diff --git a/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.tsx b/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.tsx
index d663850482..f16cf4bd71 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.tsx
@@ -753,7 +753,11 @@ export function ProfileAvatarEditor({
               ) : (
                 <div className="relative grid content-start gap-3">
                   <div
-                    className="buzz-emoji-mart relative z-0 h-[316px] overflow-hidden rounded-xl bg-muted transition-colors duration-[250ms] ease-out"
+                    className={cn(
+                      "buzz-emoji-mart relative z-0 overflow-hidden rounded-xl bg-muted transition-colors duration-[250ms] ease-out",
+                      isOnboardingModal ? "h-[316px]" : "h-[384px]",
+                    )}
+                    data-testid={`${testIdPrefix}-emoji-picker`}
                     ref={emojiPickerContainerRef}
                     style={emojiMartThemeVars}
                   >
@@ -788,9 +792,9 @@ export function ProfileAvatarEditor({
                         applyEmojiAvatar(emoji.native, nextColor);
                       }}
                       previewPosition="none"
-                      searchPosition="none"
+                      searchPosition="sticky"
                       set="native"
-                      skinTonePosition="none"
+                      skinTonePosition="search"
                       theme={emojiPickerTheme}
                     />
                   </div>
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.utils.ts b/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.utils.ts
index c82ad26436..03b5e38026 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.utils.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/profile/ui/ProfileAvatarEditor.utils.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ const EMOJI_MART_SHADOW_CSS = `
 
   #root {
     --padding: var(--buzz-emoji-picker-padding, 16px);
+    --buzz-emoji-picker-search-control-height: 48px;
     --sidebar-width: 0px;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
@@ -127,6 +128,47 @@ const EMOJI_MART_SHADOW_CSS = `
     display: none;
   }
 
+  /* Match the app's member-search controls: a distinct resting surface and
+   * border make both the emoji search and its adjacent skin-tone control easy
+   * to find before either receives focus. */
+  .search input[type="search"],
+  .search + .flex {
+    background-color: rgb(var(--em-rgb-input));
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(var(--em-rgb-color), 0.16);
+  }
+
+  .search input[type="search"] {
+    border-radius: 12px;
+    height: var(--buzz-emoji-picker-search-control-height);
+    padding-bottom: 0;
+    padding-top: 0;
+  }
+
+  .search input[type="search"]:focus {
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgb(var(--em-rgb-accent));
+  }
+
+  .search + .flex {
+    border-radius: 12px;
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    height: var(--buzz-emoji-picker-search-control-height) !important;
+    margin-left: 8px;
+    width: var(--buzz-emoji-picker-search-control-height) !important;
+  }
+
+  .skin-tone-button {
+    background-color: transparent !important;
+    border: 0 !important;
+    border-radius: 8px;
+    box-shadow: none !important;
+    height: calc(var(--buzz-emoji-picker-search-control-height) - 8px) !important;
+    width: calc(var(--buzz-emoji-picker-search-control-height) - 8px) !important;
+  }
+
+  .skin-tone-button[aria-selected] {
+    background-color: transparent !important;
+  }
+
   .category button .background {
     background-color: transparent;
     transition: background-color var(--duration) var(--easing);
@@ -593,14 +635,12 @@ export function useEmojiMartThemeVars() {
       const foreground = hslToRgbString(
         styles.getPropertyValue("--foreground"),
       );
-      const background = hslToRgbString(
-        styles.getPropertyValue("--background"),
-      );
+      const input = hslToRgbString(styles.getPropertyValue("--input"));
 
       setThemeVars({
         "--buzz-emoji-picker-rgb-background": muted ?? "54, 58, 79",
         "--buzz-emoji-picker-rgb-color": foreground ?? "245, 247, 255",
-        "--buzz-emoji-picker-rgb-input": background ?? "47, 51, 68",
+        "--buzz-emoji-picker-rgb-input": input ?? "47, 51, 68",
       } as React.CSSProperties);
     };
 
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding-avatar-skip.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding-avatar-skip.spec.ts
index 0ee08e2f01..38870199cf 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding-avatar-skip.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding-avatar-skip.spec.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { expect, test } from "@playwright/test";
 
 import { installMockBridge, TEST_IDENTITIES } from "../helpers/bridge";
 import { waitForAnimations } from "../helpers/animations";
+import { expectEmojiMartStylesInstalled } from "../helpers/css";
 import { seedActiveIdentity } from "../helpers/onboarding";
 
 const BLANK_TYLER_IDENTITY = {
@@ -38,6 +39,42 @@ test("avatar step always shows Skip for now button without an error", async ({
   });
 });
 
+test("avatar step shares the profile emoji picker controls", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await seedActiveIdentity(page, BLANK_TYLER_IDENTITY);
+  await installMockBridge(page, undefined, { skipOnboardingSeed: true });
+  await page.goto("/");
+
+  await page.getByTestId("onboarding-display-name").fill("Morty QA");
+  await page.getByTestId("onboarding-next").click();
+  await page.getByRole("tab", { name: "Emoji" }).click();
+
+  const picker = page.locator("em-emoji-picker");
+  await expect(picker.locator("input[type='search']")).toBeVisible();
+  await expectEmojiMartStylesInstalled(picker);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("onboarding-avatar-emoji-picker")).toHaveCSS(
+    "height",
+    "384px",
+  );
+
+  const controlHeights = await picker.evaluate((element) => {
+    const input = element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLInputElement>(
+      'input[type="search"]',
+    );
+    const toneControl =
+      element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".search + .flex");
+    if (!input || !toneControl) {
+      throw new Error("Onboarding emoji picker controls did not render.");
+    }
+    return {
+      input: input.getBoundingClientRect().height,
+      tone: toneControl.getBoundingClientRect().height,
+    };
+  });
+  expect(controlHeights).toEqual({ input: 48, tone: 48 });
+});
+
 test("avatar step skip button completes community profile setup", async ({
   page,
 }) => {
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/profile.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/profile.spec.ts
index eefdef1fdd..c5175516cd 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/profile.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/profile.spec.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   installMockBridge,
   TEST_IDENTITIES,
 } from "../helpers/bridge";
+import { expectEmojiMartStylesInstalled } from "../helpers/css";
 import { openProfileMenu, openSettings } from "../helpers/settings";
 
 async function expectHomeView(page: import("@playwright/test").Page) {
@@ -585,6 +586,81 @@ test("renders emoji avatars with a static background layer", async ({
   );
 });
 
+test("offers emoji search and skin-tone controls for profile avatars", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+
+  await openSettings(page, "profile");
+  await page.getByTestId("profile-avatar-edit").click();
+  await page.getByRole("tab", { name: "Emoji" }).click();
+
+  const picker = page.locator("em-emoji-picker");
+  const searchInput = picker.locator("input[type='search']");
+  await expect(searchInput).toBeVisible();
+  await expectEmojiMartStylesInstalled(picker);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("profile-avatar-emoji-picker")).toHaveCSS(
+    "height",
+    "384px",
+  );
+
+  // Emoji Mart renders the tone selector alongside its search field when
+  // `skinTonePosition` is `search`. Keeping it in the same shadow-DOM region
+  // ensures profile avatars match the regular in-app emoji picker.
+  const hasSkinToneControl = await picker.evaluate((element) => {
+    const controls = element.shadowRoot?.querySelectorAll("button") ?? [];
+    return Array.from(controls).some((button) =>
+      /skin tone/i.test(button.getAttribute("aria-label") ?? ""),
+    );
+  });
+  expect(hasSkinToneControl).toBe(true);
+
+  const controlColors = await picker.evaluate((element) => {
+    const root = element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLElement>("#root");
+    const input = element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLInputElement>(
+      'input[type="search"]',
+    );
+    const toneControl =
+      element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".search + .flex");
+    if (!root || !input || !toneControl) {
+      throw new Error("Profile emoji picker controls did not render.");
+    }
+    return {
+      input: getComputedStyle(input).backgroundColor,
+      picker: getComputedStyle(root).backgroundColor,
+      tone: getComputedStyle(toneControl).backgroundColor,
+    };
+  });
+  expect(controlColors.input).not.toBe(controlColors.picker);
+  expect(controlColors.tone).not.toBe(controlColors.picker);
+
+  const controlHeights = await picker.evaluate((element) => {
+    const input = element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLInputElement>(
+      'input[type="search"]',
+    );
+    const toneControl =
+      element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".search + .flex");
+    const toneButton =
+      element.shadowRoot?.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".skin-tone-button");
+    if (!input || !toneControl || !toneButton) {
+      throw new Error("Profile emoji picker controls did not render.");
+    }
+    input.focus();
+    return {
+      inputHeight: input.getBoundingClientRect().height,
+      inputShadow: getComputedStyle(input).boxShadow,
+      toneButtonBorder: getComputedStyle(toneButton).borderTopWidth,
+      toneButtonShadow: getComputedStyle(toneButton).boxShadow,
+      toneHeight: toneControl.getBoundingClientRect().height,
+    };
+  });
+  expect(controlHeights.inputHeight).toBe(48);
+  expect(controlHeights.toneHeight).toBe(48);
+  expect(controlHeights.inputShadow).toMatch(/inset$/);
+  expect(controlHeights.toneButtonBorder).toBe("0px");
+  expect(controlHeights.toneButtonShadow).toBe("none");
+});
+
 test("reveals emoji background colors only after choosing an emoji", async ({
   page,
 }) => {
diff --git a/desktop/tests/helpers/css.ts b/desktop/tests/helpers/css.ts
index 0985fb7887..31b0ac036b 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/helpers/css.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/helpers/css.ts
@@ -99,3 +99,23 @@ export async function expectSmoothCorners(
     )
     .toBe(true);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Waits for the Buzz emoji-picker overrides to be present in the Emoji Mart
+ * shadow root.
+ *
+ * The stylesheet is appended from a `requestAnimationFrame` loop that starts
+ * only once the `em-emoji-picker` custom element has attached its shadow root,
+ * so it can land a frame or more after the search input becomes visible. Any
+ * assertion on an overridden property (control heights, resting background)
+ * must wait for this, otherwise it can read Emoji Mart's un-overridden defaults.
+ */
+export async function expectEmojiMartStylesInstalled(picker: Locator) {
+  await expect
+    .poll(async () =>
+      picker.evaluate((element) =>
+        Boolean(element.shadowRoot?.querySelector("#buzz-emoji-mart-style")),
+      ),
+    )
+    .toBe(true);
+}