diff --git a/keyserver/src/endpoints.js b/keyserver/src/endpoints.js
--- a/keyserver/src/endpoints.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/endpoints.js
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
   reactionMessageCreationResponder,
   editMessageCreationResponder,
   fetchPinnedMessagesResponder,
+  searchMessagesResponder,
 } from './responders/message-responders.js';
 import { updateRelationshipsResponder } from './responders/relationship-responders.js';
 import {
@@ -200,6 +201,10 @@
     responder: entryRestorationResponder,
     requiredPolicies: baseLegalPolicies,
   },
+  search_messages: {
+    responder: searchMessagesResponder,
+    requiredPolicies: baseLegalPolicies,
+  },
   search_users: {
     responder: userSearchResponder,
     requiredPolicies: baseLegalPolicies,
diff --git a/keyserver/src/fetchers/message-fetchers.js b/keyserver/src/fetchers/message-fetchers.js
--- a/keyserver/src/fetchers/message-fetchers.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/fetchers/message-fetchers.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
   type FetchPinnedMessagesRequest,
   type FetchPinnedMessagesResult,
   isMessageSidebarSourceReactionOrEdit,
+  type SearchMessagesResponse,
 } from 'lib/types/message-types.js';
 import { defaultNumberPerThread } from 'lib/types/message-types.js';
 import { threadPermissions } from 'lib/types/thread-permission-types.js';
@@ -904,17 +905,17 @@
   return [...rawMessageInfos, ...rawRelatedMessageInfos];
 }
 
-const searchMessagesPageSize: number = defaultNumberPerThread + 1;
+const searchMessagesPageSize = defaultNumberPerThread + 1;
 
 async function searchMessagesInSingleChat(
   inputQuery: string,
   threadID: string,
   viewer?: Viewer,
   cursor?: string,
-): Promise<$ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>> {
+): Promise<SearchMessagesResponse> {
   if (inputQuery === '') {
     console.warn('received empty search query');
-    return [];
+    return { messages: [], endReached: true };
   }
   const pattern = processQueryForSearch(inputQuery);
 
@@ -944,18 +945,25 @@
 
   const [results] = await dbQuery(query);
   if (results.length === 0) {
-    return [];
+    return { messages: [], endReached: true };
   }
 
+  const endReached = results.length < searchMessagesPageSize;
+
+  const resultsPage = endReached ? results : results.slice(0, -1);
+
   const rawMessageInfos = await rawMessageInfoForRowsAndRelatedMessages(
-    results,
+    resultsPage,
     viewer,
   );
 
-  return shimUnsupportedRawMessageInfos(
-    rawMessageInfos,
-    viewer?.platformDetails,
-  );
+  return {
+    messages: shimUnsupportedRawMessageInfos(
+      rawMessageInfos,
+      viewer?.platformDetails,
+    ),
+    endReached: endReached,
+  };
 }
 
 export {
@@ -972,5 +980,4 @@
   fetchRelatedMessages,
   rawMessageInfoForRowsAndRelatedMessages,
   searchMessagesInSingleChat,
-  searchMessagesPageSize,
 };
diff --git a/keyserver/src/responders/message-responders.js b/keyserver/src/responders/message-responders.js
--- a/keyserver/src/responders/message-responders.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/responders/message-responders.js
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
   type FetchPinnedMessagesResult,
   messageTruncationStatusesValidator,
   rawMessageInfoValidator,
+  type SearchMessagesResponse,
+  type SearchMessagesRequest,
 } from 'lib/types/message-types.js';
 import type { EditMessageData } from 'lib/types/messages/edit.js';
 import type { ReactionMessageData } from 'lib/types/messages/reaction.js';
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@
   fetchMessageInfoByID,
   fetchThreadMessagesCount,
   fetchPinnedMessageInfos,
+  searchMessagesInSingleChat,
 } from '../fetchers/message-fetchers.js';
 import { fetchServerThreadInfos } from '../fetchers/thread-fetchers.js';
 import { checkThreadPermission } from '../fetchers/thread-permission-fetchers.js';
@@ -476,6 +479,27 @@
   );
 }
 
+const searchMessagesResponderInputValidator = tShape({
+  query: t.String,
+  threadID: t.String,
+  cursor: t.maybe(t.String),
+});
+
+async function searchMessagesResponder(
+  viewer: Viewer,
+  input: any,
+): Promise<SearchMessagesResponse> {
+  const request: SearchMessagesRequest = input;
+  await validateInput(viewer, searchMessagesResponderInputValidator, input);
+
+  return await searchMessagesInSingleChat(
+    request.query,
+    request.threadID,
+    viewer,
+    request.cursor,
+  );
+}
+
 export {
   textMessageCreationResponder,
   messageFetchResponder,
@@ -483,4 +507,5 @@
   reactionMessageCreationResponder,
   editMessageCreationResponder,
   fetchPinnedMessagesResponder,
+  searchMessagesResponder,
 };
diff --git a/lib/types/endpoints.js b/lib/types/endpoints.js
--- a/lib/types/endpoints.js
+++ b/lib/types/endpoints.js
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@
   SIWE_AUTH: 'siwe_auth',
   UPDATE_USER_AVATAR: 'update_user_avatar',
   UPLOAD_MEDIA_METADATA: 'upload_media_metadata',
+  SEARCH_MESSAGES: 'search_messages',
 });
 type SocketPreferredEndpoint = $Values<typeof socketPreferredEndpoints>;
 
diff --git a/lib/types/message-types.js b/lib/types/message-types.js
--- a/lib/types/message-types.js
+++ b/lib/types/message-types.js
@@ -717,3 +717,14 @@
 export type FetchPinnedMessagesResult = {
   +pinnedMessages: $ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>,
 };
+
+export type SearchMessagesRequest = {
+  +query: string,
+  +threadID: string,
+  +cursor?: string,
+};
+
+export type SearchMessagesResponse = {
+  +messages: $ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>,
+  +endReached: boolean,
+};