diff --git a/app/src/components/OtherSearchView.test.js b/app/src/components/OtherSearchView.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a0b2ea37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/components/OtherSearchView.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import {act, render, screen} from '../test-utils';
+import {OtherSearchView} from './Search';
+import {searchChannels} from '../api';
+
+// What the search page's Other tab shows for each state of useSearchChannels.  "No Channels"
+// must only appear once the server has confirmed there are none.
+
+jest.mock('../api', () => ({
+    ...jest.requireActual('../api'),
+    searchChannels: jest.fn(),
+}));
+
+const NO_CHANNELS = /No Channels/;
+
+beforeEach(() => searchChannels.mockReset());
+
+test('pending: shows a loader, not "No Channels"', () => {
+    searchChannels.mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {
+    }));
+    const {container} = render(<OtherSearchView loading={false}/>);
+    expect(container.querySelector('.wrolpi-loading')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(NO_CHANNELS)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+});
+
+test('failed: shows an error, not "No Channels"', async () => {
+    searchChannels.mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    const spy = jest.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {
+    });
+    try {
+        render(<OtherSearchView loading={false}/>);
+        await act(async () => {
+        });
+        expect(screen.getByText(/Could not fetch the channels/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(screen.queryByText(NO_CHANNELS)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    } finally {
+        spy.mockRestore();
+    }
+});
+
+test('empty: shows "No Channels"', async () => {
+    searchChannels.mockResolvedValue({channels: []});
+    render(<OtherSearchView loading={false}/>);
+    await act(async () => {
+    });
+    expect(screen.getByText(NO_CHANNELS)).toBeInTheDocument();
+});
+
+test('loaded: lists the channels', async () => {
+    searchChannels.mockResolvedValue({channels: [{id: 1, name: 'Cooking'}]});
+    render(<OtherSearchView loading={false}/>);
+    await act(async () => {
+    });
+    expect(screen.getByText('Cooking')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(NO_CHANNELS)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+});
diff --git a/app/src/components/Search.js b/app/src/components/Search.js
index c064b848..96abca9a 100644
--- a/app/src/components/Search.js
+++ b/app/src/components/Search.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {ShortcutHint} from "./ShortcutHint";
 import {ZimSearchView} from "./Zim";
 import {MapSearchView} from "./MapSearchView";
 import {searchEstimateFiles, searchEstimateMap, searchEstimateOthers, searchEstimateZims, searchSuggestions} from "../api";
-import {filterToMimetypes, fuzzyMatch, normalizeEstimate, SearchResultsInput, TabLinks} from "./Common";
+import {ErrorMessage, filterToMimetypes, fuzzyMatch, normalizeEstimate, SearchResultsInput, TabLinks} from "./Common";
 import _ from "lodash";
 import {TagsContext} from "../Tags";
 import {Accordion, Header, Icon, Label, Loading, Panel, Stack} from "./ui";
@@ -541,14 +541,17 @@ function SearchChannelPreview({channel}) {
     </div>
 }
 
-function OtherSearchView({loading}) {
+// `channels` follows useSearchChannels: null = pending, undefined = fetch failed, [] = none.
+export function OtherSearchView({loading}) {
     const {searchParams} = React.useContext(QueryContext);
     const [activeValue, setActiveValue] = React.useState('channels');
     const activeTags = searchParams.getAll('tag');
     const {channels, loading: channelsLoading} = useSearchChannels(activeTags);
 
-    if (loading || channelsLoading) {
+    if (loading || channelsLoading || channels === null) {
         return <Panel><Loading/></Panel>
+    } else if (channels === undefined) {
+        return <Panel><ErrorMessage>Could not fetch the channels.</ErrorMessage></Panel>
     }
 
     return <Accordion value={activeValue} onChange={setActiveValue}>
diff --git a/app/src/hooks/customHooks.js b/app/src/hooks/customHooks.js
index e54ae984..668aab21 100644
--- a/app/src/hooks/customHooks.js
+++ b/app/src/hooks/customHooks.js
@@ -2079,16 +2079,31 @@ export const useCalcQuery = () => {
 
 export const useSearchChannels = (defaultTagNames) => {
     const [tagNames, setTagNames] = useState(defaultTagNames || []);
-    const [channels, setChannels] = useState([]);
-    const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
+    // null = pending, undefined = fetch failed, [] = no channels.  A search starts on mount, so the
+    // first render is already loading; consumers must never see [] for a search that has not run.
+    const [channels, setChannels] = useState(null);
+    const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);
+    // Only the newest request may write state; a slow response for previous tags is dropped.
+    const requestGen = useRef(0);
 
     const localSearchChannels = async () => {
+        const gen = ++requestGen.current;
+        setChannels(null);
         setLoading(true);
         try {
             const {channels: newChannels} = await searchChannels(tagNames);
-            setChannels(newChannels);
+            if (gen === requestGen.current) {
+                setChannels(newChannels || []);
+            }
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.error(e);
+            if (gen === requestGen.current) {
+                setChannels(undefined);
+            }
         } finally {
-            setLoading(false);
+            if (gen === requestGen.current) {
+                setLoading(false);
+            }
         }
     };
 
diff --git a/app/src/hooks/customHooks.test.js b/app/src/hooks/customHooks.test.js
index 9c010598..707a5b63 100644
--- a/app/src/hooks/customHooks.test.js
+++ b/app/src/hooks/customHooks.test.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import {act, renderHook} from '@testing-library/react';
 import {render, screen} from '../test-utils';
-import {usePages, useDriveTemperature, useDriveHealth, useVideoExtras} from './customHooks';
-import {getVideoComments, getVideoDescription} from '../api';
+import {usePages, useDriveTemperature, useDriveHealth, useSearchChannels, useVideoExtras} from './customHooks';
+import {getVideoComments, getVideoDescription, searchChannels} from '../api';
 import {QueryContext, StatusContext} from '../contexts/contexts';
 import {Paginator} from '../components/Common';
 
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ jest.mock('../api', () => ({
     ...jest.requireActual('../api'),
     getVideoComments: jest.fn(),
     getVideoDescription: jest.fn(),
+    searchChannels: jest.fn(),
 }));
 
 // Mock Media so Paginator renders both mobile + tablet variants synchronously.
@@ -441,3 +442,67 @@ describe('useVideoExtras', () => {
         expect(result.current.description).toBe('edited');
     });
 });
+
+describe('useSearchChannels', () => {
+    // State contract: null = pending, undefined = fetch failed, [] = no channels.  The Other tab
+    // shows "No Channels" only for the last of those; `loading` is true from the first render.
+    beforeEach(() => searchChannels.mockReset());
+
+    test('is loading with no channels on the first render', () => {
+        searchChannels.mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {
+        }));
+        const {result} = renderHook(() => useSearchChannels(['a']));
+        expect(result.current.loading).toBe(true);
+        expect(result.current.channels).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    test('resolves to the channels and stops loading', async () => {
+        searchChannels.mockResolvedValue({channels: [{id: 1, name: 'One'}]});
+        const {result} = renderHook(() => useSearchChannels(['a']));
+        await act(async () => {
+        });
+        expect(searchChannels).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['a']);
+        expect(result.current.channels).toEqual([{id: 1, name: 'One'}]);
+        expect(result.current.loading).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    test('a failed fetch yields undefined, not "no channels"', async () => {
+        // The api helper returns undefined on a non-OK response, which the hook cannot destructure.
+        searchChannels.mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+        const spy = jest.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {
+        });
+        try {
+            const {result} = renderHook(() => useSearchChannels(['a']));
+            await act(async () => {
+            });
+            expect(result.current.channels).toBeUndefined();
+            expect(result.current.loading).toBe(false);
+        } finally {
+            spy.mockRestore();
+        }
+    });
+
+    test('changing tags resets to pending, and a slow response for the old tags is dropped', async () => {
+        let resolveOld;
+        searchChannels.mockReturnValueOnce(new Promise(res => resolveOld = res));
+        const {result} = renderHook(() => useSearchChannels(['old']));
+        expect(result.current.loading).toBe(true);
+
+        searchChannels.mockResolvedValue({channels: [{id: 2, name: 'New'}]});
+        act(() => {
+            result.current.setTagNames(['new']);
+        });
+        expect(result.current.channels).toBeNull();
+        expect(result.current.loading).toBe(true);
+        await act(async () => {
+        });
+        expect(result.current.channels).toEqual([{id: 2, name: 'New'}]);
+        expect(result.current.loading).toBe(false);
+
+        await act(async () => {
+            resolveOld({channels: [{id: 1, name: 'Old'}]});
+        });
+        expect(result.current.channels).toEqual([{id: 2, name: 'New'}]);
+        expect(result.current.loading).toBe(false);
+    });
+});