diff --git a/lib/shared/search-utils.js b/lib/shared/search-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/search-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/search-utils.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 } from '../actions/user-actions.js';
 import { ENSCacheContext } from '../components/ens-cache-provider.react.js';
 import genesis from '../facts/genesis.js';
+import { useIdentitySearch } from '../identity-search/identity-search-context.js';
 import type {
   ChatMessageInfoItem,
   MessageListData,
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@
 import { values } from '../utils/objects.js';
 import { useDispatchActionPromise } from '../utils/redux-promise-utils.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
+import { usingCommServicesAccessToken } from '../utils/services-utils.js';
 
 const notFriendNotice = 'not friend';
 
@@ -377,36 +379,65 @@
   );
   const forwardLookupSearchText = useForwardLookupSearchText(usernameInputText);
 
-  const [serverSearchResults, setServerSearchResults] = React.useState<
+  const [searchResults, setSearchResults] = React.useState<
     $ReadOnlyArray<GlobalAccountUserInfo>,
   >([]);
-  const callSearchUsers = useLegacyAshoatKeyserverCall(searchUsers);
+  const callServerSearchUsers = useLegacyAshoatKeyserverCall(searchUsers);
+  const { connected, sendPrefixQuery: callIdentitySearchUsers } =
+    useIdentitySearch();
+
   const dispatchActionPromise = useDispatchActionPromise();
+
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (forwardLookupSearchText.length === 0) {
-      setServerSearchResults([]);
+      setSearchResults([]);
       return;
     }
 
-    const searchUsersPromise = (async () => {
+    const searchServer = async () => {
       try {
-        const { userInfos } = await callSearchUsers(forwardLookupSearchText);
-        setServerSearchResults(
-          userInfos.filter(({ id }) => id !== currentUserID),
+        const { userInfos: serverSearchResult } = await callServerSearchUsers(
+          forwardLookupSearchText,
         );
+        return serverSearchResult;
       } catch (err) {
-        setServerSearchResults([]);
+        console.error(err);
+        return [];
+      }
+    };
+
+    const searchUsersPromise = (async () => {
+      let userInfos;
+      if (usingCommServicesAccessToken && connected) {
+        try {
+          const identitySearchResult = await callIdentitySearchUsers(
+            forwardLookupSearchText,
+          );
+          userInfos = identitySearchResult.map(user => ({
+            id: user.userID,
+            username: user.username,
+            avatar: null,
+          }));
+        } catch (err) {
+          console.error(err);
+          userInfos = await searchServer();
+        }
+      } else {
+        userInfos = await searchServer();
       }
+      setSearchResults(userInfos.filter(({ id }) => id !== currentUserID));
     })();
     void dispatchActionPromise(searchUsersActionTypes, searchUsersPromise);
   }, [
-    callSearchUsers,
+    callServerSearchUsers,
+    callIdentitySearchUsers,
     currentUserID,
+    connected,
     dispatchActionPromise,
     forwardLookupSearchText,
   ]);
 
-  return serverSearchResults;
+  return searchResults;
 }
 
 function filterChatMessageInfosForSearch(
diff --git a/web/app.react.js b/web/app.react.js
--- a/web/app.react.js
+++ b/web/app.react.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
   useModalContext,
 } from 'lib/components/modal-provider.react.js';
 import { StaffContextProvider } from 'lib/components/staff-provider.react.js';
+import { IdentitySearchProvider } from 'lib/identity-search/identity-search-context.js';
 import {
   createLoadingStatusSelector,
   combineLoadingStatuses,
@@ -67,6 +68,7 @@
 import VisibilityHandler from './redux/visibility-handler.react.js';
 import history from './router-history.js';
 import { MessageSearchStateProvider } from './search/message-search-state-provider.react.js';
+import { createIdentitySearchAuthMessage } from './selectors/identity-search-selectors.js';
 import { createTunnelbrokerInitMessage } from './selectors/tunnelbroker-selectors.js';
 import AccountSettings from './settings/account-settings.react.js';
 import DangerZone from './settings/danger-zone.react.js';
@@ -420,10 +422,16 @@
 );
 
 function AppWithProvider(props: BaseProps): React.Node {
+  const identitySearchAuthMessage = useSelector(
+    createIdentitySearchAuthMessage,
+  );
+
   return (
-    <ModalProvider>
-      <ConnectedApp {...props} />
-    </ModalProvider>
+    <IdentitySearchProvider authMessage={identitySearchAuthMessage}>
+      <ModalProvider>
+        <ConnectedApp {...props} />
+      </ModalProvider>
+    </IdentitySearchProvider>
   );
 }
 
diff --git a/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js b/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js
--- a/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js
@@ -55,13 +55,13 @@
     [userInfoInputArray],
   );
 
-  const serverSearchResults = useSearchUsers(usernameInputText);
+  const searchResults = useSearchUsers(usernameInputText);
 
   const userListItems = usePotentialMemberItems({
     text: usernameInputText,
     userInfos: otherUserInfos,
     excludeUserIDs: userInfoInputIDs,
-    includeServerSearchUsers: serverSearchResults,
+    includeServerSearchUsers: searchResults,
   });
 
   const userListItemsWithENSNames = useENSNames(userListItems);
diff --git a/web/selectors/identity-search-selectors.js b/web/selectors/identity-search-selectors.js
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/selectors/identity-search-selectors.js
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+// @flow
+
+import { createSelector } from 'reselect';
+
+import type { AuthMessage } from 'lib/types/identity-search/auth-message-types.js';
+
+import type { AppState } from '../redux/redux-setup.js';
+
+export const createIdentitySearchAuthMessage: AppState => ?AuthMessage =
+  createSelector(
+    (state: AppState) => state.cryptoStore?.primaryIdentityKeys?.ed25519,
+    (state: AppState) => state.commServicesAccessToken,
+    (state: AppState) => state.currentUserInfo?.id,
+    (
+      deviceID: ?string,
+      accessToken: ?string,
+      userID: ?string,
+    ): ?AuthMessage => {
+      if (!deviceID || !accessToken || !userID) {
+        return null;
+      }
+      return ({
+        type: 'AuthMessage',
+        deviceID,
+        accessToken,
+        userID,
+      }: AuthMessage);
+    },
+  );
diff --git a/web/settings/relationship/add-users-list.react.js b/web/settings/relationship/add-users-list.react.js
--- a/web/settings/relationship/add-users-list.react.js
+++ b/web/settings/relationship/add-users-list.react.js
@@ -67,14 +67,14 @@
     );
   }, [searchText, userStoreSearchIndex]);
 
-  const serverSearchResults = useSearchUsers(searchText);
+  const searchResults = useSearchUsers(searchText);
 
   const searchTextPresent = searchText.length > 0;
   const mergedUserInfos = React.useMemo(() => {
     const mergedInfos: { [string]: GlobalAccountUserInfo | AccountUserInfo } =
       {};
 
-    for (const userInfo of serverSearchResults) {
+    for (const userInfo of searchResults) {
       mergedInfos[userInfo.id] = userInfo;
     }
 
@@ -89,12 +89,7 @@
     }
 
     return mergedInfos;
-  }, [
-    searchTextPresent,
-    serverSearchResults,
-    userInfos,
-    userStoreSearchResults,
-  ]);
+  }, [searchTextPresent, searchResults, userInfos, userStoreSearchResults]);
 
   const sortedUsers = React.useMemo(
     () =>