diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.test.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.test.ts
index 421e79f5a0904..a853f69cc6434 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.test.ts
@@ -988,6 +988,35 @@ it.layer(layerTest)("ThreadSearch across scripts and without the index", (it) =>
   );
 });
 
+it.layer(layerTest)("ThreadSearch without the index", (it) => {
+  it.effect("finds a curly apostrophe for a straight one and back", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const projections = yield* ProjectionStore.ProjectionStoreV2;
+      const search = yield* ThreadSearch.ThreadSearch;
+      const sql = yield* SqlClient.SqlClient;
+      const project = ProjectId.make("project:scan-apostrophes");
+      const curly = ThreadId.make("thread:scan-apostrophe-curly");
+      const straight = ThreadId.make("thread:scan-apostrophe-straight");
+      yield* createProject(project);
+      yield* Effect.forEach(
+        [
+          thread(curly, project),
+          message(curly, "scan-apostrophe-curly", "user", "the gannet’s nest"),
+          thread(straight, project),
+          message(straight, "scan-apostrophe-straight", "user", "a kittiwake's nest"),
+        ],
+        projections.apply,
+        { discard: true },
+      );
+      yield* sql`DROP TABLE orchestration_v2_message_search`;
+      const threadIds = (query: string) =>
+        search.search({ query }).pipe(Effect.map(({ matches }) => matches.map((m) => m.threadId)));
+      assert.deepEqual(yield* threadIds("gannet's"), [curly]);
+      assert.deepEqual(yield* threadIds("kittiwake’s"), [straight]);
+    }),
+  );
+});
+
 it.layer(layerTest)("ThreadSearch.searchOlderSettled", (it) => {
   it.effect("returns older settled title matches in scope, then older message hits", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.ts
index d3c96a40ce2b8..e0783812e90f2 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/ThreadSearch.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
 import { threadSearchPullRequests } from "@t3tools/shared/threadPullRequests";
 import {
   indexedMessageCondition,
+  foldedMessageSearchText,
   messageSearchText,
   nonPlaceholderMessageCondition,
 } from "./messageSearchIndex.ts";
@@ -245,7 +246,7 @@ export const messageHitsQuery = (
       AND messages.message_id NOT LIKE 'async-answer:%'
       AND NOT EXISTS (
         SELECT 1 FROM json_each(${substrings}) AS token
-        WHERE instr(lower(${messageSearchText(sql)}), token.value) = 0
+        WHERE instr(lower(${foldedMessageSearchText(sql)}), token.value) = 0
       )
       AND NOT EXISTS (
         SELECT 1 FROM json_each(${shortSpellings}) AS token
diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/messageSearchIndex.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/messageSearchIndex.ts
index 87d7256b6809d..2c3342f18673c 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/messageSearchIndex.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration-v2/messageSearchIndex.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ export const readableSearchText = (text: string) => {
 export const messageSearchText = (sql: SqlClient.SqlClient) =>
   sql.literal(readableText("messages"));
 
+/** A message's readable text with apostrophes folded, as the index stores it. */
+export const foldedMessageSearchText = (sql: SqlClient.SqlClient) =>
+  sql.literal(foldApostrophes(readableText("messages")));
+
 /**
  * A message's stored text with apostrophes folded, what the index held before
  * migration 81. Migration 69's backfill uses it. `payload` is the message's