diff --git a/lib/components/base-auto-join-community-handler.react.js b/lib/components/base-auto-join-community-handler.react.js
--- a/lib/components/base-auto-join-community-handler.react.js
+++ b/lib/components/base-auto-join-community-handler.react.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import _pickBy from 'lodash/fp/pickBy.js';
 import * as React from 'react';
 
-import { NeynarClientContext } from '../components/neynar-client-provider.react.js';
+import { NeynarClientContext } from './neynar-client-provider.react.js';
 import blobService from '../facts/blob-service.js';
 import { useIsLoggedInToIdentityAndAuthoritativeKeyserver } from '../hooks/account-hooks.js';
 import { extractKeyserverIDFromID } from '../keyserver-conn/keyserver-call-utils.js';
diff --git a/lib/components/farcaster-channel-prefetch-handler.react.js b/lib/components/farcaster-channel-prefetch-handler.react.js
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/components/farcaster-channel-prefetch-handler.react.js
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+// @flow
+
+import * as React from 'react';
+
+import { NeynarClientContext } from './neynar-client-provider.react.js';
+import { useIsLoggedInToIdentityAndAuthoritativeKeyserver } from '../hooks/account-hooks.js';
+import { useCurrentUserFID } from '../utils/farcaster-utils.js';
+import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
+
+// We want to use the following pattern to query for Farcaster channels when
+// the app starts:
+// - First, if the user has an FID, query for all of the channels they follow
+// - Next, regardless of whether the user has an FID, query for all of the
+//   channels in the communityStore that are being used for avatars
+// This pattern allows us to minimize the number of Neynar fetches to 1 or 2.
+// For the second step, this component allows us to fetch in bulk, rather than
+// fetching based on the pattern of ThreadAvatar component renders.
+function FarcasterChannelPrefetchHandler(): React.Node {
+  const loggedIn = useIsLoggedInToIdentityAndAuthoritativeKeyserver();
+
+  const fcCache = React.useContext(NeynarClientContext)?.fcCache;
+  const fid = useCurrentUserFID();
+
+  const communityInfos = useSelector(
+    state => state.communityStore.communityInfos,
+  );
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (!loggedIn || !fcCache) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (fid) {
+      void fcCache.getFollowedFarcasterChannelsForFID(fid);
+    }
+
+    for (const communityID in communityInfos) {
+      const { farcasterChannelID } = communityInfos[communityID];
+      if (farcasterChannelID) {
+        void fcCache.getFarcasterChannelForChannelID(farcasterChannelID);
+      }
+    }
+    // We only want this effect to run when loggedIn or fid change. Its purpose
+    // is to query for this info immediately so it can be done in bulk, so we
+    // don't care to rerun it when communityInfos or threadInfos change.
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [loggedIn, fid]);
+
+  return null;
+}
+
+export { FarcasterChannelPrefetchHandler };
diff --git a/native/root.react.js b/native/root.react.js
--- a/native/root.react.js
+++ b/native/root.react.js
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import { ChatMentionContextProvider } from 'lib/components/chat-mention-provider.react.js';
 import { EditUserAvatarProvider } from 'lib/components/edit-user-avatar-provider.react.js';
 import { ENSCacheProvider } from 'lib/components/ens-cache-provider.react.js';
+import { FarcasterChannelPrefetchHandler } from 'lib/components/farcaster-channel-prefetch-handler.react.js';
 import { FarcasterDataHandler } from 'lib/components/farcaster-data-handler.react.js';
 import { GlobalSearchIndexProvider } from 'lib/components/global-search-index-provider.react.js';
 import IntegrityHandler from 'lib/components/integrity-handler.react.js';
@@ -393,6 +394,7 @@
                                                     <BackgroundIdentityLoginHandler />
                                                     <PrekeysHandler />
                                                     <ReportHandler />
+                                                    <FarcasterChannelPrefetchHandler />
                                                     <AutoJoinCommunityHandler />
                                                     <SyncCommunityStoreHandler />
                                                     <InitialStateSharingHandler />
diff --git a/web/app.react.js b/web/app.react.js
--- a/web/app.react.js
+++ b/web/app.react.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 } from 'lib/actions/entry-actions.js';
 import { ChatMentionContextProvider } from 'lib/components/chat-mention-provider.react.js';
 import { EditUserAvatarProvider } from 'lib/components/edit-user-avatar-provider.react.js';
+import { FarcasterChannelPrefetchHandler } from 'lib/components/farcaster-channel-prefetch-handler.react.js';
 import { FarcasterDataHandler } from 'lib/components/farcaster-data-handler.react.js';
 import { GlobalSearchIndexProvider } from 'lib/components/global-search-index-provider.react.js';
 import {
@@ -259,6 +260,7 @@
                     <LogOutIfMissingCSATHandler />
                     <UserInfosHandler />
                     <TunnelbrokerDeviceTokenHandler />
+                    <FarcasterChannelPrefetchHandler />
                     <FarcasterDataHandler />
                     <AutoJoinCommunityHandler />
                     <SyncCommunityStoreHandler />