diff --git a/app/src/components/Search.js b/app/src/components/Search.js
index 96abca9a..fde58c6f 100644
--- a/app/src/components/Search.js
+++ b/app/src/components/Search.js
@@ -131,12 +131,14 @@ export const useSearch = (defaultLimit = 48, totalPages = 0, emptySearch = false
 }
 
 export function useSuggestions(searchStr, tagNames, filter, anyTag) {
+    // The general groups are null until the suggestion request returns: an empty list means the
+    // server found none, and the dropdown may say "No results" only for that.
     const defaultSuggestions = {
         fileGroups: [],
-        channels: [],
-        domains: [],
-        authors: [],
-        subjects: [],
+        channels: null,
+        domains: null,
+        authors: null,
+        subjects: null,
         zimsEstimates: [],
     }
     const [suggestions, setSuggestions] = React.useState(defaultSuggestions);
@@ -401,8 +403,8 @@ export function useSearchSuggestions(defaultSearchStr, defaultTagNames, anyTag)
             zims: zimSum,
             otherSum: otherSum,
             mapPlaces: newSuggestions.mapPlaces || 0,
-            channels: newSuggestions.channels.length,
-            domains: newSuggestions.domains.length,
+            channels: newSuggestions.channels?.length,
+            domains: newSuggestions.domains?.length,
             authors: newSuggestions.authors?.length,
             subjects: newSuggestions.subjects?.length,
             tags: matchingTags?.length,
diff --git a/app/src/components/SearchSuggestions.test.js b/app/src/components/SearchSuggestions.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..798f459d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/components/SearchSuggestions.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import {act, render, screen} from '../test-utils';
+import {useSearchSuggestions} from './Search';
+import {TagsContext} from '../Tags';
+import {tagsContextFixture} from '../test-fixtures';
+import {
+    searchEstimateFiles, searchEstimateMap, searchEstimateOthers, searchEstimateZims, searchSuggestions,
+} from '../api';
+
+// The global search dropdown's groups are built from useSuggestions.  A "Channels: No results" row
+// may only appear once the suggestion request has come back empty, never before the user has
+// typed, and never while the request is pending.
+
+jest.mock('../api', () => ({
+    ...jest.requireActual('../api'),
+    searchSuggestions: jest.fn(),
+    searchEstimateFiles: jest.fn(),
+    searchEstimateMap: jest.fn(),
+    searchEstimateOthers: jest.fn(),
+    searchEstimateZims: jest.fn(),
+}));
+
+const DEBOUNCE = 500;
+const pending = () => new Promise(() => {
+});
+
+let hook;
+
+function Probe() {
+    hook = useSearchSuggestions('', [], false);
+    return <pre data-testid='results'>{JSON.stringify(hook.suggestionsResults)}</pre>;
+}
+
+const results = () => JSON.parse(screen.getByTestId('results').textContent);
+
+const renderProbe = () => render(<Probe/>, {
+    contexts: [[TagsContext, tagsContextFixture({fuzzyMatchTagsByName: () => []})]],
+});
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.useFakeTimers();
+    searchEstimateFiles.mockReturnValue(pending());
+    searchEstimateMap.mockReturnValue(pending());
+    searchEstimateOthers.mockReturnValue(pending());
+    searchEstimateZims.mockReturnValue(pending());
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+    jest.useRealTimers();
+    jest.clearAllMocks();
+});
+
+test('no Channels group before anything has been searched', () => {
+    searchSuggestions.mockReturnValue(pending());
+    renderProbe();
+    expect(results().channels).toBeUndefined();
+});
+
+test('no Channels group while the suggestion request is pending', () => {
+    searchSuggestions.mockReturnValue(pending());
+    renderProbe();
+    act(() => {
+        hook.setSearchStr('foo');
+    });
+    expect(results().channels).toBeUndefined();
+
+    act(() => {
+        jest.advanceTimersByTime(DEBOUNCE);
+    });
+    expect(searchSuggestions).toHaveBeenCalledWith('foo');
+    expect(results().channels).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(hook.loading).toBe(true);
+});
+
+test('a Channels "No results" row once the server said there are none', async () => {
+    let resolve;
+    searchSuggestions.mockReturnValue(new Promise(res => resolve = res));
+    renderProbe();
+    act(() => {
+        hook.setSearchStr('foo');
+    });
+    act(() => {
+        jest.advanceTimersByTime(DEBOUNCE);
+    });
+    await act(async () => {
+        resolve({channels: [], domains: [], authors: [], subjects: []});
+    });
+    expect(results().channels.results).toEqual([{title: 'No results'}]);
+});
+
+test('Channels rows once the server found some', async () => {
+    let resolve;
+    searchSuggestions.mockReturnValue(new Promise(res => resolve = res));
+    renderProbe();
+    act(() => {
+        hook.setSearchStr('foo');
+    });
+    act(() => {
+        jest.advanceTimersByTime(DEBOUNCE);
+    });
+    await act(async () => {
+        resolve({channels: [{id: 3, name: 'Food'}], domains: [], authors: [], subjects: []});
+    });
+    expect(results().channels.results.map(i => i.title)).toEqual(['Food']);
+});