diff --git a/lib/pleroma/user.ex b/lib/pleroma/user.ex
index be634a8e1..6e1d5559d 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/user.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/user.ex
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ def get_recipients_from_activity(%Activity{recipients: to}) do
     Repo.all(query)
   end
 
-  def search(query, resolve) do
+  def search(query, resolve \\ false) do
     # strip the beginning @ off if there is a query
     query = String.trim_leading(query, "@")
 
diff --git a/lib/pleroma/web/router.ex b/lib/pleroma/web/router.ex
index 5e81db00b..462369806 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/web/router.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/web/router.ex
@@ -250,7 +250,12 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.Router do
     get("/statuses/networkpublic_timeline", TwitterAPI.Controller, :public_and_external_timeline)
   end
 
-  scope "/api", Pleroma.Web do
+  scope "/api", Pleroma.Web, as: :twitter_api_search do
+    pipe_through(:api)
+    get("/pleroma/search_user", TwitterAPI.Controller, :search_user)
+  end
+
+  scope "/api", Pleroma.Web, as: :authenticated_twitter_api do
     pipe_through(:authenticated_api)
 
     get("/account/verify_credentials", TwitterAPI.Controller, :verify_credentials)
diff --git a/lib/pleroma/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller.ex b/lib/pleroma/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller.ex
index dfcafdcc9..69e576048 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller.ex
@@ -529,6 +529,13 @@ def search(%{assigns: %{user: user}} = conn, %{"q" => _query} = params) do
     |> render(ActivityView, "index.json", %{activities: activities, for: user})
   end
 
+  def search_user(%{assigns: %{user: user}} = conn, %{"query" => query}) do
+    users = User.search(query, true)
+
+    conn
+    |> render(UserView, "index.json", %{users: users, for: user})
+  end
+
   defp bad_request_reply(conn, error_message) do
     json = error_json(conn, error_message)
     json_reply(conn, 400, json)
diff --git a/test/user_test.exs b/test/user_test.exs
index 7dec3462f..231f1d94d 100644
--- a/test/user_test.exs
+++ b/test/user_test.exs
@@ -578,4 +578,16 @@ test "User.delete() plugs any possible zombie objects" do
       assert cached_user != user
     end
   end
+
+  describe "User.search" do
+    test "finds a user, ranking by similarity" do
+      user = insert(:user, %{name: "lain"})
+      user_two = insert(:user, %{name: "ean"})
+      user_three = insert(:user, %{name: "ebn", nickname: "lain@mastodon.social"})
+      user_four = insert(:user, %{nickname: "lain@pleroma.soykaf.com"})
+
+      assert user_four ==
+               User.search("lain@ple") |> List.first() |> Map.put(:search_distance, nil)
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/test/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller_test.exs b/test/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller_test.exs
index 788e3a6eb..1d45d9437 100644
--- a/test/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller_test.exs
+++ b/test/web/twitter_api/twitter_api_controller_test.exs
@@ -1211,4 +1211,20 @@ test "it denies a friend request" do
       assert relationship["follows_you"] == false
     end
   end
+
+  describe "GET /api/pleroma/search_user" do
+    test "it returns users, ordered by similarity", %{conn: conn} do
+      user = insert(:user, %{name: "eal"})
+      user_two = insert(:user, %{name: "ean"})
+      user_three = insert(:user, %{name: "ebn"})
+
+      resp =
+        conn
+        |> get(twitter_api_search__path(conn, :search_user), query: "eal")
+        |> json_response(200)
+
+      assert length(resp) == 3
+      assert [user.id, user_two.id, user_three.id] == Enum.map(resp, fn %{"id" => id} -> id end)
+    end
+  end
 end