diff --git a/app/controllers/searches_controller.rb b/app/controllers/searches_controller.rb
index 221218d..735da0c 100644
--- a/app/controllers/searches_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/searches_controller.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class SearchesController < ApplicationController
   private
     def set_messages
       if query.present?
-        @messages = Current.user.reachable_messages.search(query).with_presentation.last_page_of(100)
+        @messages = Current.user.reachable_messages.search(query).with_presentation.last_page_of_matches(100)
       else
         @messages = Message.none
       end
diff --git a/app/models/message/searchable.rb b/app/models/message/searchable.rb
index 58ea47f..749180f 100644
--- a/app/models/message/searchable.rb
+++ b/app/models/message/searchable.rb
@@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ module Message::Searchable
     scope :search, ->(query) { joins("join message_search_index idx on messages.id = idx.rowid").where("idx.body match ?", query).ordered }
   end
 
+  class_methods do
+    # Orders by the index's rowid, which is the message id, so SQLite walks the full-text index
+    # newest first and stops at the page. Ordering by created_at sorted every match before paging.
+    def last_page_of_matches(size)
+      Message::Pagination::Page.load(reorder("idx.rowid"), :last, size)
+    end
+  end
+
   private
     def create_in_index
       execute_sql_with_binds "insert into message_search_index(rowid, body) values (?, ?)", id, plain_text_body
diff --git a/test/models/message/searchable_test.rb b/test/models/message/searchable_test.rb
index d55bedf..6a8f4ab 100644
--- a/test/models/message/searchable_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/message/searchable_test.rb
@@ -20,6 +20,21 @@ class Message::SearchableTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     assert_equal messages, rooms(:designers).messages.search("cat")
   end
 
+  test "the last page of matches holds the newest ones, read off the index without sorting every match" do
+    messages = [ "first cat", "second cat", "third cat" ].map do |body|
+      rooms(:designers).messages.create! body: body, client_message_id: body, creator: users(:david)
+    end
+
+    queries = []
+    collect = ->(*, payload) { queries << payload[:sql] if payload[:sql].include?("message_search_index") }
+    page = ActiveSupport::Notifications.subscribed(collect, "sql.active_record") do
+      rooms(:designers).messages.search("cat").last_page_of_matches(2)
+    end
+
+    assert_equal messages.last(2), page
+    assert_no_match(/TEMP B-TREE/, Message.connection.select_rows("EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN #{queries.sole}").map(&:last).join(" | "))
+  end
+
   test "rich text body is converted to plain text for indexing" do
     message = rooms(:designers).messages.create! body: "<span>My hovercraft is full of eels</span>", client_message_id: "earth", creator: users(:david)