diff --git a/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-mail.js b/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-mail.js
index 03affb6da4..50f6389b08 100644
--- a/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-mail.js
+++ b/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-mail.js
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ var { ExtensionSupport } = ChromeUtils.importESModule(
 
 ChromeUtils.defineESModuleGetters(this, {
   ExtensionContent: "resource://gre/modules/ExtensionContent.sys.mjs",
+  setTimeout: "resource://gre/modules/Timer.sys.mjs",
+  clearTimeout: "resource://gre/modules/Timer.sys.mjs",
 });
 
 XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetters(this, {
@@ -2738,12 +2740,29 @@ class MessageList {
     this.extension = extension;
     this.isDone = false;
     this.pages = [];
+    this.autoPaginatorTimeout = null;
+
     this.addPage();
   }
 
   addPage() {
+    if (this.autoPaginatorTimeout) {
+      clearTimeout(this.autoPaginatorTimeout);
+      this.autoPaginatorTimeout = null;
+    }
+
+    if (this.isDone) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     // Adding a page will make this.currentPage point to the new page.
     let previousPage = this.currentPage;
+
+    // If the current page has no messages, there is no need to add a page.
+    if (previousPage && previousPage.messages.length == 0) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     this.pages.push(new MessagePage());
     // The previous page is finished and can be resolved.
     if (previousPage) {
@@ -2766,7 +2785,15 @@ class MessageList {
     if (this.currentPage.messages.length >= gMessagesPerPage) {
       this.addPage();
     }
+
     this.currentPage.messages.push(convertMessage(message, this.extension));
+
+    // Automatically push a new page and return the page with this message after
+    // a fixed amount of time, so that small sets of search results are not held
+    // back until a full page has been found or the entire search has finished.
+    if (!this.autoPaginatorTimeout) {
+      this.autoPaginatorTimeout = setTimeout(this.addPage.bind(this), 1000);
+    }
   }
 
   done() {
@@ -2823,6 +2850,9 @@ var messageListTracker = {
    * Add messages to a messageList.
    */
   async _addMessages(messages, messageList) {
+    if (messageList.isDone) {
+      return;
+    }
     if (Array.isArray(messages)) {
       messages = this._createEnumerator(messages);
     }
@@ -2960,3 +2990,7 @@ extensions.on("startup", (type, extension) => {
     () => new WindowManager(extension)
   );
 });
+
+extensions.on("shutdown", (type, extension) => {
+  messageListTracker._contextLists.delete(extension);
+});
diff --git a/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-messages.js b/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-messages.js
index 39dbea041b..45d654d049 100644
--- a/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-messages.js
+++ b/mail/components/extensions/parent/ext-messages.js
@@ -744,6 +744,13 @@ this.messages = class extends ExtensionAPIPersistent {
           );
           return messageListTracker.getNextPage(messageList);
         },
+        async abortList(messageListId) {
+          let messageList = messageListTracker.getList(
+            messageListId,
+            context.extension
+          );
+          messageList.done();
+        },
         async get(messageId) {
           let msgHdr = messageTracker.getMessage(messageId);
           if (!msgHdr) {
@@ -1181,6 +1188,9 @@ this.messages = class extends ExtensionAPIPersistent {
 
             if (messages) {
               for (let msg of [...messages]) {
+                if (messageList.isDone) {
+                  return;
+                }
                 if (await checkSearchCriteria(folder, msg)) {
                   messageList.addMessage(msg);
                 }
@@ -1189,6 +1199,9 @@ this.messages = class extends ExtensionAPIPersistent {
 
             if (includeSubFolders) {
               for (let subFolder of folder.subFolders) {
+                if (messageList.isDone) {
+                  return;
+                }
                 await searchMessages(subFolder, messageList, true);
               }
             }
@@ -1200,9 +1213,12 @@ this.messages = class extends ExtensionAPIPersistent {
             includeSubFolders = false
           ) => {
             for (let folder of folders) {
+              if (messageList.isDone) {
+                return;
+              }
               await searchMessages(folder, messageList, includeSubFolders);
             }
-            return messageList.done();
+            messageList.done();
           };
 
           // Prepare case insensitive me filtering.
diff --git a/mail/components/extensions/schemas/messages.json b/mail/components/extensions/schemas/messages.json
index 6a025763a1..a3d72d0e83 100644
--- a/mail/components/extensions/schemas/messages.json
+++ b/mail/components/extensions/schemas/messages.json
@@ -414,6 +414,18 @@
           }
         ]
       },
+      {
+        "name": "abortList",
+        "type": "function",
+        "description": "Finalizes the specified list and terminates any process currently still adding messages.",
+        "async": true,
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "messageListId",
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        ]
+      },
       {
         "name": "get",
         "type": "function",