diff --git a/lib/Db/CacheActorsRequest.php b/lib/Db/CacheActorsRequest.php
index 7899f768..c5148d77 100644
--- a/lib/Db/CacheActorsRequest.php
+++ b/lib/Db/CacheActorsRequest.php
@@ -211,11 +211,11 @@ class CacheActorsRequest extends CacheActorsRequestBuilder {
 	 */
 	public function searchAccounts(string $search): array {
 		$qb = $this->getCacheActorsSelectSql();
-		$this->searchInAccount($qb, $search);
+		$qb->searchInAccount($search);
 		/** @var SocialQueryBuilder $qb */
 		$qb->leftJoinCacheDocuments('icon_id');
 		$this->leftJoinDetails($qb);
-		$this->limitResults($qb, 25);
+		$qb->limitResults(25);
 
 		return $this->getCacheActorsFromRequest($qb);
 	}
diff --git a/lib/Service/SearchService.php b/lib/Service/SearchService.php
index 094d4064..16e41c19 100644
--- a/lib/Service/SearchService.php
+++ b/lib/Service/SearchService.php
@@ -83,21 +83,18 @@ class SearchService {
 	 * @return Person[]
 	 */
 	public function searchAccounts(string $search): array {
-		$result = [];
 		$type = $this->getTypeFromSearch($search);
 
 		if ($search === '' || !$type & self::SEARCH_ACCOUNTS) {
-			return $result;
+			return [];
 		}
 
-		if (substr($search, 0, 1) === '@') {
-			$search = substr($search, 1);
-		}
+		$search = ltrim($search, '@');
 
 		try {
+			// search and cache eventual exact account first
 			$this->cacheActorService->getFromAccount($search);
 		} catch (Exception $e) {
-			$this->logger->notice('searchAccounts', ['exception' => $e, 'search' => $search]);
 		}
 
 		return $this->cacheActorService->searchCachedAccounts($search);