diff --git a/frontend/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx b/frontend/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx
index 78886f2..9135762 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ interface CommandPaletteProps {
 
 interface Searchable {
   searchText: string;
+  keyText?: string;
 }
 
 interface SearchableContact extends Searchable {
@@ -106,7 +107,9 @@ function filterList<T extends Searchable>(items: T[], query: string): T[] {
   if (!query) return items.slice(0, MAX_PER_GROUP);
   const results: T[] = [];
   for (const item of items) {
-    if (fuzzyMatch(item.searchText, query)) {
+    const nameMatch = fuzzyMatch(item.searchText, query);
+    const keyMatch = item.keyText ? item.keyText.startsWith(query) : false;
+    if (nameMatch || keyMatch) {
       results.push(item);
       if (results.length >= MAX_PER_GROUP) break;
     }
@@ -159,7 +162,8 @@ export function CommandPalette({
       const entry: SearchableContact = {
         contact: c,
         displayName,
-        searchText: `${displayName} ${c.public_key}`.toLowerCase(),
+        searchText: displayName.toLowerCase(),
+        keyText: c.public_key.toLowerCase(),
       };
       if (c.type === CONTACT_TYPE_REPEATER) {
         (c.favorite ? fr : rp).push(entry);
@@ -174,7 +178,8 @@ export function CommandPalette({
     for (const ch of channels) {
       const entry: SearchableChannel = {
         channel: ch,
-        searchText: `${ch.name} ${ch.key}`.toLowerCase(),
+        searchText: ch.name.toLowerCase(),
+        keyText: ch.key.toLowerCase(),
       };
       (ch.favorite ? fch : rch).push(entry);
     }
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
index 084e1e5..add9e02 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ export function Sidebar({
     () =>
       query
         ? sortedChannels.filter(
-            (c) => c.name.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.key.toLowerCase().includes(query)
+            (c) => c.name.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.key.toLowerCase().startsWith(query)
           )
         : sortedChannels,
     [sortedChannels, query]
@@ -374,7 +374,8 @@ export function Sidebar({
     const visible = sortedNonRepeaterContacts.filter((c) => !isContactBlocked(c));
     return query
       ? visible.filter(
-          (c) => c.name?.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.public_key.toLowerCase().includes(query)
+          (c) =>
+            c.name?.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.public_key.toLowerCase().startsWith(query)
         )
       : visible;
   }, [sortedNonRepeaterContacts, query, isContactBlocked]);
@@ -383,7 +384,8 @@ export function Sidebar({
     const visible = sortedRooms.filter((c) => !isContactBlocked(c));
     return query
       ? visible.filter(
-          (c) => c.name?.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.public_key.toLowerCase().includes(query)
+          (c) =>
+            c.name?.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.public_key.toLowerCase().startsWith(query)
         )
       : visible;
   }, [sortedRooms, query, isContactBlocked]);
@@ -392,7 +394,8 @@ export function Sidebar({
     const visible = sortedRepeaters.filter((c) => !isContactBlocked(c));
     return query
       ? visible.filter(
-          (c) => c.name?.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.public_key.toLowerCase().includes(query)
+          (c) =>
+            c.name?.toLowerCase().includes(query) || c.public_key.toLowerCase().startsWith(query)
         )
       : visible;
   }, [sortedRepeaters, query, isContactBlocked]);
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/TracePane.tsx b/frontend/src/components/TracePane.tsx
index 871923b..e1cf4c5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/TracePane.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/TracePane.tsx
@@ -224,8 +224,8 @@ export function TracePane({ contacts, config, onRunTracePath }: TracePaneProps)
     const matching = query
       ? repeaters.filter(
           (contact) =>
-            contact.public_key.toLowerCase().includes(query) ||
-            (contact.name ?? '').toLowerCase().includes(query)
+            (contact.name ?? '').toLowerCase().includes(query) ||
+            contact.public_key.toLowerCase().startsWith(query)
         )
       : repeaters;