diff --git a/lib/permissions/special-roles.js b/lib/permissions/special-roles.js
--- a/lib/permissions/special-roles.js
+++ b/lib/permissions/special-roles.js
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 // @flow
 
+import _mapValues from 'lodash/fp/mapValues.js';
 import type { TRefinement } from 'tcomb';
 
 import { roleIsAdminRole, roleIsDefaultRole } from '../shared/thread-utils.js';
-import type { RoleInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
+import type {
+  RawThreadInfo,
+  RoleInfo,
+} from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
+import type { RawThreadInfos } from '../types/thread-types.js';
 import { values } from '../utils/objects.js';
 import { tNumEnum } from '../utils/validation-utils.js';
 
@@ -37,4 +42,19 @@
   return role;
 }
 
-export { patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole };
+function patchRawThreadInfoWithSpecialRole(
+  rawThreadInfo: RawThreadInfo,
+): RawThreadInfo {
+  return {
+    ...rawThreadInfo,
+    roles: _mapValues(patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole)(rawThreadInfo.roles),
+  };
+}
+
+function patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole(
+  rawThreadInfos: RawThreadInfos,
+): RawThreadInfos {
+  return _mapValues(patchRawThreadInfoWithSpecialRole)(rawThreadInfos);
+}
+
+export { patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole, patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole };
diff --git a/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js b/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js
--- a/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js
+++ b/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 // @flow
 
-import { patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole, specialRoles } from './special-roles.js';
+import {
+  patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole,
+  patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole,
+  specialRoles,
+} from './special-roles.js';
 import type { RoleInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
+import { threadTypes } from '../types/thread-types-enum.js';
+import type { RawThreadInfos } from '../types/thread-types.js';
 
 describe('patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole', () => {
   it('should correctly set DEFAULT_ROLE', () => {
@@ -40,3 +46,182 @@
     expect(patchedRole.specialRole).toBe(undefined);
   });
 });
+
+const rawThreadInfos: RawThreadInfos = {
+  '256|1': {
+    minimallyEncoded: true,
+    id: '256|1',
+    type: threadTypes.GENESIS,
+    name: 'GENESIS',
+    description:
+      'This is the first community on Comm. In the future it will be possible to create chats outside of a community, but for now all of these chats get set with GENESIS as their parent. GENESIS is hosted on Ashoat’s keyserver.',
+    color: 'c85000',
+    creationTime: 1702415956354,
+    parentThreadID: null,
+    containingThreadID: null,
+    community: null,
+    members: [
+      {
+        id: '256',
+        role: '256|83796',
+        permissions: '3f73ff',
+        isSender: false,
+        minimallyEncoded: true,
+      },
+      {
+        id: '83809',
+        role: '256|83795',
+        permissions: '3',
+        isSender: false,
+        minimallyEncoded: true,
+      },
+    ],
+    roles: {
+      '256|83795': {
+        id: '256|83795',
+        name: 'Members',
+        permissions: ['000', '010', '005', '015', '0a7'],
+        isDefault: true,
+        minimallyEncoded: true,
+      },
+      '256|83796': {
+        id: '256|83796',
+        name: 'Admins',
+        permissions: [
+          '000',
+          '010',
+          '020',
+          '100',
+          '110',
+          '030',
+          '040',
+          '060',
+          '050',
+          '120',
+          '080',
+          '090',
+          '0c0',
+          '070',
+          '0d0',
+          '0e0',
+          '130',
+          '140',
+          '150',
+          '004',
+          '014',
+          '0a6',
+          '0a8',
+          '024',
+          '034',
+          '044',
+          '064',
+          '054',
+          '124',
+          '086',
+          '096',
+          '0c4',
+          '074',
+          '0b4',
+          '0d4',
+          '0e4',
+          '134',
+          '156',
+        ],
+        isDefault: false,
+        minimallyEncoded: true,
+      },
+    },
+    currentUser: {
+      role: '256|83795',
+      permissions: '3',
+      subscription: {
+        home: true,
+        pushNotifs: true,
+      },
+      unread: false,
+      minimallyEncoded: true,
+    },
+    repliesCount: 0,
+    pinnedCount: 0,
+  },
+  '256|83814': {
+    id: '256|83814',
+    type: threadTypes.PRIVATE,
+    name: '',
+    description:
+      'This is your private chat, where you can set reminders and jot notes in private!',
+    color: 'aa4b4b',
+    creationTime: 1702415964471,
+    parentThreadID: '256|1',
+    repliesCount: 0,
+    containingThreadID: '256|1',
+    community: '256|1',
+    pinnedCount: 0,
+    minimallyEncoded: true,
+    members: [
+      {
+        id: '256',
+        role: null,
+        permissions: '2c7fff',
+        isSender: false,
+        minimallyEncoded: true,
+      },
+      {
+        id: '83809',
+        role: '256|83815',
+        permissions: '3026f',
+        isSender: true,
+        minimallyEncoded: true,
+      },
+    ],
+    roles: {
+      '256|83815': {
+        id: '256|83815',
+        name: 'Members',
+        permissions: [
+          '000',
+          '010',
+          '020',
+          '100',
+          '110',
+          '060',
+          '050',
+          '090',
+          '030',
+          '005',
+          '015',
+          '0a9',
+        ],
+        isDefault: true,
+        minimallyEncoded: true,
+      },
+    },
+    currentUser: {
+      role: '256|83815',
+      permissions: '3026f',
+      subscription: {
+        home: true,
+        pushNotifs: true,
+      },
+      unread: false,
+      minimallyEncoded: true,
+    },
+  },
+};
+
+describe('patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole', () => {
+  it('should correctly set special roles', () => {
+    const patchedRawThreadInfos =
+      patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole(rawThreadInfos);
+
+    expect(patchedRawThreadInfos['256|1'].roles['256|83795'].specialRole).toBe(
+      specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE,
+    );
+    expect(patchedRawThreadInfos['256|1'].roles['256|83796'].specialRole).toBe(
+      specialRoles.ADMIN_ROLE,
+    );
+    expect(
+      patchedRawThreadInfos['256|83814'].roles['256|83815'].specialRole,
+    ).toBe(specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE);
+  });
+});