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
@@ -1,17 +1,28 @@
 // @flow
 
+import * as React from 'react';
+
 import SearchIndex from './search-index.js';
 import {
   userIsMember,
   threadMemberHasPermission,
   getContainingThreadID,
 } from './thread-utils.js';
+import {
+  searchMessages,
+  searchMessagesActionTypes,
+} from '../actions/message-actions.js';
 import genesis from '../facts/genesis.js';
+import type { RawMessageInfo } from '../types/message-types.js';
 import { userRelationshipStatus } from '../types/relationship-types.js';
 import { threadPermissions } from '../types/thread-permission-types.js';
 import { type ThreadType, threadTypes } from '../types/thread-types-enum.js';
 import { type ThreadInfo } from '../types/thread-types.js';
 import type { AccountUserInfo, UserListItem } from '../types/user-types.js';
+import {
+  useServerCall,
+  useDispatchActionPromise,
+} from '../utils/action-utils.js';
 
 const notFriendNotice = 'not friend';
 
@@ -169,4 +180,43 @@
   );
 }
 
-export { getPotentialMemberItems, notFriendNotice };
+function useSearchMessages(
+  query: string,
+  threadID: string,
+  cursor?: string,
+  callback: (messages: $ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>) => void,
+): boolean {
+  const [endReached, setEndReached] = React.useState(false);
+
+  const callSearchMessages = useServerCall(searchMessages);
+  const dispatchActionPromise = useDispatchActionPromise();
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    const searchMessagesPromise = (async () => {
+      if (query === '') {
+        setEndReached(true);
+        return;
+      }
+      const { messages, endReached: end } = await callSearchMessages({
+        query,
+        threadID,
+        cursor,
+      });
+      setEndReached(end);
+      callback(messages);
+    })();
+
+    dispatchActionPromise(searchMessagesActionTypes, searchMessagesPromise);
+  }, [
+    callSearchMessages,
+    query,
+    threadID,
+    cursor,
+    dispatchActionPromise,
+    callback,
+  ]);
+
+  return endReached;
+}
+
+export { getPotentialMemberItems, notFriendNotice, useSearchMessages };