
 import { buildComprehensiveRelayList } from '@/lib/relay-list-builder'
 import { normalizeUrl } from '@/lib/url'
@@ -667,11 +668,11 @@ export class EventService {
 
   /**
    * Get events from session cache matching search (newest {@link Event.created_at} first).
-   * Scans up to {@link SESSION_SEARCH_MAX_SCAN} entries so LRU insertion order does not hide recent matches.
+   * Scans up to {@link SESSION_SEARCH_MAX_SCAN} entries; only rows where {@link eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery}
+   * matches the trimmed query are returned (not “recent rows” without a text hit).
    */
   getSessionEventsMatchingSearch(query: string, limit: number, allowedKinds?: number[]): NEvent[] {
     const queryTrim = query.trim()
-    const queryLower = queryTrim.toLowerCase()
     const kindSet = allowedKinds && allowedKinds.length > 0 ? new Set(allowedKinds) : null
     const buf: NEvent[] = []
     let scanned = 0
@@ -686,9 +687,7 @@ export class EventService {
         continue
       }
 
-      const content = (event.content ?? '').toLowerCase()
-      const tagsStr = (event.tags ?? []).flat().join(' ').toLowerCase()
-      if (content.includes(queryLower) || tagsStr.includes(queryLower)) {
+      if (eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery(event, queryTrim)) {
         buf.push(event)
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/services/client.service.ts b/src/services/client.service.ts
index 3b7f8709..55a9c785 100644
--- a/src/services/client.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/client.service.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
   PUBLISH_RELAY_LIST_RESOLUTION_TIMEOUT_MS,
   FETCH_RELAY_LIST_UI_TIMEOUT_MS,
   MULTI_RELAY_PUBLISH_ACK_CAP_MS,
+  PUBLISH_MULTI_RELAY_CONNECTION_CAP_MS,
   RELAY_NIP42_PUBLISH_ACK_TIMEOUT_MS,
   RELAY_POOL_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS,
   RELAY_READ_ONLY_POOL_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS,
@@ -1535,6 +1536,18 @@ class ClientService extends EventTarget {
       })
       let hasResolved = false
       let earlyGraceTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+
+      const finishUnfinishedRelaysWithTimeout = (errorMsg: string) => {
+        publishTargetUrls.forEach((url) => {
+          const alreadyFinished = relayStatuses.some((rs) => rs.url === url)
+          if (!alreadyFinished) {
+            logger.warn('[PublishEvent] Marking relay as timed out', { url })
+            relayStatuses.push({ url, success: false, error: errorMsg })
+            relaySessionStrikes.recordPublishFailure(url)
+            finishedCount++
+          }
+        })
+      }
       /**
        * Live timelines listen for {@link emitNewEvent} on the first relay ACK — not after N/3 successes.
        * Waiting for a third of many relays meant the profile/home feed stayed stale until a subscription
@@ -1552,25 +1565,16 @@ class ClientService extends EventTarget {
           logger.debug('[PublishEvent] Already resolved, ignoring timeout')
           return
         }
-        
+
         logger.warn('[PublishEvent] Global timeout reached!', {
           finishedCount,
           totalRelays: publishTargetUrls.length,
           successCount,
           relayStatusesCount: relayStatuses.length
         })
-        
-        // Mark any unfinished relays as failed
-        publishTargetUrls.forEach(url => {
-          const alreadyFinished = relayStatuses.some(rs => rs.url === url)
-          if (!alreadyFinished) {
-            logger.warn('[PublishEvent] Marking relay as timed out', { url })
-            relayStatuses.push({ url, success: false, error: 'Timeout: Operation took too long' })
-            relaySessionStrikes.recordPublishFailure(url)
-            finishedCount++
-          }
-        })
-        
+
+        finishUnfinishedRelaysWithTimeout('Timeout: Operation took too long')
+
         // Ensure we resolve even if not all relays finished
         if (!hasResolved) {
           if (earlyGraceTimer != null) {
@@ -1604,7 +1608,11 @@ class ClientService extends EventTarget {
           logger.debug(`[PublishEvent] Starting relay ${index + 1}/${publishTargetUrls.length}`, { url })
           const isLocal = isLocalNetworkUrl(url)
           /** Match pool handshake budget; a shorter outer race used to abort `ensureRelay` at 8s while the pool allowed 20s — slow TLS never won. */
-          const connectionTimeout = isLocal ? 5_000 : RELAY_POOL_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS
+          const connectionTimeout = isLocal
+            ? 5_000
+            : publishTargetUrls.length >= 4
+              ? Math.min(RELAY_POOL_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS, PUBLISH_MULTI_RELAY_CONNECTION_CAP_MS)
+              : RELAY_POOL_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS
           /** ACK wait: pool sets {@link RELAY_NIP42_PUBLISH_ACK_TIMEOUT_MS}; outer race uses {@link publishAckBudgetCapMs} for multi-relay. */
           const publishAckBudgetMs = isLocal ? 5_000 : publishAckBudgetCapMs
           const httpPublishBudgetMs = isLocal ? 5_000 : 8_000
diff --git a/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts b/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts
index 882f1cfa..a030b7f3 100644
--- a/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import { citationPickerMatchesQuery } from '@/lib/citation-picker-search'
 import logger from '@/lib/logger'
 import { decodeProfileSearchQueryToPubkeyHex } from '@/lib/profile-search-query'
 import { shouldDropEventOnIngest } from '@/lib/event-ingest-filter'
+import { eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery } from '@/lib/nip50-local-text-match'
 import { eventMatchesAnyLocalFeedFilter } from '@/lib/feed-local-event-match'
 import type { Filter } from 'nostr-tools'
 
@@ -107,21 +108,6 @@ function profileMetadataMatchesQuery(ev: Event, qRaw: string): boolean {
   }
 }
 
-function cachedEventMatchesFullTextQuery(ev: Event, qLower: string): boolean {
-  if (!qLower) return false
-  if (ev.id.toLowerCase().includes(qLower)) return true
-  if (ev.pubkey.toLowerCase().includes(qLower)) return true
-  if (String(ev.kind).includes(qLower)) return true
-  if ((ev.content ?? '').toLowerCase().includes(qLower)) return true
-  for (const tag of ev.tags ?? []) {
-    if (!Array.isArray(tag)) continue
-    for (const cell of tag) {
-      if (String(cell).toLowerCase().includes(qLower)) return true
-    }
-  }
-  return false
-}
-
 export const StoreNames = {
   PROFILE_EVENTS: 'profileEvents',
   RELAY_LIST_EVENTS: 'relayListEvents',
@@ -1361,9 +1347,9 @@ class IndexedDbService {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Iterate PUBLICATION_EVENTS and return events whose kind is in allowedKinds and content or tags
-   * match the query (case-insensitive). Scans up to `scanBudget` rows and keeps up to `collectCap` matches,
-   * then returns the newest `limit` by {@link Event.created_at} (cursor order alone is not recency).
+   * Iterate PUBLICATION_EVENTS and return events whose kind is in allowedKinds and that match the query via
+   * {@link eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery} (id, pubkey, kind, content, tags, kind-0 profile fields). Scans up
+   * to `scanBudget` rows and keeps up to `collectCap` matches, then returns the newest `limit` by {@link Event.created_at}.
    */
   async getCachedEventsForSearch(
     query: string,
@@ -1404,12 +1390,8 @@ class IndexedDbService {
         const item = cursor.value as TValue<Event> | undefined
         if (item?.value) {
           const event = item.value as Event
-          if (kindSet.has(event.kind)) {
-            const content = (event.content ?? '').toLowerCase()
-            const tagsStr = (event.tags ?? []).flat().join(' ').toLowerCase()
-            if (content.includes(q) || tagsStr.includes(q)) {
-              results.push(event)
-            }
+          if (kindSet.has(event.kind) && eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery(event, query)) {
+            results.push(event)
           }
         }
         cursor.continue()
@@ -1530,8 +1512,8 @@ class IndexedDbService {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Publication store + hot {@link StoreNames.EVENT_ARCHIVE}: events whose kind is allowed and content or any tag
-   * value matches the query (case-insensitive). Used to show local hits before NIP-50 relay results.
+   * Publication store + hot {@link StoreNames.EVENT_ARCHIVE}: events whose kind is allowed and that match the
+   * query via {@link eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery}. Used for local NIP-50-style hits alongside relay search.
    */
   async getCachedAndArchivedEventsMatchingLocalSearch(
     query: string,
@@ -1584,13 +1566,9 @@ class IndexedDbService {
         }
         const row = cursor.value as TArchivedEventRow
         const ev = row?.value
-        if (ev && kindSet.has(ev.kind) && !seen.has(ev.id)) {
-          const content = (ev.content ?? '').toLowerCase()
-          const tagsStr = (ev.tags ?? []).flat().join(' ').toLowerCase()
-          if (content.includes(q) || tagsStr.includes(q)) {
-            seen.add(ev.id)
-            rest.push(ev)
-          }
+        if (ev && kindSet.has(ev.kind) && !seen.has(ev.id) && eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery(ev, query)) {
+          seen.add(ev.id)
+          rest.push(ev)
         }
         cursor.continue()
       }
@@ -1982,7 +1960,7 @@ class IndexedDbService {
               const row = raw as TArchivedEventRow
               if (row?.value && isLikelyCachedNostrEvent(row.value)) {
                 const ev = row.value
-                if (cachedEventMatchesFullTextQuery(ev, qLower)) {
+                if (eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery(ev, query)) {
                   const dedupeKey = `${storeName}:${row.key}`
                   if (!seen.has(dedupeKey)) {
                     seen.add(dedupeKey)
@@ -2003,7 +1981,7 @@ class IndexedDbService {
                 isLikelyCachedNostrEvent(item.value)
               ) {
                 const ev = item.value
-                if (cachedEventMatchesFullTextQuery(ev, qLower)) {
+                if (eventMatchesNip50LocalFullTextQuery(ev, query)) {
                   const dedupeKey = `${storeName}:${item.key}`
                   if (!seen.has(dedupeKey)) {
                     seen.add(dedupeKey)