diff --git a/src/app/components/Search.svelte b/src/app/components/Search.svelte
index 3b792d30..cb9a27a4 100644
--- a/src/app/components/Search.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/Search.svelte
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   import RelayName from "@app/components/RelayName.svelte"
   import SearchBody from "@app/components/SearchBody.svelte"
   import {CONTENT_KINDS} from "@app/content"
-  import {app, relays, searchRelayLists, user} from "@app/core"
+  import {app, relays, searchRelayLists, user, userSearchRelayUrls} from "@app/core"
   import {pushModal} from "@app/modal"
   import {userSpaceUrls} from "@app/rooms"
 
@@ -38,12 +38,23 @@
   <ModalHeader>
     <ModalTitle>Search</ModalTitle>
     <ModalSubtitle>across all your spaces</ModalSubtitle>
-    <Button class="button button-link button-sm self-center" onclick={showRelays}>
-      <Icon size={4} icon={Server} />
-      Search relays
-    </Button>
   </ModalHeader>
   <SearchBody placeholder="Search your spaces..." relays={$userSpaceUrls} {filter}>
+    {#snippet empty()}
+      {@const spaces = $userSpaceUrls.length}
+      {@const extras = $userSearchRelayUrls.length}
+      <div class="flex flex-col items-center gap-2 py-12 text-center">
+        <p class="text-content-muted text-sm">
+          Searching {spaces}
+          {spaces === 1 ? "space" : "spaces"}{#if extras > 0}, plus {extras}
+            extra {extras === 1 ? "relay" : "relays"} for people{/if}.
+        </p>
+        <Button class="button button-link button-sm" onclick={showRelays}>
+          <Icon size={4} icon={Server} />
+          Manage search relays
+        </Button>
+      </div>
+    {/snippet}
     {#snippet badges(event)}
       {@const url = getSpaceUrl(event)}
       {#if url}
diff --git a/src/app/components/SearchBody.svelte b/src/app/components/SearchBody.svelte
index 0212a5ec..6758e9ea 100644
--- a/src/app/components/SearchBody.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/SearchBody.svelte
@@ -27,9 +27,10 @@
     url?: string
     members?: string[]
     badges?: Snippet<[TrustedEvent]>
+    empty?: Snippet
   }
 
-  const {placeholder, relays, filter, url, members, badges}: Props = $props()
+  const {placeholder, relays, filter, url, members, badges, empty}: Props = $props()
 
   const profileSearch = $profiles.profileSearch
 
@@ -126,42 +127,46 @@
       {placeholder}
       oninput={onInput} />
   </label>
-  {#if people.length > 0}
-    <p class="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide opacity-60">People</p>
-    {#each people as pubkey (pubkey)}
-      <PeopleItem {pubkey} {url} />
-    {/each}
-  {/if}
-  {#if loading}
-    <Spinner {loading}>Searching...</Spinner>
-  {:else if term && results.length === 0 && people.length === 0}
-    <Spinner {loading}>No results found.</Spinner>
-  {:else}
-    {#each eventsByAge as [key, events] (key)}
-      <p class="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide opacity-60">
-        {#if key === "day"}
-          Last 24 Hours
-        {:else if key === "week"}
-          Last 7 Days
-        {:else}
-          Older
-        {/if}
-      </p>
-      {#each events as event (event.id)}
-        <Button
-          class="card card-sm card-interactive flex flex-col gap-2"
-          onclick={() => onResultClick(event)}>
-          <NoteCard minimal {event} {url}>
-            <NoteContentMinimal {event} />
-          </NoteCard>
-          <div class="flex gap-2">
-            <Badge variant="neutral">
-              {formatTimestampRelative(event.created_at)}
-            </Badge>
-            {@render badges?.(event)}
-          </div>
-        </Button>
+  {#if term}
+    {#if people.length > 0}
+      <p class="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide opacity-60">People</p>
+      {#each people as pubkey (pubkey)}
+        <PeopleItem {pubkey} {url} />
       {/each}
-    {/each}
+    {/if}
+    {#if loading}
+      <Spinner {loading}>Searching...</Spinner>
+    {:else if results.length === 0 && people.length === 0}
+      <Spinner {loading}>No results found.</Spinner>
+    {:else}
+      {#each eventsByAge as [key, events] (key)}
+        <p class="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide opacity-60">
+          {#if key === "day"}
+            Last 24 Hours
+          {:else if key === "week"}
+            Last 7 Days
+          {:else}
+            Older
+          {/if}
+        </p>
+        {#each events as event (event.id)}
+          <Button
+            class="card card-sm card-interactive flex flex-col gap-2"
+            onclick={() => onResultClick(event)}>
+            <NoteCard minimal {event} {url}>
+              <NoteContentMinimal {event} />
+            </NoteCard>
+            <div class="flex gap-2">
+              <Badge variant="neutral">
+                {formatTimestampRelative(event.created_at)}
+              </Badge>
+              {@render badges?.(event)}
+            </div>
+          </Button>
+        {/each}
+      {/each}
+    {/if}
+  {:else}
+    {@render empty?.()}
   {/if}
 </ModalBody>
diff --git a/src/app/core.ts b/src/app/core.ts
index cd1d3c51..8fa48740 100644
--- a/src/app/core.ts
+++ b/src/app/core.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {derived, writable} from "svelte/store"
+import {derived, readable, writable} from "svelte/store"
 import type {Readable} from "svelte/store"
 import {always} from "@welshman/lib"
 import type {Maybe} from "@welshman/lib"
@@ -59,11 +59,7 @@ const makeApp = (user?: User) => {
       dufflepudUrl: DUFFLEPUD_URL,
       getDefaultRelays: always(DEFAULT_RELAYS),
       getIndexerRelays: always(INDEXER_RELAYS),
-      getSearchRelays: () => {
-        const urls = user ? instance.use(SearchRelayLists).urls(user.pubkey).get() : []
-
-        return urls.length > 0 ? urls : DEFAULT_SEARCH_RELAYS
-      },
+      getSearchRelays: () => userSearchRelayUrls.get(),
     },
     policies: appPolicies,
   })
@@ -164,6 +160,17 @@ export const thunks = usePlugin(Thunks)
 export const wot = usePlugin(Wot)
 export const wraps = usePlugin(Wraps)
 
+// The relays profile search runs against, with a fallback so search still works before the user
+// has chosen any of their own.
+export const userSearchRelayUrls = withGetter(
+  derived(
+    fromApp($app =>
+      $app.user ? $app.use(SearchRelayLists).urls($app.user.pubkey).$ : readable<string[]>([]),
+    ),
+    urls => (urls.length > 0 ? urls : DEFAULT_SEARCH_RELAYS),
+  ),
+)
+
 // The domain entry points, since almost every read or write goes through one of them.
 export const reader = <R extends BaseEventReader, W extends EventWriter<R>>(
   factory: KindFactory<R, W>,