diff --git a/.github/workflows/ios-sim.yml b/.github/workflows/ios-sim.yml
index 5d44162369..9b69d249b3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ios-sim.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ios-sim.yml
@@ -273,6 +273,14 @@ jobs:
         timeout-minutes: 30
         run: scripts/ci/ios-sim/backend.sh start ~/Downloads/${{ env.BACKEND_PKG }} "$RUNNER_TEMP/backend"
 
+      - name: Point the app at the test directory
+        if: env.START_BACKEND == 'true'
+        run: |
+          link=$(cat "$RUNNER_TEMP/backend/directory-link")
+          file=apps/ios/Shared/Model/DirectorySearch.swift
+          sed -i '' "s|^let DIRECTORY_SERVICE_LINK = \".*\"$|let DIRECTORY_SERVICE_LINK = \"$link\"|" "$file"
+          grep -F "let DIRECTORY_SERVICE_LINK = \"$link\"" "$file"
+
       - name: Build app
         run: |
           xcodebuild build -quiet \
@@ -294,6 +302,8 @@ jobs:
         run: scripts/ci/ios-sim/install-axe.sh
 
       - name: Run smoke test
+        env:
+          BACKEND_DIR: ${{ env.START_BACKEND == 'true' && format('{0}/backend', runner.temp) || '' }}
         run: scripts/ci/ios-sim/smoke-test.sh "$RUNNER_TEMP/DerivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/SimpleX.app" "$RUNNER_TEMP/smoke-test"
 
       - name: Install Claude Code
diff --git a/scripts/ci/ios-sim/smoke-test.sh b/scripts/ci/ios-sim/smoke-test.sh
index e9e245a1ab..173b464e45 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/ios-sim/smoke-test.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci/ios-sim/smoke-test.sh
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 # Installs the app in a new iPhone simulator and runs the scripted UI cases with the ui helper: onboarding to the
 # chat list with the one-hand UI (the default), then the chat list again with the top bar. It leaves the app in the one-hand UI.
+# With BACKEND_DIR, the work dir of the running test backend, it then searches the test directory, whose results
+# must show their avatars and have the Directory header above them in both layouts; then, with a joined channel,
+# the chat list's cards must show while typing and hide under the results; and "Show more" must be disabled while
+# its page loads (a screenshot shows its colour).
 # Usage: scripts/ci/ios-sim/smoke-test.sh <path to SimpleX.app> <output dir>
 # Each step saves a screenshot and an accessibility tree to the output dir and prints the tree to the log.
 # Later steps of the job get SIM_UDID and UI_OUT, with the simulator still running.
@@ -11,6 +15,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 app=$1
 export UI_OUT=$2
 bundle_id=chat.simplex.app
+search_text="ci seed"
 ui=$(dirname "$0")/ui
 mkdir -p "$UI_OUT"
 
@@ -85,6 +90,111 @@ expect_chat_list() {
   echo "in the $1 layout the chat list shows the onboarding pages and the toolbar"
 }
 
+# the y of the first element with exactly this label
+element_y() {
+  local tree
+  tree=$("$ui" tree)
+  grep -F "\"$1\" value=" <<< "$tree" | head -n 1 | sed -E 's/.* at [0-9-]+,([0-9-]+) .*/\1/'
+}
+
+expect_header_above_results() {
+  local header group channel
+  header=$(element_y Directory)
+  group=$(element_y "#ci_group")
+  channel=$(element_y "#ci_channel")
+  if [ -z "$header" ] || [ -z "$group" ] || [ -z "$channel" ] || [ "$header" -ge "$group" ] || [ "$header" -ge "$channel" ]; then
+    echo "error: in the $1 layout the Directory header (y=$header) is not above its results (#ci_group y=$group, #ci_channel y=$channel)"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  echo "in the $1 layout the Directory header (y=$header) is above its results (#ci_group y=$group, #ci_channel y=$channel)"
+}
+
+# a result without an avatar shows a placeholder icon labelled with its symbol name; an avatar image has no label
+expect_avatars() {
+  local tree
+  tree=$("$ui" tree)
+  if grep -qE '"(person\.2|antenna\.radiowaves\.left\.and\.right)\.circle\.fill"' <<< "$tree"; then
+    echo "error: in the $1 layout a directory result shows the placeholder icon, not its avatar"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  echo "in the $1 layout #ci_group and #ci_channel show their avatars"
+}
+
+type_search() {
+  "$ui" tap-value "Search or paste SimpleX link"
+  "$ui" type "$1"
+  sleep 2
+}
+
+# the alert asks before every search, as the first search chose "Search", not "Search and don't show again"
+search_directory() {
+  "$ui" tap "Search in Directory"
+  if "$ui" wait "Search in Directory?" 10; then
+    "$ui" tap "Search"
+  fi
+  "$ui" wait "$1" 60
+}
+
+# "Cancel" exists only while the field is focused; the keyboard may have capitalized the typed text
+clear_search() {
+  local text
+  text=$("$ui" tree | sed -nE 's/^TextField null value="(.*)" at .*/\1/p' | head -n 1)
+  "$ui" tap-value "$text"
+  "$ui" tap Cancel
+}
+
+# the first launch with more than two chats asks to turn on SimpleX Lock (laNoticeAlert in ContentView.swift)
+dismiss_lock_notice() {
+  if "$ui" wait "SimpleX Lock" 10; then
+    "$ui" tap Cancel
+  fi
+}
+
+cards=("New 1-time link" "Paste link / Scan" "Bottom bar")
+# shown only in the US
+banner="Invest in SimpleX Chat!"
+
+shown_cards() {
+  local tree label
+  tree=$("$ui" tree)
+  for label in "${cards[@]}" "$banner"; do
+    if grep -qF "\"$label\"" <<< "$tree"; then
+      echo "$label"
+    fi
+  done
+}
+
+expect_cards_hidden_by_results() {
+  local typing results cleared label
+  type_search "$search_text"
+  "$ui" shot "cards-typing-$1"
+  typing=$(shown_cards)
+  for label in "${cards[@]}"; do
+    if ! grep -qxF "$label" <<< "$typing"; then
+      echo "error: in the $1 layout the chat list does not show \"$label\" while typing"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+  done
+  search_directory "#ci_channel"
+  "$ui" shot "cards-results-$1"
+  results=$(shown_cards)
+  if [ -n "$results" ]; then
+    echo "error: in the $1 layout the directory results are shown with cards: $(paste -sd ',' - <<< "$results")"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  expect_header_above_results "$1 (chat list)"
+  expect_avatars "$1 (chat list)"
+  clear_search
+  sleep 2
+  "$ui" shot "cards-cleared-$1"
+  cleared=$(shown_cards)
+  if [ "$cleared" != "$typing" ]; then
+    echo "error: in the $1 layout clearing the search brought back \"$(paste -sd ',' - <<< "$cleared")\", not \"$(paste -sd ',' - <<< "$typing")\""
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  echo "in the $1 layout the cards ($(paste -sd ',' - <<< "$typing")) show while typing, are hidden under the results and come back when the search is cleared"
+}
+
 xcrun simctl install "$SIM_UDID" "$app"
 xcrun simctl launch "$SIM_UDID" "$bundle_id"
 
@@ -121,4 +231,72 @@ expect_chat_list reachable
 "$ui" shot chat-list-top
 expect_chat_list top
 "$ui" layout reachable
-echo "smoke test passed: onboarding reaches the chat list, which shows its onboarding pages and toolbar with the one-hand UI and with the top bar"
+if [ -z "${BACKEND_DIR:-}" ]; then
+  echo "smoke test passed: onboarding reaches the chat list, which shows its onboarding pages and toolbar with the one-hand UI and with the top bar"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# typed text that is not a SimpleX name offers the directory
+"$ui" tap-value "Search or paste SimpleX link"
+"$ui" type "$search_text"
+sleep 2
+"$ui" shot search-typed
+# the keyboard capitalizes the first letter
+expect_in_tree -iF "\"$search_text\""
+expect_in_tree -F '"Search in Directory"'
+
+# the directory finds the seeded group and channel, after the first-search consent
+"$ui" tap "Search in Directory"
+"$ui" wait "Search in Directory?" 10
+"$ui" shot search-consent
+"$ui" tap "Search"
+if ! "$ui" wait "Join channel" 60; then
+  "$ui" shot search-failed
+  "$ui" tap "Search failed, tap to retry"
+  "$ui" wait "Join channel" 60
+fi
+"$ui" shot directory-results
+# the header alone is matched exactly: "Search in Directory" stays shown above the field
+expect_in_tree -F '"Directory"'
+expect_in_tree -F '#ci_group'
+expect_in_tree -F 'Join group'
+expect_in_tree -F '#ci_channel'
+expect_in_tree -F 'Join channel'
+expect_header_above_results reachable
+expect_avatars reachable
+
+"$ui" layout top
+type_search "$search_text"
+search_directory "Join channel"
+"$ui" shot directory-results-top
+expect_header_above_results top
+expect_avatars top
+"$ui" layout reachable
+
+# with a conversation the chat list replaces the onboarding pages, and has cards around the chats
+type_search "ci cards"
+search_directory "#ci_cards"
+"$ui" tap "#ci_cards"
+"$ui" tap "Open channel" 30
+"$ui" wait "Tap Join channel" 30
+"$ui" tap "Join channel"
+"$ui" wait "you are subscriber" 60
+"$ui" shot joined-channel
+"$ui" tap Back
+clear_search
+expect_cards_hidden_by_results reachable
+"$ui" layout top
+dismiss_lock_notice
+expect_cards_hidden_by_results top
+"$ui" layout reachable
+
+# with the directory stopped, the next page waits 10 s before it fails: long enough to see "Show more" while it loads
+type_search "ci avatar"
+search_directory "Show more"
+"$ui" directory stop
+"$ui" tap "Show more"
+"$ui" shot show-more-loading
+expect_in_tree -E '^Button "Show more" .* disabled$'
+"$ui" directory start
+clear_search
+echo "smoke test passed: onboarding reaches the chat list in both layouts; the directory search for \"$search_text\" shows #ci_group (Join group) and #ci_channel (Join channel) with their avatars and the Directory header above them; with a chat, the list's cards show while typing and hide under the results; \"Show more\" is disabled while its page loads"