diff --git a/components/command/CommandPanel.vue b/components/command/CommandPanel.vue
index a94cc201..9dce81a0 100644
--- a/components/command/CommandPanel.vue
+++ b/components/command/CommandPanel.vue
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ const onKeyDown = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
       </template>
       <div v-else p5 text-center text-secondary italic>
         {{
-          input.length
+          input.trim().length
             ? $t('common.not_found')
             : $t('search.search_desc')
         }}
diff --git a/components/search/SearchWidget.vue b/components/search/SearchWidget.vue
index 80796ea7..e9db61b2 100644
--- a/components/search/SearchWidget.vue
+++ b/components/search/SearchWidget.vue
@@ -77,17 +77,19 @@ const activate = () => {
     <!-- Results -->
     <div left-0 top-12 absolute w-full z10 group-focus-within="pointer-events-auto visible" invisible pointer-events-none>
       <div w-full bg-base border="~ base" rounded-3 max-h-100 overflow-auto py2>
-        <span v-if="query.length === 0" block text-center text-sm text-secondary>
+        <span v-if="query.trim().length === 0" block text-center text-sm text-secondary>
           {{ t('search.search_desc') }}
         </span>
-        <template v-if="!loading">
-          <SearchResult
-            v-for="(result, i) in results" :key="result.id"
-            :active="index === parseInt(i.toString())"
-            :result="result"
-            :tabindex="focused ? 0 : -1"
-          />
-          <span v-if="query.length !== 0 && results.length === 0" block text-center text-sm text-secondary>
+        <template v-else-if="!loading">
+          <template v-if="results.length > 0">
+            <SearchResult
+              v-for="(result, i) in results" :key="result.id"
+              :active="index === parseInt(i.toString())"
+              :result="result"
+              :tabindex="focused ? 0 : -1"
+            />
+          </template>
+          <span v-else block text-center text-sm text-secondary>
             {{ t('search.search_empty') }}
           </span>
         </template>
diff --git a/composables/masto/search.ts b/composables/masto/search.ts
index 6e5a643d..3e57f8d8 100644
--- a/composables/masto/search.ts
+++ b/composables/masto/search.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ export function useSearch(query: MaybeComputedRef<string>, options: UseSearchOpt
   const hashtags = ref<HashTagSearchResult[]>([])
   const statuses = ref<StatusSearchResult[]>([])
 
+  const q = $computed(() => resolveUnref(query).trim())
+
   let paginator: Paginator<mastodon.v2.Search, mastodon.v2.SearchParams> | undefined
 
   const appendResults = (results: mastodon.v2.Search, empty = false) => {
@@ -56,12 +58,12 @@ export function useSearch(query: MaybeComputedRef<string>, options: UseSearchOpt
     }))]
   }
 
-  watch(() => unref(query), () => {
-    loading.value = !!(unref(query) && isMastoInitialised.value)
+  watch(() => resolveUnref(query), () => {
+    loading.value = !!(q && isMastoInitialised.value)
   })
 
-  debouncedWatch(() => unref(query), async () => {
-    if (!unref(query) || !isMastoInitialised.value)
+  debouncedWatch(() => resolveUnref(query), async () => {
+    if (!q || !isMastoInitialised.value)
       return
 
     loading.value = true
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ export function useSearch(query: MaybeComputedRef<string>, options: UseSearchOpt
      * but that doesn't seem to be the case. So instead we just create a new paginator with the new params.
      */
     paginator = masto.v2.search({
-      q: resolveUnref(query),
+      q,
       ...resolveUnref(options),
       resolve: !!currentUser.value,
     })
@@ -85,7 +87,7 @@ export function useSearch(query: MaybeComputedRef<string>, options: UseSearchOpt
   }, { debounce: 300 })
 
   const next = async () => {
-    if (!unref(query) || !isMastoInitialised.value || !paginator)
+    if (!q || !isMastoInitialised.value || !paginator)
       return
 
     loading.value = true