diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayIndexingStrategy.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayIndexingStrategy.kt
index dadef48a06..3809672cae 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayIndexingStrategy.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayIndexingStrategy.kt
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.sqlite.DefaultIndexingStrategy
 fun relayIndexingStrategy(fullTextSearch: Boolean = true) =
     DefaultIndexingStrategy(
         indexEventsByCreatedAtAlone = true,
+        // Authors-only filters (no kinds) are relay-common — archives,
+        // migration tools. strfry maintains the same (pubkey, created_at)
+        // index unconditionally; without it the filter walks the whole
+        // time index.
+        indexEventsByPubkeyAlone = true,
         indexFullTextSearch = fullTextSearch,
     )
 
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventIndexesModule.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventIndexesModule.kt
index 75ef7ce718..f0228217b0 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventIndexesModule.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventIndexesModule.kt
@@ -79,6 +79,13 @@ class EventIndexesModule(
             db.execSQL("CREATE INDEX query_by_created_at_id        ON event_headers ($orderBy)")
         }
 
+        // queries by author only, no kind — "everything by these pubkeys"
+        // (profile archives, migration/backup tools). Relays need it;
+        // clients query their supported kinds and can skip it.
+        if (indexStrategy.indexEventsByPubkeyAlone) {
+            db.execSQL("CREATE INDEX query_by_pubkey_created       ON event_headers (pubkey, $orderBy)")
+        }
+
         // queries by kind only, mostly used in Global Feeds when author is not important.
         db.execSQL("CREATE INDEX query_by_kind_created         ON event_headers (kind, $orderBy)")
 
@@ -133,6 +140,22 @@ class EventIndexesModule(
         db.execSQL("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS event_headers")
     }
 
+    /**
+     * v2 → v3 migration: the authors-only index arrived after v2 schemas
+     * shipped. Backfills it (idempotently) for strategies that want it;
+     * everyone else just gets the version bump.
+     */
+    fun migrateV2AddPubkeyIndex(db: SQLiteConnection) {
+        if (!indexStrategy.indexEventsByPubkeyAlone) return
+        val orderBy =
+            if (indexStrategy.useAndIndexIdOnOrderBy) {
+                "created_at DESC, id ASC"
+            } else {
+                "created_at DESC"
+            }
+        db.execSQL("CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS query_by_pubkey_created ON event_headers (pubkey, $orderBy)")
+    }
+
     val sqlInsertHeader =
         """
         INSERT INTO event_headers
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/IndexingStrategy.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/IndexingStrategy.kt
index bcb36f6140..21fc90f52e 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/IndexingStrategy.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/IndexingStrategy.kt
@@ -41,6 +41,17 @@ interface IndexingStrategy {
      */
     val indexEventsByCreatedAtAlone: Boolean
 
+    /**
+     * Activate this for filters that carry `authors` but no `kinds` —
+     * "everything by these pubkeys". Clients rarely need it (they query
+     * their supported kinds), but relays receive it constantly: profile
+     * archives, account migration/backup tools, and follow-everything
+     * feeds. Without it those filters degrade to a full scan of the
+     * time index. strfry maintains the equivalent (`pubkey`) index
+     * unconditionally.
+     */
+    val indexEventsByPubkeyAlone: Boolean
+
     /**
      * Activate this if you see too many Tag-centric Filters without
      * kind, pubkey or id.
@@ -107,6 +118,7 @@ interface IndexingStrategy {
  */
 class DefaultIndexingStrategy(
     override val indexEventsByCreatedAtAlone: Boolean = false,
+    override val indexEventsByPubkeyAlone: Boolean = false,
     override val indexTagsByCreatedAtAlone: Boolean = false,
     override val indexTagsWithKindAndPubkey: Boolean = false,
     override val useAndIndexIdOnOrderBy: Boolean = false,
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt
index 61d7dfc13f..985b7c3786 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class SQLiteEventStore(
     val numReaders: Int = 4,
 ) {
     companion object {
-        const val DATABASE_VERSION = 2
+        const val DATABASE_VERSION = 3
     }
 
     val seedModule = SeedModule()
@@ -163,6 +163,11 @@ class SQLiteEventStore(
                     modules.reversed().forEach { it.drop(db) }
                     modules.forEach { it.create(db) }
                 }
+                2 -> {
+                    // Upgrade from version 2 to 3: authors-only query index
+                    // (created only for strategies that opt in).
+                    eventIndexModule.migrateV2AddPubkeyIndex(db)
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/relayBench/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/relaybench/Scenarios.kt b/relayBench/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/relaybench/Scenarios.kt
index 43da3db874..5c73ac5ed5 100644
--- a/relayBench/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/relaybench/Scenarios.kt
+++ b/relayBench/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/relaybench/Scenarios.kt
@@ -121,6 +121,18 @@ object Scenarios {
                         Filter(kinds = listOf(0), authors = topAuthors.take(50)),
                     ),
                 )
+                // Deliberately *quiet* authors (popularity tail): their rows
+                // are sparse in the time index, so an authors-only filter
+                // exposes whether the store has a (pubkey, created_at) path
+                // or has to walk the whole table. Prolific authors would
+                // mask the difference — a time-index scan finds them fast.
+                add(
+                    Scenario(
+                        "author-archive",
+                        "every kind by ${topAuthors.takeLast(3).size} quiet pubkeys (archive/migration pull)",
+                        Filter(authors = topAuthors.takeLast(3), limit = 500),
+                    ),
+                )
                 add(
                     Scenario(
                         "follow-feed",