diff --git a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/MembersSidebar.tsx b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/MembersSidebar.tsx
index 2a125e0d01..2633b5bcef 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/MembersSidebar.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/MembersSidebar.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import * as React from "react";
 import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
-import { UserRoundPlus, X } from "lucide-react";
+import { Search, UserRoundPlus, X } from "lucide-react";
 import {
   invalidateChannelState,
   useAddChannelMembersMutation,
@@ -238,11 +238,14 @@ export function MembersSidebar({
     () => new Set(rawMembers.map((member) => normalizePubkey(member.pubkey))),
     [rawMembers],
   );
-  const canAddMembers = canAddChannelMembers({
-    channelType: channel?.channelType,
-    visibility: channel?.visibility,
-    selfRole: selfMember?.role,
-  });
+  const canAddMembers =
+    channel?.isMember === true &&
+    canAddChannelMembers({
+      channelType: channel?.channelType,
+      visibility: channel?.visibility,
+      selfRole: selfMember?.role,
+    });
+  const MemberSearchIcon = canAddMembers ? UserRoundPlus : Search;
   // Distinguish "you can't add here" from "nothing to add" so a non-member
   // viewing a private channel gets the reason instead of a silently missing affordance.
   const showPrivateAddDeniedNotice =
@@ -715,7 +718,7 @@ export function MembersSidebar({
               className={MODAL_SEARCH_SHELL_CLASS}
               htmlFor="channel-management-search-users"
             >
-              <UserRoundPlus className="h-4 w-4 shrink-0 text-muted-foreground/55 transition-colors duration-150 ease-out group-hover/search:text-muted-foreground group-focus-within/search:text-foreground" />
+              <MemberSearchIcon className="h-4 w-4 shrink-0 text-muted-foreground/55 transition-colors duration-150 ease-out group-hover/search:text-muted-foreground group-focus-within/search:text-foreground" />
               <input
                 autoCapitalize="none"
                 autoCorrect="off"
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/channel-browser.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/channel-browser.spec.ts
index 9634142325..71f6d02e74 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/channel-browser.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/channel-browser.spec.ts
@@ -488,6 +488,19 @@ test("non-member open channel header shows its member count and roster", async (
       "sidebar-member-bb22a5299220cad76ffd46190ccbeede8ab5dc260faa28b6e5a2cb31b9aff260",
     ),
   ).toBeVisible();
+
+  const memberSearch = members.getByTestId("channel-management-search-users");
+  await expect(memberSearch).toHaveAttribute(
+    "placeholder",
+    "Search people and agents",
+  );
+  await memberSearch.fill("char");
+  await expect(
+    members.getByText("Not in this channel", { exact: true }),
+  ).toHaveCount(0);
+  await expect(
+    members.locator('[data-testid^="channel-user-search-result-"]'),
+  ).toHaveCount(0);
 });
 
 test("joining a channel from browser adds it to the sidebar", async ({