diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 2c9d3903..dcdb36fd 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -3062,6 +3062,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3075,6 +3076,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3088,6 +3090,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3101,6 +3104,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "x64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3114,6 +3118,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3127,6 +3132,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "x64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3140,6 +3146,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3153,6 +3160,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3166,6 +3174,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3179,6 +3188,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3192,6 +3202,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "loong64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3205,6 +3216,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "ppc64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3218,6 +3230,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "riscv64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3231,6 +3244,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "riscv64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3244,6 +3258,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "s390x"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3257,6 +3272,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "x64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3270,6 +3286,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "x64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3283,6 +3300,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "arm64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3296,6 +3314,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "ia32"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
@@ -3309,6 +3328,7 @@
       "cpu": [
         "x64"
       ],
+      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "optional": true,
       "os": [
diff --git a/src/components/ComposeBox.tsx b/src/components/ComposeBox.tsx
index 5877b243..73defc81 100644
--- a/src/components/ComposeBox.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ComposeBox.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { Tooltip, TooltipContent, TooltipTrigger } from '@/components/ui/tooltip
 import { Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger } from '@/components/ui/popover';
 import { EmojiPicker } from '@/components/EmojiPicker';
 import { EmbeddedNote } from '@/components/EmbeddedNote';
+import { MentionAutocomplete } from '@/components/MentionAutocomplete';
 
 import { NoteContent } from '@/components/NoteContent';
 import { useCurrentUser } from '@/hooks/useCurrentUser';
@@ -235,10 +236,15 @@ export function ComposeBox({
     return content.match(urlRegex) || [];
   }, [content]);
 
-  // Check if content has any previewable content (link previews, images, or videos)
+  // Detect nostr:npub/nprofile mentions in content
+  const hasMentions = useMemo(() => {
+    return /nostr:(npub1|nprofile1)[023456789acdefghjklmnpqrstuvwxyz]+/.test(content);
+  }, [content]);
+
+  // Check if content has any previewable content (link previews, images, videos, or mentions)
   const hasPreviewableContent = useMemo(() => {
-    return visibleEmbeds.length > 0 || previewImages.length > 0 || previewVideos.length > 0;
-  }, [visibleEmbeds, previewImages, previewVideos]);
+    return visibleEmbeds.length > 0 || previewImages.length > 0 || previewVideos.length > 0 || hasMentions;
+  }, [visibleEmbeds, previewImages, previewVideos, hasMentions]);
 
   // Notify parent of previewable content changes
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -289,6 +295,19 @@ export function ComposeBox({
     expand();
   }, [content, expand]);
 
+  const handleInsertMention = useCallback(({ start, end, replacement }: { start: number; end: number; replacement: string }) => {
+    const newContent = content.slice(0, start) + replacement + content.slice(end);
+    setContent(newContent);
+    requestAnimationFrame(() => {
+      const textarea = textareaRef.current;
+      if (textarea) {
+        textarea.focus();
+        const pos = start + replacement.length;
+        textarea.setSelectionRange(pos, pos);
+      }
+    });
+  }, [content]);
+
   const handleFileUpload = useCallback(async (file: File) => {
     try {
       const tags = await uploadFile(file);
@@ -367,6 +386,25 @@ export function ComposeBox({
       const hashtags = content.match(/#\w+/g)?.map((t) => t.slice(1)) || [];
       const tags: string[][] = hashtags.map((t) => ['t', t.toLowerCase()]);
 
+      // NIP-27 mention p tags — extract nostr:npub1... from content
+      const mentionMatches = content.matchAll(/nostr:(npub1[023456789acdefghjklmnpqrstuvwxyz]+)/g);
+      const mentionedPubkeys = new Set<string>();
+      for (const match of mentionMatches) {
+        try {
+          const decoded = nip19.decode(match[1]);
+          if (decoded.type === 'npub') {
+            mentionedPubkeys.add(decoded.data);
+          }
+        } catch {
+          // Invalid bech32, skip
+        }
+      }
+      // Don't include ourselves
+      mentionedPubkeys.delete(user.pubkey);
+      for (const pk of mentionedPubkeys) {
+        tags.push(['p', pk]);
+      }
+
       // NIP-10 reply tags
       if (replyTo) {
         // Determine root of the thread
@@ -381,13 +419,15 @@ export function ComposeBox({
         }
 
         // Add p tags: original author + all existing p tags from the parent
+        // Skip pubkeys already added by mention detection above
         const pPubkeys = new Set<string>();
         pPubkeys.add(replyTo.pubkey);
         for (const tag of replyTo.tags) {
           if (tag[0] === 'p' && tag[1]) pPubkeys.add(tag[1]);
         }
-        // Don't include ourselves
+        // Don't include ourselves or already-mentioned pubkeys
         if (user.pubkey) pPubkeys.delete(user.pubkey);
+        for (const pk of mentionedPubkeys) pPubkeys.delete(pk);
         for (const pk of pPubkeys) {
           tags.push(['p', pk]);
         }
@@ -558,30 +598,37 @@ export function ComposeBox({
         <div className="flex-1 min-w-0">
           {!previewMode ? (
           /* Edit mode - Textarea */
-          <textarea
-            ref={textareaRef}
-            value={content}
-            onChange={(e) => setContent(e.target.value)}
-            onFocus={expand}
-            onPaste={handlePaste}
-            placeholder={placeholder}
-            className={cn(
-              'w-full bg-transparent text-foreground placeholder:text-muted-foreground resize-none outline-none text-lg pt-2.5 pb-2 opacity-85',
-              isExpanded ? 'min-h-[100px]' : 'min-h-[44px]',
-            )}
-            rows={isExpanded ? 4 : 1}
-            disabled={!user}
-            onKeyDown={(e) => {
-              if (e.key === 'Enter' && (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey)) {
-                handleSubmit();
-              }
-            }}
-          />
+          <div className="relative">
+            <textarea
+              ref={textareaRef}
+              value={content}
+              onChange={(e) => setContent(e.target.value)}
+              onFocus={expand}
+              onPaste={handlePaste}
+              placeholder={placeholder}
+              className={cn(
+                'w-full bg-transparent text-foreground placeholder:text-muted-foreground resize-none outline-none text-lg pt-2.5 pb-2 opacity-85',
+                isExpanded ? 'min-h-[100px]' : 'min-h-[44px]',
+              )}
+              rows={isExpanded ? 4 : 1}
+              disabled={!user}
+              onKeyDown={(e) => {
+                if (e.key === 'Enter' && (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey)) {
+                  handleSubmit();
+                }
+              }}
+            />
+            <MentionAutocomplete
+              textareaRef={textareaRef}
+              content={content}
+              onInsertMention={handleInsertMention}
+            />
+          </div>
         ) : (
           /* Preview mode - Show how post will look */
           mockEvent && (
-            <div className="pt-2.5 pb-2 min-h-[100px] overflow-hidden">
-              <div className="whitespace-pre-wrap break-words text-lg opacity-85">
+            <div className="pt-2.5 pb-2 min-h-[100px]">
+              <div className="text-lg opacity-85">
                 <NoteContent event={mockEvent} className="text-foreground" />
               </div>
               {/* Render images */}
diff --git a/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx b/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx
index 0a4e80d3..42cb01c1 100644
--- a/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx
+++ b/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx
@@ -27,12 +27,8 @@ export function LinkPreview({ url, className }: LinkPreviewProps) {
     return <LinkPreviewSkeleton className={className} />;
   }
 
-  if (!data) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
-  const domain = data.provider_name || displayDomain(url);
-  const image = data.thumbnail_url;
+  const domain = data?.provider_name || displayDomain(url);
+  const image = data?.thumbnail_url;
 
   return (
     <a
@@ -72,14 +68,14 @@ export function LinkPreview({ url, className }: LinkPreviewProps) {
         </div>
 
         {/* Title */}
-        {data.title && (
+        {data?.title && (
           <p className="text-sm font-semibold leading-snug line-clamp-2">
             {data.title}
           </p>
         )}
 
         {/* Author */}
-        {data.author_name && (
+        {data?.author_name && (
           <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground leading-relaxed line-clamp-2">
             {data.author_name}
           </p>
diff --git a/src/components/MentionAutocomplete.tsx b/src/components/MentionAutocomplete.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..49a454b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/MentionAutocomplete.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,321 @@
+import { useState, useEffect, useCallback, useRef } from 'react';
+import { nip19 } from 'nostr-tools';
+import { UserRoundCheck } from 'lucide-react';
+import { Avatar, AvatarImage, AvatarFallback } from '@/components/ui/avatar';
+import { EmojifiedText } from '@/components/CustomEmoji';
+import { useSearchProfiles, type SearchProfile } from '@/hooks/useSearchProfiles';
+import { genUserName } from '@/lib/genUserName';
+import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
+
+interface MentionAutocompleteProps {
+  textareaRef: React.RefObject<HTMLTextAreaElement | null>;
+  content: string;
+  onInsertMention: (params: { start: number; end: number; replacement: string }) => void;
+}
+
+/** CSS properties that affect text layout and must be copied to the mirror element. */
+const MIRROR_PROPS = [
+  'direction', 'boxSizing', 'width', 'height', 'overflowX', 'overflowY',
+  'borderTopWidth', 'borderRightWidth', 'borderBottomWidth', 'borderLeftWidth',
+  'borderStyle', 'paddingTop', 'paddingRight', 'paddingBottom', 'paddingLeft',
+  'fontStyle', 'fontVariant', 'fontWeight', 'fontStretch', 'fontSize',
+  'fontSizeAdjust', 'lineHeight', 'fontFamily', 'textAlign', 'textTransform',
+  'textIndent', 'textDecoration', 'letterSpacing', 'wordSpacing',
+  'tabSize', 'MozTabSize', 'whiteSpace', 'wordWrap', 'wordBreak',
+] as const;
+
+/**
+ * Returns the pixel {top, left} of a character position within a textarea,
+ * relative to the textarea element's top-left corner.
+ */
+function getCaretCoordinates(textarea: HTMLTextAreaElement, position: number): { top: number; left: number } {
+  const mirror = document.createElement('div');
+  mirror.id = 'mention-mirror';
+
+  const style = window.getComputedStyle(textarea);
+
+  // Copy all layout-affecting styles
+  for (const prop of MIRROR_PROPS) {
+    mirror.style[prop as string] = style.getPropertyValue(
+      prop.replace(/([A-Z])/g, '-$1').toLowerCase(),
+    );
+  }
+
+  mirror.style.position = 'absolute';
+  mirror.style.visibility = 'hidden';
+  mirror.style.whiteSpace = 'pre-wrap';
+  mirror.style.wordWrap = 'break-word';
+  mirror.style.overflow = 'hidden';
+
+  document.body.appendChild(mirror);
+
+  // Set the text up to the caret position
+  mirror.textContent = textarea.value.substring(0, position);
+
+  // Add a span at the caret position to measure
+  const marker = document.createElement('span');
+  marker.textContent = '\u200b'; // zero-width space
+  mirror.appendChild(marker);
+
+  const mirrorRect = mirror.getBoundingClientRect();
+  const markerRect = marker.getBoundingClientRect();
+
+  const coords = {
+    top: markerRect.top - mirrorRect.top - textarea.scrollTop,
+    left: markerRect.left - mirrorRect.left - textarea.scrollLeft,
+  };
+
+  document.body.removeChild(mirror);
+  return coords;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Detects `@query` at the cursor position in a textarea and shows
+ * a profile autocomplete dropdown. On selection, replaces `@query`
+ * with `nostr:npub1...` in the content.
+ */
+export function MentionAutocomplete({
+  textareaRef,
+  content,
+  onInsertMention,
+}: MentionAutocompleteProps) {
+  const [mentionQuery, setMentionQuery] = useState('');
+  const [mentionStart, setMentionStart] = useState(-1);
+  const [selectedIndex, setSelectedIndex] = useState(0);
+  const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [dropdownPos, setDropdownPos] = useState<{ top: number; left: number } | null>(null);
+  const dropdownRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  const listRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+
+  const { data: profiles, followedPubkeys } = useSearchProfiles(
+    isOpen ? mentionQuery : '',
+  );
+
+  // Detect @mention query at cursor
+  const detectMention = useCallback(() => {
+    const textarea = textareaRef.current;
+    if (!textarea) return;
+
+    const cursor = textarea.selectionStart;
+    const text = textarea.value;
+
+    // Walk back from cursor to find an unescaped @ that starts a mention
+    let atPos = -1;
+    for (let i = cursor - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+      const ch = text[i];
+      // Stop at whitespace or newline — no match
+      if (ch === ' ' || ch === '\n' || ch === '\t') break;
+      if (ch === '@') {
+        // Must be at start of text or preceded by whitespace
+        if (i === 0 || /\s/.test(text[i - 1])) {
+          atPos = i;
+        }
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (atPos === -1) {
+      setIsOpen(false);
+      setMentionQuery('');
+      setMentionStart(-1);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const query = text.slice(atPos + 1, cursor);
+
+    // Don't show for empty query or very long queries
+    if (query.length === 0 || query.length > 50) {
+      setIsOpen(false);
+      setMentionQuery('');
+      setMentionStart(-1);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    setMentionQuery(query);
+    setMentionStart(atPos);
+    setIsOpen(true);
+    setSelectedIndex(0);
+
+    // Position the dropdown below the @ character
+    const coords = getCaretCoordinates(textarea, atPos);
+    const lineHeight = parseFloat(window.getComputedStyle(textarea).lineHeight) || 20;
+    setDropdownPos({
+      top: coords.top + lineHeight + 4,
+      left: Math.max(0, Math.min(coords.left, textarea.offsetWidth - 280)),
+    });
+  }, [textareaRef]);
+
+  // Listen for input/cursor changes
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const textarea = textareaRef.current;
+    if (!textarea) return;
+
+    const handleInput = () => detectMention();
+    const handleClick = () => detectMention();
+    const handleKeyUp = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+      if (['ArrowLeft', 'ArrowRight', 'Home', 'End'].includes(e.key)) {
+        detectMention();
+      }
+    };
+
+    textarea.addEventListener('input', handleInput);
+    textarea.addEventListener('click', handleClick);
+    textarea.addEventListener('keyup', handleKeyUp);
+
+    return () => {
+      textarea.removeEventListener('input', handleInput);
+      textarea.removeEventListener('click', handleClick);
+      textarea.removeEventListener('keyup', handleKeyUp);
+    };
+  }, [textareaRef, detectMention]);
+
+  // Re-detect when content changes externally (e.g. emoji insertion)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    detectMention();
+  }, [content, detectMention]);
+
+  // Handle keyboard navigation within the dropdown
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!isOpen || !profiles || profiles.length === 0) return;
+
+    const textarea = textareaRef.current;
+    if (!textarea) return;
+
+    const handleKeyDown = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+      switch (e.key) {
+        case 'ArrowDown':
+          e.preventDefault();
+          setSelectedIndex((prev) => (prev < (profiles?.length ?? 1) - 1 ? prev + 1 : 0));
+          break;
+        case 'ArrowUp':
+          e.preventDefault();
+          setSelectedIndex((prev) => (prev > 0 ? prev - 1 : (profiles?.length ?? 1) - 1));
+          break;
+        case 'Enter':
+        case 'Tab':
+          if (profiles && profiles.length > 0) {
+            e.preventDefault();
+            selectProfile(profiles[selectedIndex]);
+          }
+          break;
+        case 'Escape':
+          e.preventDefault();
+          setIsOpen(false);
+          break;
+      }
+    };
+
+    textarea.addEventListener('keydown', handleKeyDown);
+    return () => textarea.removeEventListener('keydown', handleKeyDown);
+  }, [isOpen, profiles, selectedIndex, textareaRef]); // eslint-disable-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+
+  // Scroll selected item into view
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (selectedIndex >= 0 && listRef.current) {
+      const items = listRef.current.querySelectorAll('[data-mention-item]');
+      items[selectedIndex]?.scrollIntoView({ block: 'nearest' });
+    }
+  }, [selectedIndex]);
+
+  const selectProfile = useCallback((profile: SearchProfile) => {
+    const npub = nip19.npubEncode(profile.pubkey);
+    const replacement = `nostr:${npub} `;
+    const cursor = textareaRef.current?.selectionStart ?? mentionStart + mentionQuery.length + 1;
+
+    onInsertMention({
+      start: mentionStart,
+      end: cursor,
+      replacement,
+    });
+
+    setIsOpen(false);
+    setMentionQuery('');
+    setMentionStart(-1);
+  }, [mentionStart, mentionQuery, textareaRef, onInsertMention]);
+
+  if (!isOpen || !dropdownPos || !profiles || profiles.length === 0) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      ref={dropdownRef}
+      className="absolute z-50 w-[280px] rounded-xl border border-border bg-popover shadow-lg overflow-hidden animate-in fade-in-0 zoom-in-95 slide-in-from-top-2 duration-150"
+      style={{ top: dropdownPos.top, left: dropdownPos.left }}
+    >
+      <div ref={listRef} className="max-h-[240px] overflow-y-auto py-1">
+        {profiles.map((profile, index) => (
+          <MentionItem
+            key={profile.pubkey}
+            profile={profile}
+            isSelected={index === selectedIndex}
+            isFollowed={followedPubkeys.has(profile.pubkey)}
+            onClick={() => selectProfile(profile)}
+          />
+        ))}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+function MentionItem({
+  profile,
+  isSelected,
+  isFollowed,
+  onClick,
+}: {
+  profile: SearchProfile;
+  isSelected: boolean;
+  isFollowed: boolean;
+  onClick: () => void;
+}) {
+  const { metadata, pubkey } = profile;
+  const displayName = metadata.display_name || metadata.name || genUserName(pubkey);
+  const nip05 = metadata.nip05;
+  const nip05Display = nip05?.startsWith('_@') ? nip05.slice(2) : nip05;
+  const identifier = nip05Display || nip19.npubEncode(pubkey);
+
+  return (
+    <button
+      data-mention-item
+      className={cn(
+        'w-full flex items-center gap-3 px-3 py-2 text-left transition-colors cursor-pointer',
+        isSelected ? 'bg-accent text-accent-foreground' : 'hover:bg-secondary/60',
+      )}
+      onClick={onClick}
+      onMouseDown={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
+    >
+      <div className="relative shrink-0">
+        <Avatar className="size-8">
+          <AvatarImage src={metadata.picture} alt={displayName} />
+          <AvatarFallback className="bg-primary/20 text-primary text-xs">
+            {displayName[0]?.toUpperCase() || '?'}
+          </AvatarFallback>
+        </Avatar>
+        {isFollowed && (
+          <span
+            className="absolute -bottom-0.5 -right-0.5 size-3.5 rounded-full bg-primary flex items-center justify-center ring-2 ring-popover"
+            title="Following"
+          >
+            <UserRoundCheck className="size-2 text-primary-foreground" strokeWidth={3} />
+          </span>
+        )}
+      </div>
+
+      <div className="flex-1 min-w-0">
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5">
+          <span className="font-semibold text-sm truncate">
+            <EmojifiedText tags={profile.event.tags}>{displayName}</EmojifiedText>
+          </span>
+        </div>
+        <div className="text-xs text-muted-foreground truncate">
+          {nip05Display ? (
+            <span className="truncate">{identifier}</span>
+          ) : (
+            <span className="truncate font-mono text-[11px]">{identifier}</span>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </button>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/components/NoteContent.tsx b/src/components/NoteContent.tsx
index 0529db3f..cfb698ee 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteContent.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteContent.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import type { AddrCoords } from '@/hooks/useEvent';
 interface NoteContentProps {
   event: NostrEvent;
   className?: string;
+  /** When true, renders URLs as inline links instead of link preview cards / embeds. */
+  disableEmbeds?: boolean;
 }
 
 /** Regex to detect media file URLs (images, video, audio, webxdc, etc.) that are rendered as embeds. */
@@ -98,6 +100,7 @@ function isOnlyEmojis(text: string): boolean {
 export function NoteContent({
   event,
   className,
+  disableEmbeds = false,
 }: NoteContentProps) {
   const tokens = useMemo(() => {
     const text = event.content;
@@ -277,6 +280,20 @@ export function NoteContent({
           case 'text':
             return <span key={i}>{emojify(token.value, emojiMap)}</span>;
           case 'link-preview':
+            if (disableEmbeds) {
+              return (
+                <a
+                  key={i}
+                  href={token.url}
+                  target="_blank"
+                  rel="noopener noreferrer"
+                  className="text-primary hover:underline break-all"
+                  onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+                >
+                  {token.url}
+                </a>
+              );
+            }
             return <LinkPreview key={i} url={token.url} className="my-2.5" />;
           case 'inline-link':
             return (
diff --git a/src/components/ProfileSearchDropdown.tsx b/src/components/ProfileSearchDropdown.tsx
index c059fc99..acb8d0af 100644
--- a/src/components/ProfileSearchDropdown.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ProfileSearchDropdown.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useState, useRef, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react';
 import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom';
-import { Search } from 'lucide-react';
+import { Search, UserRoundCheck } from 'lucide-react';
 import { nip19 } from 'nostr-tools';
 import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input';
 import { Avatar, AvatarImage, AvatarFallback } from '@/components/ui/avatar';
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export function ProfileSearchDropdown({
   const inputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
   const listRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
 
-  const { data: profiles, isFetching } = useSearchProfiles(query);
+  const { data: profiles, isFetching, followedPubkeys } = useSearchProfiles(query);
 
   // Show dropdown when we have results, or when text search is enabled and there's a query
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ export function ProfileSearchDropdown({
                 key={profile.pubkey}
                 profile={profile}
                 isSelected={index === selectedIndex}
+                isFollowed={followedPubkeys.has(profile.pubkey)}
                 onClick={() => handleSelect(profile)}
               />
             ))}
@@ -226,6 +227,7 @@ export function ProfileSearchDropdown({
                 key={profile.pubkey}
                 profile={profile}
                 isSelected={index === selectedIndex}
+                isFollowed={followedPubkeys.has(profile.pubkey)}
                 onClick={() => handleSelect(profile)}
               />
             ))}
@@ -248,10 +250,12 @@ export function ProfileSearchDropdown({
 function ProfileItem({
   profile,
   isSelected,
+  isFollowed,
   onClick,
 }: {
   profile: SearchProfile;
   isSelected: boolean;
+  isFollowed: boolean;
   onClick: () => void;
 }) {
   const { metadata, pubkey } = profile;
@@ -276,12 +280,22 @@ function ProfileItem({
       onClick={onClick}
       onMouseDown={(e) => e.preventDefault()} // Prevent input blur
     >
-      <Avatar className="size-10 shrink-0">
-        <AvatarImage src={metadata.picture} alt={displayName} />
-        <AvatarFallback className="bg-primary/20 text-primary text-sm">
-          {displayName[0]?.toUpperCase() || '?'}
-        </AvatarFallback>
-      </Avatar>
+      <div className="relative shrink-0">
+        <Avatar className="size-10">
+          <AvatarImage src={metadata.picture} alt={displayName} />
+          <AvatarFallback className="bg-primary/20 text-primary text-sm">
+            {displayName[0]?.toUpperCase() || '?'}
+          </AvatarFallback>
+        </Avatar>
+        {isFollowed && (
+          <span
+            className="absolute -bottom-0.5 -right-0.5 size-4 rounded-full bg-primary flex items-center justify-center ring-2 ring-popover"
+            title="Following"
+          >
+            <UserRoundCheck className="size-2.5 text-primary-foreground" strokeWidth={3} />
+          </span>
+        )}
+      </div>
 
       <div className="flex-1 min-w-0">
         <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5">
diff --git a/src/hooks/useFollowedProfiles.ts b/src/hooks/useFollowedProfiles.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..48122948
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/useFollowedProfiles.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { useAuthors } from '@/hooks/useAuthors';
+import { useFollowList } from '@/hooks/useFollowActions';
+import type { SearchProfile } from '@/hooks/useSearchProfiles';
+
+/**
+ * Returns cached profile metadata for all users the current user follows.
+ * This enables client-side search matching against the follow list
+ * so autocomplete can prioritize followed profiles.
+ */
+export function useFollowedProfiles() {
+  const { data: followList } = useFollowList();
+  const pubkeys = followList?.pubkeys ?? [];
+
+  const { data: authorsMap } = useAuthors(pubkeys);
+
+  // Build SearchProfile[] from the authors map for profiles that have metadata
+  const profiles: SearchProfile[] = [];
+
+  if (authorsMap) {
+    for (const [, author] of authorsMap) {
+      if (author.event && author.metadata) {
+        profiles.push({
+          pubkey: author.pubkey,
+          metadata: author.metadata,
+          event: author.event,
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return { profiles, pubkeys: new Set(pubkeys) };
+}
diff --git a/src/hooks/useSearchProfiles.ts b/src/hooks/useSearchProfiles.ts
index 47efe7d5..d415ab53 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useSearchProfiles.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useSearchProfiles.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
+import { useMemo } from 'react';
 import { useNostr } from '@nostrify/react';
 import { useQuery } from '@tanstack/react-query';
 import { NSchema as n } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
 import type { NostrEvent, NostrMetadata } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
+import { useFollowedProfiles } from '@/hooks/useFollowedProfiles';
 
 export interface SearchProfile {
   pubkey: string;
@@ -9,11 +11,23 @@ export interface SearchProfile {
   event: NostrEvent;
 }
 
+/** Check if a profile matches a search query by name, display_name, nip05, or about. */
+function profileMatchesQuery(metadata: NostrMetadata, query: string): boolean {
+  const q = query.toLowerCase();
+  const fields = [
+    metadata.name,
+    metadata.display_name,
+    metadata.nip05,
+  ];
+  return fields.some((field) => field?.toLowerCase().includes(q));
+}
+
 /** Search for profiles by username/nip05 using NIP-50 search on relay.ditto.pub. */
 export function useSearchProfiles(query: string) {
   const { nostr } = useNostr();
+  const { profiles: followedProfiles, pubkeys: followedPubkeys } = useFollowedProfiles();
 
-  return useQuery<SearchProfile[]>({
+  const relayResults = useQuery<SearchProfile[]>({
     queryKey: ['search-profiles', query],
     queryFn: async ({ signal }) => {
       if (!query.trim()) return [];
@@ -50,4 +64,55 @@ export function useSearchProfiles(query: string) {
     staleTime: 30 * 1000,
     placeholderData: (prev) => prev,
   });
+
+  // Merge followed profiles (client-side matched) ahead of relay results
+  const data = useMemo(() => {
+    const trimmed = query.trim();
+    if (!trimmed) return relayResults.data;
+
+    // Client-side match against followed profiles
+    const matchedFollows = followedProfiles.filter((p) =>
+      profileMatchesQuery(p.metadata, trimmed),
+    );
+
+    const relayProfiles = relayResults.data ?? [];
+
+    // Build merged list: matched follows first, then relay results (no dupes)
+    const seen = new Set<string>();
+    const merged: SearchProfile[] = [];
+
+    // Add matched follows first
+    for (const profile of matchedFollows) {
+      if (!seen.has(profile.pubkey)) {
+        seen.add(profile.pubkey);
+        merged.push(profile);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Add relay results, but for followed users move them to follow section
+    // (they're already there from above, so just skip dupes)
+    // For non-followed relay results, sort followed ones first too
+    const remainingFollowed: SearchProfile[] = [];
+    const remainingOther: SearchProfile[] = [];
+
+    for (const profile of relayProfiles) {
+      if (seen.has(profile.pubkey)) continue;
+      seen.add(profile.pubkey);
+      if (followedPubkeys.has(profile.pubkey)) {
+        remainingFollowed.push(profile);
+      } else {
+        remainingOther.push(profile);
+      }
+    }
+
+    merged.push(...remainingFollowed, ...remainingOther);
+
+    return merged;
+  }, [query, followedProfiles, followedPubkeys, relayResults.data]);
+
+  return {
+    ...relayResults,
+    data,
+    followedPubkeys,
+  };
 }
diff --git a/src/pages/SearchPage.tsx b/src/pages/SearchPage.tsx
index b635bf29..124d9ee8 100644
--- a/src/pages/SearchPage.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/SearchPage.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { useSeoMeta } from '@unhead/react';
-import { ChevronUp, ChevronDown, Search as SearchIcon, Flame, TrendingUp, Swords, Image, Video, Film, Languages } from 'lucide-react';
+import { ChevronUp, ChevronDown, Search as SearchIcon, Flame, TrendingUp, Swords, Image, Video, Film, Languages, UserRoundCheck } from 'lucide-react';
 import { useState, useMemo, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react';
 import { Link, useNavigate, useSearchParams } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { NoteCard } from '@/components/NoteCard';
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ export function SearchPage() {
 
   // Hooks
   const { posts: allPosts, isLoading: postsLoading } = useStreamPosts(searchQuery, { includeReplies, mediaType, language });
-  const { data: profiles, isLoading: profilesLoading } = useSearchProfiles(activeTab === 'accounts' ? searchQuery : '');
+  const { data: profiles, isLoading: profilesLoading, followedPubkeys } = useSearchProfiles(activeTab === 'accounts' ? searchQuery : '');
   const isTrendsTab = activeTab === 'trends';
   const { data: trends, isLoading: trendsLoading } = useTrendingTags(isTrendsTab);
   const { data: rawSortedPosts, isLoading: sortedLoading } = useSortedPosts(trendSort, 5, isTrendsTab);
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ export function SearchPage() {
                 ) : profiles && profiles.length > 0 ? (
                   <div className="divide-y divide-border">
                     {profiles.map((profile) => (
-                      <AccountItem key={profile.pubkey} profile={profile} />
+                      <AccountItem key={profile.pubkey} profile={profile} isFollowed={followedPubkeys.has(profile.pubkey)} />
                     ))}
                   </div>
                 ) : (
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ function TrendItem({ trend }: { trend: { tag: string; count: number } }) {
   );
 }
 
-function AccountItem({ profile }: { profile: { pubkey: string; metadata: Record<string, unknown>; event?: { tags: string[][] } } }) {
+function AccountItem({ profile, isFollowed }: { profile: { pubkey: string; metadata: Record<string, unknown>; event?: { tags: string[][] } }; isFollowed: boolean }) {
   const npub = useMemo(() => nip19.npubEncode(profile.pubkey), [profile.pubkey]);
   const metadata = profile.metadata as { name?: string; nip05?: string; picture?: string; about?: string; bot?: boolean };
   const displayName = metadata?.name || genUserName(profile.pubkey);
@@ -438,12 +438,22 @@ function AccountItem({ profile }: { profile: { pubkey: string; metadata: Record<
       to={`/${npub}`}
       className="flex items-center gap-3 px-4 py-3 hover:bg-secondary/30 transition-colors"
     >
-      <Avatar className="size-11 shrink-0">
-        <AvatarImage src={metadata?.picture} alt={displayName} />
-        <AvatarFallback className="bg-primary/20 text-primary text-sm">
-          {displayName[0]?.toUpperCase() || '?'}
-        </AvatarFallback>
-      </Avatar>
+      <div className="relative shrink-0">
+        <Avatar className="size-11">
+          <AvatarImage src={metadata?.picture} alt={displayName} />
+          <AvatarFallback className="bg-primary/20 text-primary text-sm">
+            {displayName[0]?.toUpperCase() || '?'}
+          </AvatarFallback>
+        </Avatar>
+        {isFollowed && (
+          <span
+            className="absolute -bottom-0.5 -right-0.5 size-[18px] rounded-full bg-primary flex items-center justify-center ring-2 ring-background"
+            title="Following"
+          >
+            <UserRoundCheck className="size-2.5 text-primary-foreground" strokeWidth={3} />
+          </span>
+        )}
+      </div>
       <div className="flex-1 min-w-0">
         <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5">
           <p className="font-bold text-[15px] truncate">