diff --git a/convex/users.test.ts b/convex/users.test.ts
index f52188dab..5ecd48514 100644
--- a/convex/users.test.ts
+++ b/convex/users.test.ts
@@ -120,12 +120,63 @@ function makeCtx() {
   };
 }
 
-function makeListCtx(users: Array<Record<string, unknown>>) {
+function makeListCtx(
+  users: Array<Record<string, unknown>>,
+  options?: {
+    publishersByHandle?: Record<string, Record<string, unknown>>;
+    usersById?: Record<string, Record<string, unknown> | null>;
+  },
+) {
   const take = vi.fn(async (n: number) => users.slice(0, n));
   const collect = vi.fn(async () => users);
   const order = vi.fn(() => ({ take, collect }));
-  const query = vi.fn(() => ({ order }));
-  const get = vi.fn();
+  const publishersByHandle = options?.publishersByHandle ?? {};
+  const usersById = options?.usersById ?? {};
+  const query = vi.fn((table: string) => {
+    if (table === "users") {
+      return {
+        order,
+        withIndex: (
+          name: string,
+          cb?: (q: { eq: (field: string, value: string) => unknown }) => unknown,
+        ) => {
+          if (name !== "handle") throw new Error(`Unexpected users index ${name}`);
+          let handle = "";
+          cb?.({
+            eq: (field: string, value: string) => {
+              if (field === "handle") handle = value;
+              return {};
+            },
+          });
+          return {
+            unique: vi.fn(async () =>
+              users.find((user) => typeof user.handle === "string" && user.handle === handle) ?? null,
+            ),
+          };
+        },
+      };
+    }
+    if (table === "publishers") {
+      return {
+        withIndex: (
+          name: string,
+          cb?: (q: { eq: (field: string, value: string) => unknown }) => unknown,
+        ) => {
+          if (name !== "by_handle") throw new Error(`Unexpected publishers index ${name}`);
+          let handle = "";
+          cb?.({
+            eq: (field: string, value: string) => {
+              if (field === "handle") handle = value;
+              return {};
+            },
+          });
+          return { unique: vi.fn(async () => publishersByHandle[handle] ?? null) };
+        },
+      };
+    }
+    throw new Error(`Unexpected table ${table}`);
+  });
+  const get = vi.fn(async (id: string): Promise<Record<string, unknown> | null> => usersById[id] ?? null);
   return {
     ctx: { db: { query, get, normalizeId: vi.fn() } } as never,
     take,
@@ -897,6 +948,81 @@ describe("users.list", () => {
     expect(result.items[0]?.handle).toBe("alice");
   });
 
+  it("includes an exact older handle match outside the bounded scan", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(requireUser).mockResolvedValue({
+      userId: "users:admin",
+      user: { _id: "users:admin", role: "admin" },
+    } as never);
+    const users = [
+      ...Array.from({ length: 500 }, (_value, index) => ({
+        _id: `users:recent-${index}`,
+        _creationTime: 10_000 - index,
+        handle: `recent-${index}`,
+        role: "user",
+      })),
+      { _id: "users:older", _creationTime: 1, handle: "alice", role: "user" },
+    ];
+    const { ctx, take, collect } = makeListCtx(users);
+    const listHandler = (
+      list as unknown as { _handler: (ctx: unknown, args: unknown) => Promise<unknown> }
+    )._handler;
+
+    const result = (await listHandler(ctx, { limit: 50, search: "alice" })) as {
+      items: Array<Record<string, unknown>>;
+      total: number;
+    };
+
+    expect(take).toHaveBeenCalledWith(500);
+    expect(collect).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(result.total).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.items[0]?._id).toBe("users:older");
+  });
+
+  it("includes an exact personal publisher handle match without a full collect", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(requireUser).mockResolvedValue({
+      userId: "users:admin",
+      user: { _id: "users:admin", role: "admin" },
+    } as never);
+    const users = [{ _id: "users:1", _creationTime: 2, handle: "alice", role: "user" }];
+    const { ctx, take, collect } = makeListCtx(users, {
+      publishersByHandle: {
+        lmlukef: {
+          _id: "publishers:lmlukef",
+          kind: "user",
+          handle: "lmlukef",
+          linkedUserId: "users:owner",
+        },
+      },
+      usersById: {
+        "users:owner": {
+          _id: "users:owner",
+          _creationTime: 1,
+          handle: "luke",
+          name: "different-gh-login",
+          displayName: "Luke",
+          role: "user",
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    const listHandler = (
+      list as unknown as { _handler: (ctx: unknown, args: unknown) => Promise<unknown> }
+    )._handler;
+
+    const result = (await listHandler(ctx, { limit: 50, search: "lmLukeF" })) as {
+      items: Array<Record<string, unknown>>;
+      total: number;
+    };
+
+    expect(take).toHaveBeenCalledWith(500);
+    expect(collect).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(result.total).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.items[0]).toMatchObject({
+      _id: "users:owner",
+      handle: "luke",
+      displayName: "Luke",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("clamps large limit and search scan size", async () => {
     vi.mocked(requireUser).mockResolvedValue({
       userId: "users:admin",
@@ -1080,7 +1206,7 @@ describe("users.searchInternal", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it("clamps limit for empty query and uses non-search path", async () => {
+  it("still caps empty-query listing and uses non-search path", async () => {
     const users = Array.from({ length: 400 }, (_value, index) => ({
       _id: `users:${index}`,
       _creationTime: 1_000 - index,
diff --git a/convex/users.ts b/convex/users.ts
index 472abde77..73a8cfc2a 100644
--- a/convex/users.ts
+++ b/convex/users.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { getAuthUserId } from "@convex-dev/auth/server";
 import { v } from "convex/values";
 import { internal } from "./_generated/api";
 import type { Doc, Id } from "./_generated/dataModel";
-import type { ActionCtx, MutationCtx } from "./_generated/server";
+import type { ActionCtx, MutationCtx, QueryCtx } from "./_generated/server";
 import { internalAction, internalMutation, internalQuery, mutation, query } from "./functions";
 import { assertAdmin, assertModerator, requireUser } from "./lib/access";
 import { syncGitHubProfile } from "./lib/githubAccount";
@@ -367,13 +367,7 @@ function computeUserSearchScanLimit(limit: number) {
 }
 
 async function queryUsersForAdminList(
-  ctx: {
-    db: {
-      query: (table: "users") => {
-        order: (order: "desc") => { take: (n: number) => Promise<Doc<"users">[]> };
-      };
-    };
-  },
+  ctx: Pick<QueryCtx, "db">,
   args: { limit: number; search?: string },
 ) {
   const normalizedSearch = normalizeSearchQuery(args.search);
@@ -386,7 +380,17 @@ async function queryUsersForAdminList(
 
   const scannedUsers = await orderedUsers.take(computeUserSearchScanLimit(args.limit));
   const result = buildUserSearchResults(scannedUsers, normalizedSearch);
-  return { items: result.items.slice(0, args.limit), total: result.total };
+  const exactHandleUser = await getUserByHandleOrPersonalPublisher(ctx, args.search);
+  const includesExactHandleUser = exactHandleUser
+    ? result.items.some((user) => user._id === exactHandleUser._id)
+    : false;
+  const items = exactHandleUser
+    ? [exactHandleUser, ...result.items.filter((user) => user._id !== exactHandleUser._id)]
+    : result.items;
+  return {
+    items: items.slice(0, args.limit),
+    total: result.total + (exactHandleUser && !includesExactHandleUser ? 1 : 0),
+  };
 }
 
 function clampInt(value: number, min: number, max: number) {
diff --git a/src/__tests__/package-detail-route.test.tsx b/src/__tests__/package-detail-route.test.tsx
index babe63c90..468d46e88 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/package-detail-route.test.tsx
+++ b/src/__tests__/package-detail-route.test.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /* @vitest-environment jsdom */
 
 import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
-import type { ComponentType } from "react";
+import type { ComponentType, ReactNode } from "react";
 import type { PackageDetailResponse, PackageVersionDetail } from "../lib/packageApi";
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ vi.mock("@tanstack/react-router", () => ({
       useParams: () => paramsMock,
       useLoaderData: () => loaderDataMock,
     }),
+  Link: (props: { children: ReactNode }) => <a href="/">{props.children}</a>,
 }));
 
 vi.mock("../lib/packageApi", () => ({
@@ -99,7 +100,7 @@ describe("plugin detail route", () => {
 
     render(<Component />);
 
-    expect(screen.getByText("No latest tag")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/Latest release:/i)).toBeNull();
     expect(screen.queryByRole("link", { name: "Download zip" })).toBeNull();
   });