diff --git a/lib/providers/library_search_provider.dart b/lib/providers/library_search_provider.dart
index 3f601aca..2e702881 100644
--- a/lib/providers/library_search_provider.dart
+++ b/lib/providers/library_search_provider.dart
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import 'package:spotiflac_android/providers/local_library_provider.dart';
 import 'package:spotiflac_android/providers/settings_provider.dart';
 import 'package:spotiflac_android/services/library_database.dart';
 import 'package:spotiflac_android/services/history_database.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/services/library_playlist_search.dart';
 import 'package:spotiflac_android/services/library_search.dart';
 
 typedef LibrarySearchRequest = ({
@@ -46,26 +47,12 @@ final librarySearchProvider = FutureProvider.autoDispose
         final playlists = ref.watch(
           libraryCollectionsProvider.select((state) => state.playlists),
         );
-        final matches = playlists.where((p) => query.matches(p.name)).toList()
-          ..sort((a, b) {
-            final relevance = query.rank(a.name).compareTo(query.rank(b.name));
-            if (relevance != 0) return relevance;
-            final title = a.name.toLowerCase().compareTo(b.name.toLowerCase());
-            return title != 0 ? title : a.id.compareTo(b.id);
-          });
-        return matches
-            .skip(request.offset)
-            .take(request.limit)
-            .map((p) {
-              return LibrarySearchHit(
-                kind: LibrarySearchKind.playlists,
-                id: p.id,
-                title: p.name,
-                cover: p.coverImagePath ?? p.previewCover,
-                trackCount: p.trackCount,
-              );
-            })
-            .toList(growable: false);
+        return searchLibraryPlaylists(
+          playlists: playlists,
+          query: request.query,
+          limit: request.limit,
+          offset: request.offset,
+        );
       }
       final includeLocal = ref.watch(
         settingsProvider.select((s) => s.localLibraryEnabled),
diff --git a/lib/services/library_playlist_search.dart b/lib/services/library_playlist_search.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9dffa0c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/services/library_playlist_search.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/models/library_collections.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/services/library_search.dart';
+
+typedef PlaylistSearchEntry = ({
+  String id,
+  String name,
+  String? cover,
+  int trackCount,
+});
+
+typedef PlaylistSearchRequest = ({
+  List<PlaylistSearchEntry> entries,
+  String query,
+  int limit,
+  int offset,
+});
+
+/// Only lightweight metadata is sent to the worker, never loaded tracks or
+/// playlist membership sets. Retain just the requested ranked prefix.
+Future<List<LibrarySearchHit>> searchLibraryPlaylists({
+  required List<UserPlaylistCollection> playlists,
+  required String query,
+  required int limit,
+  required int offset,
+}) async {
+  final request = (
+    entries: [
+      for (final playlist in playlists)
+        (
+          id: playlist.id,
+          name: playlist.name,
+          cover: playlist.coverImagePath ?? playlist.previewCover,
+          trackCount: playlist.trackCount,
+        ),
+    ],
+    query: query,
+    limit: limit,
+    offset: offset,
+  );
+  if (playlists.length < 256) return rankPlaylistSearchPage(request);
+  return compute(
+    rankPlaylistSearchPage,
+    request,
+    debugLabel: 'library playlist search',
+  );
+}
+
+typedef _RankedPlaylist = ({PlaylistSearchEntry entry, String title, int rank});
+
+List<LibrarySearchHit> rankPlaylistSearchPage(PlaylistSearchRequest request) {
+  final query = LibrarySearchQuery(request.query);
+  if (query.terms.isEmpty) return const [];
+  RangeError.checkNotNegative(request.offset, 'offset');
+  RangeError.checkNotNegative(request.limit, 'limit');
+  if (request.limit == 0) return const [];
+  final capacity = request.offset + request.limit;
+  final heap = <_RankedPlaylist>[];
+  for (final entry in request.entries) {
+    final title = entry.name.toLowerCase();
+    if (!query.terms.every(title.contains)) continue;
+    final trimmed = title.trim();
+    final rank = trimmed == query.text
+        ? 0
+        : trimmed.startsWith(query.text)
+        ? 1
+        : trimmed.contains(query.text)
+        ? 2
+        : 3;
+    final candidate = (entry: entry, title: title, rank: rank);
+    if (heap.length < capacity) {
+      heap.add(candidate);
+      var child = heap.length - 1;
+      while (child > 0) {
+        final parent = (child - 1) ~/ 2;
+        if (_compareRankedPlaylists(heap[parent], candidate) >= 0) break;
+        heap[child] = heap[parent];
+        child = parent;
+      }
+      heap[child] = candidate;
+    } else if (_compareRankedPlaylists(candidate, heap.first) < 0) {
+      var parent = 0;
+      while (parent * 2 + 1 < heap.length) {
+        var child = parent * 2 + 1;
+        if (child + 1 < heap.length &&
+            _compareRankedPlaylists(heap[child + 1], heap[child]) > 0) {
+          child++;
+        }
+        if (_compareRankedPlaylists(candidate, heap[child]) >= 0) break;
+        heap[parent] = heap[child];
+        parent = child;
+      }
+      heap[parent] = candidate;
+    }
+  }
+  heap.sort(_compareRankedPlaylists);
+  return [
+    for (final candidate in heap.skip(request.offset))
+      LibrarySearchHit(
+        kind: LibrarySearchKind.playlists,
+        id: candidate.entry.id,
+        title: candidate.entry.name,
+        cover: candidate.entry.cover,
+        trackCount: candidate.entry.trackCount,
+      ),
+  ];
+}
+
+int _compareRankedPlaylists(_RankedPlaylist a, _RankedPlaylist b) {
+  final rank = a.rank.compareTo(b.rank);
+  if (rank != 0) return rank;
+  final title = a.title.compareTo(b.title);
+  return title != 0 ? title : a.entry.id.compareTo(b.entry.id);
+}
diff --git a/test/library_playlist_search_test.dart b/test/library_playlist_search_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8d91cd0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/library_playlist_search_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+import 'dart:math';
+
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/models/library_collections.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/services/library_playlist_search.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/services/library_search.dart';
+
+List<PlaylistSearchEntry> _referencePage(PlaylistSearchRequest request) {
+  final query = LibrarySearchQuery(request.query);
+  final matches =
+      request.entries.where((entry) => query.matches(entry.name)).toList()
+        ..sort((a, b) {
+          final rank = query.rank(a.name).compareTo(query.rank(b.name));
+          if (rank != 0) return rank;
+          final title = a.name.toLowerCase().compareTo(b.name.toLowerCase());
+          return title != 0 ? title : a.id.compareTo(b.id);
+        });
+  return matches.skip(request.offset).take(request.limit).toList();
+}
+
+void main() {
+  test(
+    'bounded search has identical ranking and pages across Unicode/ties',
+    () {
+      final random = Random(620);
+      const names = [
+        '  rock  ',
+        'ROCK',
+        'rock mix',
+        'my rock',
+        'mix rock',
+        'Röck café',
+        '歌 music',
+        'rock % mix',
+        'mix, rock',
+        'not a match',
+      ];
+      final entries = List.generate(
+        4000,
+        (index) => (
+          id: '$index',
+          name: names[random.nextInt(names.length)],
+          cover: 'cover-$index',
+          trackCount: index,
+        ),
+      );
+      for (final query in [
+        'rock',
+        'rock mix',
+        'mix rock',
+        'röck',
+        '歌',
+        'missing',
+      ]) {
+        for (final offset in [0, 1, 30, 400, 5000]) {
+          for (final limit in [0, 1, 40, 5000]) {
+            final request = (
+              entries: entries,
+              query: query,
+              offset: offset,
+              limit: limit,
+            );
+            final expected = _referencePage(request);
+            final actual = rankPlaylistSearchPage(request);
+            expect(
+              actual.map((hit) => hit.id),
+              expected.map((entry) => entry.id),
+            );
+            expect(
+              actual.map((hit) => hit.title),
+              expected.map((entry) => entry.name),
+            );
+            expect(
+              actual.map((hit) => hit.cover),
+              expected.map((entry) => entry.cover),
+            );
+            expect(
+              actual.map((hit) => hit.trackCount),
+              expected.map((entry) => entry.trackCount),
+            );
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
+  test(
+    'playlist worker transfers only summary and preserves cover precedence',
+    () async {
+      final playlists = List.generate(
+        300,
+        (index) => UserPlaylistCollection(
+          id: '$index',
+          name: 'Playlist $index',
+          createdAt: DateTime.utc(2026),
+          updatedAt: DateTime.utc(2026),
+          tracks: const [],
+          tracksLoaded: false,
+          trackKeys: {'example:$index'},
+          previewCover: 'preview-$index',
+          coverImagePath: index.isEven ? 'custom-$index' : null,
+        ),
+      );
+      final hits = await searchLibraryPlaylists(
+        playlists: playlists,
+        query: 'playlist',
+        offset: 0,
+        limit: 300,
+      );
+      expect(hits.length, 300);
+      for (final hit in hits) {
+        final index = int.parse(hit.id);
+        expect(hit.trackCount, 1);
+        expect(hit.cover, index.isEven ? 'custom-$index' : 'preview-$index');
+      }
+      expect(
+        () => rankPlaylistSearchPage((
+          entries: const [],
+          query: 'x',
+          offset: -1,
+          limit: 1,
+        )),
+        throwsRangeError,
+      );
+      expect(
+        rankPlaylistSearchPage((
+          entries: const [],
+          query: '',
+          offset: -1,
+          limit: -1,
+        )),
+        isEmpty,
+      );
+    },
+  );
+}