diff --git a/packages/app/src/Element/Timeline.tsx b/packages/app/src/Element/Timeline.tsx
index 6aa8401e..3899dc95 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/Element/Timeline.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/Element/Timeline.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ export interface TimelineProps {
   method: "TIME_RANGE" | "LIMIT_UNTIL";
   ignoreModeration?: boolean;
   window?: number;
-  relay?: string;
   now?: number;
   loadMore?: boolean;
   noSort?: boolean;
@@ -36,7 +35,6 @@ const Timeline = (props: TimelineProps) => {
     return {
       method: props.method,
       window: props.window,
-      relay: props.relay,
       now: props.now,
     };
   }, [props]);
diff --git a/packages/app/src/Feed/TimelineFeed.ts b/packages/app/src/Feed/TimelineFeed.ts
index 0f60d76f..b2e498f7 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/Feed/TimelineFeed.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/Feed/TimelineFeed.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import { SearchRelays } from "Const";
 export interface TimelineFeedOptions {
   method: "TIME_RANGE" | "LIMIT_UNTIL";
   window?: number;
-  relay?: string;
   now?: number;
 }
 
@@ -19,6 +18,7 @@ export interface TimelineSubject {
   type: "pubkey" | "hashtag" | "global" | "ptag" | "post_keyword" | "profile_keyword";
   discriminator: string;
   items: string[];
+  relay?: string;
 }
 
 export type TimelineFeed = ReturnType<typeof useTimelineFeed>;
@@ -44,11 +44,8 @@ export default function useTimelineFeed(subject: TimelineSubject, options: Timel
           : [EventKind.TextNote, EventKind.Repost, EventKind.Polls]
       );
 
-    if (options.relay) {
-      b.withOptions({
-        leaveOpen: false,
-        relays: [options.relay],
-      });
+    if (subject.relay) {
+      f.relay(subject.relay);
     }
     switch (subject.type) {
       case "pubkey": {
@@ -132,7 +129,7 @@ export default function useTimelineFeed(subject: TimelineSubject, options: Timel
     // clear store if changing relays
     main.clear();
     latest.clear();
-  }, [options.relay]);
+  }, [subject.relay]);
 
   function getParentEvents() {
     if (main.data) {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/Pages/Root.tsx b/packages/app/src/Pages/Root.tsx
index 7c854650..a96a2ec8 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/Pages/Root.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/Pages/Root.tsx
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ const GlobalTab = () => {
   const subject: TimelineSubject = {
     type: "global",
     items: [],
+    relay: relay?.url,
     discriminator: `all-${sha256(relay?.url ?? "").slice(0, 12)}`,
   };
 
@@ -188,9 +189,7 @@ const GlobalTab = () => {
   return (
     <>
       {globalRelaySelector()}
-      {relay && (
-        <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={false} method={"TIME_RANGE"} window={600} relay={relay.url} now={now} />
-      )}
+      {relay && <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={false} method={"TIME_RANGE"} window={600} now={now} />}
     </>
   );
 };
@@ -206,7 +205,7 @@ const NotesTab = () => {
   return (
     <>
       <FollowsHint />
-      <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={true} method={"TIME_RANGE"} window={undefined} relay={undefined} />
+      <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={true} method={"TIME_RANGE"} />
     </>
   );
 };
@@ -219,14 +218,14 @@ const ConversationsTab = () => {
     discriminator: `follows:${publicKey?.slice(0, 12)}`,
   };
 
-  return <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={false} method={"TIME_RANGE"} window={undefined} relay={undefined} />;
+  return <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={false} method={"TIME_RANGE"} />;
 };
 
 const TagsTab = () => {
   const { tag } = useParams();
   const subject: TimelineSubject = { type: "hashtag", items: [tag ?? ""], discriminator: `tags-${tag}` };
 
-  return <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={false} method={"TIME_RANGE"} window={undefined} relay={undefined} />;
+  return <Timeline subject={subject} postsOnly={false} method={"TIME_RANGE"} />;
 };
 
 export const RootRoutes = [
diff --git a/packages/system/src/RequestBuilder.ts b/packages/system/src/RequestBuilder.ts
index 8e6af5f9..a9b0a4e8 100644
--- a/packages/system/src/RequestBuilder.ts
+++ b/packages/system/src/RequestBuilder.ts
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ export interface BuiltRawReqFilter {
 
 export interface RequestBuilderOptions {
   leaveOpen?: boolean;
-  relays?: Array<string>;
   /**
    * Do not apply diff logic and always use full filters for query
    */
@@ -222,9 +221,7 @@ export class RequestFilterBuilder {
   build(relays: RelayCache, id: string): Array<BuiltRawReqFilter> {
     // use the explicit relay list first
     if (this.#relays.size > 0) {
-      // always query our default relay lists too when using explicit relays
-      // these explicit relays may not always be available
-      return [...this.#relays, ""].map(r => {
+      return [...this.#relays].map(r => {
         return {
           filters: [this.#filter],
           relay: r,