diff --git a/desktop/src/features/search/ui/TopbarSearch.tsx b/desktop/src/features/search/ui/TopbarSearch.tsx
index 963ae6cf42..54257a28f6 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/search/ui/TopbarSearch.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/search/ui/TopbarSearch.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ import {
   SearchDialogInputRow,
 } from "@/features/search/ui/SearchScopeControls";
 import { useSearchMenuKeyboardNavigation } from "@/features/search/ui/useSearchMenuKeyboardNavigation";
+import {
+  getInitialSearchSelection,
+  getSuggestedSearchResults,
+} from "@/features/search/ui/topbarSearchSuggestions";
 import type { Channel, SearchHit, UserSearchResult } from "@/shared/api/types";
 import { cn } from "@/shared/lib/cn";
 import { normalizePubkey, truncatePubkey } from "@/shared/lib/pubkey";
@@ -42,12 +46,13 @@ type TopbarSearchProps = {
   onCreateAgent?: () => void | Promise<void>;
   onCreateChannel?: () => void | Promise<void>;
   suggestionChannels?: Channel[];
+  unreadChannelIds?: ReadonlySet<string>;
   scopeFocusRequest?: number;
   variant?: "bar" | "icon";
 };
 
-const MAX_SEARCH_SUGGESTIONS = 4;
 const SEARCH_RESULT_LIMIT = 40;
+const EMPTY_UNREAD_CHANNEL_IDS: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set();
 const SEARCH_SECTION_TITLE_CLASS =
   "px-2.5 pb-1.5 pt-2 text-xs font-medium text-muted-foreground/70";
 const SEARCH_RESULT_SECTION_ORDER = [
@@ -301,40 +306,6 @@ function groupSearchResults(results: SearchResult[]): SearchResultSection[] {
   });
 }
 
-function getSuggestedSearchResults(channels: Channel[]) {
-  return channels
-    .filter(
-      (channel) =>
-        !channel.archivedAt &&
-        (channel.isMember || channel.channelType === "dm"),
-    )
-    .sort((a, b) => {
-      const activityDiff =
-        getChannelActivityTime(b) - getChannelActivityTime(a);
-      if (activityDiff !== 0) {
-        return activityDiff;
-      }
-
-      const typeRank = (channel: Channel) =>
-        channel.channelType === "dm"
-          ? 0
-          : channel.channelType === "stream"
-            ? 1
-            : 2;
-      const rankDiff = typeRank(a) - typeRank(b);
-      if (rankDiff !== 0) {
-        return rankDiff;
-      }
-
-      return a.name.localeCompare(b.name);
-    })
-    .slice(0, MAX_SEARCH_SUGGESTIONS)
-    .map((channel) => ({
-      kind: "channel" as const,
-      channel,
-    }));
-}
-
 const searchSkeletonRows = [
   {
     iconShape: "rounded-md",
@@ -406,6 +377,7 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
   onCreateChannel,
   scopeFocusRequest = 0,
   suggestionChannels,
+  unreadChannelIds = EMPTY_UNREAD_CHANNEL_IDS,
   variant = "bar",
 }: TopbarSearchProps) {
   const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = React.useState(false);
@@ -449,9 +421,13 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
   const currentPubkeyNormalized =
     currentPubkey && normalizePubkey(currentPubkey);
   const hasScopeAction = Boolean(currentChannel && !scopeChannel);
-  const suggestedResults = React.useMemo(
-    () => getSuggestedSearchResults(suggestionChannels ?? channels),
-    [channels, suggestionChannels],
+  const { suggestedResults, unreadResults } = React.useMemo(
+    () =>
+      getSuggestedSearchResults(
+        suggestionChannels ?? channels,
+        unreadChannelIds,
+      ),
+    [channels, suggestionChannels, unreadChannelIds],
   );
   const suggestionActionResults = React.useMemo(() => {
     const actions: SearchResult[] = [];
@@ -489,8 +465,8 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
     return actions;
   }, [onBrowseChannels, onCreateAgent, onCreateChannel]);
   const suggestionResults = React.useMemo(
-    () => [...suggestedResults, ...suggestionActionResults],
-    [suggestedResults, suggestionActionResults],
+    () => [...unreadResults, ...suggestedResults, ...suggestionActionResults],
+    [unreadResults, suggestedResults, suggestionActionResults],
   );
   const minimumQueryLength = getMinimumSearchQueryLength(scopeChannelId);
   const isShowingSuggestions =
@@ -526,10 +502,17 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
   const openSearchDialog = React.useCallback(
     (nextScopeChannelId: string | null = null) => {
       setScopeChannelId(nextScopeChannelId);
-      setSelectedMenuIndex(0);
+      setSelectedMenuIndex(
+        nextScopeChannelId
+          ? 0
+          : getInitialSearchSelection({
+              hasLeadingAction: hasScopeAction,
+              hasUnreadChannels: unreadResults.length > 0,
+            }),
+      );
       openNextFrame(() => setIsOpen(true));
     },
-    [openNextFrame],
+    [hasScopeAction, openNextFrame, unreadResults.length],
   );
 
   const handleSearchOpenChange = React.useCallback(
@@ -849,8 +832,16 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
 
             return (
               <>
+                {unreadResults.length > 0 ? (
+                  <div data-search-section="unread">
+                    <div className={SEARCH_SECTION_TITLE_CLASS}>Unread</div>
+                    {unreadResults.map((result) =>
+                      renderSearchResultRow(result, resultIndex++),
+                    )}
+                  </div>
+                ) : null}
                 {suggestedResults.length > 0 ? (
-                  <div>
+                  <div data-search-section="recent-activity">
                     <div className={SEARCH_SECTION_TITLE_CLASS}>
                       Recent activity
                     </div>
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/search/ui/topbarSearchSuggestions.test.mjs b/desktop/src/features/search/ui/topbarSearchSuggestions.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c6a8090605
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/search/ui/topbarSearchSuggestions.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+import {
+  getInitialSearchSelection,
+  getSuggestedChannels,
+} from "./topbarSearchSuggestions.ts";
+
+function channel(id, options = {}) {
+  return {
+    archivedAt: null,
+    channelType: "stream",
+    description: "",
+    id,
+    isMember: true,
+    lastMessageAt: null,
+    name: id,
+    ...options,
+  };
+}
+
+test("unread conversations come before recent conversations in activity order", () => {
+  const channels = [
+    channel("recent", { lastMessageAt: "2026-08-24T12:00:00Z" }),
+    channel("older-unread", { lastMessageAt: "2026-08-24T10:00:00Z" }),
+    channel("newer-unread", { lastMessageAt: "2026-08-24T11:00:00Z" }),
+  ];
+
+  const result = getSuggestedChannels(
+    channels,
+    new Set(["older-unread", "newer-unread"]),
+  );
+
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    result.unreadChannels.map(({ id }) => id),
+    ["newer-unread", "older-unread"],
+  );
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    result.recentChannels.map(({ id }) => id),
+    ["recent"],
+  );
+});
+
+test("all unread conversations remain visible while recent results stay capped", () => {
+  const channels = Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_, index) =>
+    channel(`channel-${index}`, {
+      lastMessageAt: `2026-08-24T${String(index).padStart(2, "0")}:00:00Z`,
+    }),
+  );
+
+  const result = getSuggestedChannels(
+    channels,
+    new Set(channels.slice(0, 6).map(({ id }) => id)),
+  );
+
+  assert.equal(result.unreadChannels.length, 6);
+  assert.equal(result.recentChannels.length, 4);
+});
+
+test("archived and unjoined non-DM conversations are omitted", () => {
+  const result = getSuggestedChannels(
+    [
+      channel("archived", { archivedAt: "2026-08-24T12:00:00Z" }),
+      channel("unjoined", { isMember: false }),
+      channel("dm", { channelType: "dm", isMember: false }),
+    ],
+    new Set(["archived", "unjoined", "dm"]),
+  );
+
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    result.unreadChannels.map(({ id }) => id),
+    ["dm"],
+  );
+});
+
+test("the first unread row is selected even when a scope action leads the menu", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    getInitialSearchSelection({
+      hasLeadingAction: true,
+      hasUnreadChannels: true,
+    }),
+    1,
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    getInitialSearchSelection({
+      hasLeadingAction: true,
+      hasUnreadChannels: false,
+    }),
+    0,
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    getInitialSearchSelection({
+      hasLeadingAction: false,
+      hasUnreadChannels: true,
+    }),
+    0,
+  );
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/search/ui/topbarSearchSuggestions.ts b/desktop/src/features/search/ui/topbarSearchSuggestions.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..733f4e9c32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/search/ui/topbarSearchSuggestions.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import type { Channel } from "@/shared/api/types";
+
+export const MAX_RECENT_SEARCH_SUGGESTIONS = 4;
+
+function getChannelActivityTime(channel: Channel) {
+  if (!channel.lastMessageAt) return 0;
+
+  const timestamp = Date.parse(channel.lastMessageAt);
+  return Number.isFinite(timestamp) ? timestamp : 0;
+}
+
+function channelTypeRank(channel: Channel) {
+  return channel.channelType === "dm"
+    ? 0
+    : channel.channelType === "stream"
+      ? 1
+      : 2;
+}
+
+function compareSuggestedChannels(a: Channel, b: Channel) {
+  const activityDiff = getChannelActivityTime(b) - getChannelActivityTime(a);
+  if (activityDiff !== 0) return activityDiff;
+
+  const rankDiff = channelTypeRank(a) - channelTypeRank(b);
+  if (rankDiff !== 0) return rankDiff;
+
+  return a.name.localeCompare(b.name);
+}
+
+export function getSuggestedChannels(
+  channels: Channel[],
+  unreadChannelIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+) {
+  const eligibleChannels = channels.filter(
+    (channel) =>
+      !channel.archivedAt && (channel.isMember || channel.channelType === "dm"),
+  );
+  const unreadChannels = eligibleChannels
+    .filter((channel) => unreadChannelIds.has(channel.id))
+    .sort(compareSuggestedChannels);
+  const recentChannels = eligibleChannels
+    .filter((channel) => !unreadChannelIds.has(channel.id))
+    .sort(compareSuggestedChannels)
+    .slice(0, MAX_RECENT_SEARCH_SUGGESTIONS);
+
+  return { recentChannels, unreadChannels };
+}
+
+export function getSuggestedSearchResults(
+  channels: Channel[],
+  unreadChannelIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+) {
+  const { recentChannels, unreadChannels } = getSuggestedChannels(
+    channels,
+    unreadChannelIds,
+  );
+  const toResult = (channel: Channel) => ({
+    kind: "channel" as const,
+    channel,
+  });
+
+  return {
+    suggestedResults: recentChannels.map(toResult),
+    unreadResults: unreadChannels.map(toResult),
+  };
+}
+
+export function getInitialSearchSelection({
+  hasLeadingAction,
+  hasUnreadChannels,
+}: {
+  hasLeadingAction: boolean;
+  hasUnreadChannels: boolean;
+}) {
+  return hasUnreadChannels && hasLeadingAction ? 1 : 0;
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebar.tsx b/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebar.tsx
index 6ca36bdc84..5937b6106b 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebar.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebar.tsx
@@ -477,6 +477,7 @@ export function AppSidebar({
           searchFocusRequest={searchFocusRequests[0]}
           scopeSearchFocusRequest={searchFocusRequests[1]}
           suggestionChannels={channels}
+          unreadChannelIds={unreadChannelIds}
         />
 
         <div
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebarPinnedHeader.tsx b/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebarPinnedHeader.tsx
index 1e0db29cac..f793b61dcc 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebarPinnedHeader.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebarPinnedHeader.tsx
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ type AppSidebarPinnedHeaderProps = {
   searchFocusRequest: number;
   scopeSearchFocusRequest: number;
   suggestionChannels: Channel[];
+  unreadChannelIds: ReadonlySet<string>;
 };
 
 type AppSidebarPrimaryMenuProps = {
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ export function AppSidebarPinnedHeader({
   searchFocusRequest,
   scopeSearchFocusRequest,
   suggestionChannels,
+  unreadChannelIds,
 }: AppSidebarPinnedHeaderProps) {
   return (
     <div
@@ -83,6 +85,7 @@ export function AppSidebarPinnedHeader({
         onCreateChannel={onCreateChannel}
         scopeFocusRequest={scopeSearchFocusRequest}
         suggestionChannels={suggestionChannels}
+        unreadChannelIds={unreadChannelIds}
       />
     </div>
   );
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/smoke.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/smoke.spec.ts
index 14fc299e9b..dedc402cf8 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/smoke.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/smoke.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 import { expect, test } from "@playwright/test";
 
-import { installMockBridge, openCreateChannelDialog } from "../helpers/bridge";
+import {
+  installMockBridge,
+  openCreateChannelDialog,
+  TEST_IDENTITIES,
+} from "../helpers/bridge";
 
 async function getTimelineMetrics(page: import("@playwright/test").Page) {
   return page.getByTestId("message-timeline").evaluate((element) => {
@@ -63,6 +67,23 @@ async function focusSidebarSearchWithShortcut(
   await expect(page.getByTestId("search-dialog-input")).toBeFocused();
 }
 
+async function waitForMockLiveSubscription(
+  page: import("@playwright/test").Page,
+  channelName: string,
+) {
+  await expect
+    .poll(() =>
+      page.evaluate(
+        (name) =>
+          window.__BUZZ_E2E_HAS_MOCK_LIVE_SUBSCRIPTION__?.({
+            channelName: name,
+          }) ?? false,
+        channelName,
+      ),
+    )
+    .toBe(true);
+}
+
 async function expectHomeView(page: import("@playwright/test").Page) {
   await expect(page.getByTestId("home-inbox-list")).toBeVisible();
 }
@@ -379,6 +400,45 @@ test("opens channel matches from search", async ({ page }) => {
   await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("engineering");
 });
 
+test("Cmd+K bubbles unread conversations to the top and Enter opens the first", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-random").click();
+  await waitForMockLiveSubscription(page, "random");
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-general").click();
+
+  await page.evaluate((pubkey) => {
+    window.__BUZZ_E2E_EMIT_MOCK_MESSAGE__?.({
+      channelName: "random",
+      content: "Unread shortcut from Cmd+K",
+      kind: 40002,
+      pubkey,
+    });
+  }, TEST_IDENTITIES.alice.pubkey);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("channel-random")).toHaveCSS(
+    "font-weight",
+    "700",
+  );
+
+  await focusSidebarSearchWithShortcut(page);
+
+  const unreadSection = page.locator('[data-search-section="unread"]');
+  const firstUnread = unreadSection.locator(".search-result-row").first();
+  await expect(unreadSection).toContainText("Unread");
+  await expect(firstUnread).toHaveAttribute(
+    "data-testid",
+    "search-result-channel-9dae0116-799b-5071-a0a8-fdd30a91a35d",
+  );
+  await expect(firstUnread).toHaveAttribute("aria-selected", "true");
+
+  await page.keyboard.press("Enter");
+  await expect(page).toHaveURL(
+    /#\/channels\/9dae0116-799b-5071-a0a8-fdd30a91a35d$/,
+  );
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("random");
+});
+
 test("global search offers an optional current-channel scope", async ({
   page,
 }) => {