diff --git a/lisp/nnir.el b/lisp/nnir.el
index 3739cb8..4e8a97b 100644
--- a/lisp/nnir.el
+++ b/lisp/nnir.el
@@ -339,6 +339,12 @@
 (eval-when-compile
   (require 'cl))
 
+
+(eval-when-compile
+  (autoload 'nnimap-buffer "nnimap")
+  (autoload 'nnimap-command "nnimap")
+  (autoload 'nnimap-possibly-change-group "nnimap"))
+
 (nnoo-declare nnir)
 (nnoo-define-basics nnir)
 
@@ -346,15 +352,15 @@
 
 (defvar nnir-imap-search-field "TEXT"
   "The IMAP search item when doing an nnir search. To use raw
-  imap queries by default set this to \"\"")
+  imap queries by default set this to \"Imap\"")
 
 (defvar nnir-imap-search-arguments
   '(("Whole message" . "TEXT")
     ("Subject" . "SUBJECT")
     ("To" . "TO")
     ("From" . "FROM")
-    ("Head" . "HEADER \"%s\"")
-    (nil . ""))
+    ("Imap" . "")
+    (nil . "HEADER \"%s\""))
   "Mapping from user readable strings to IMAP search items for use in nnir")
 
 (defvar nnir-imap-search-argument-history ()
@@ -375,9 +381,8 @@ result, `gnus-retrieve-headers' will be called instead.")
              ())
     (imap    nnir-run-imap
              ((criteria
-	       "Search in: "                      ; Prompt
+	       "Search in"                        ; Prompt
 	       ,nnir-imap-search-arguments        ; alist for completing
-	       nil                                ; no filtering
 	       nil                                ; allow any user input
 	       nil                                ; initial value
 	       nnir-imap-search-argument-history  ; the history to use
@@ -703,19 +708,30 @@ and show thread that contains this article."
   (let* ((cur (gnus-summary-article-number))
          (group (nnir-artlist-artitem-group nnir-artlist cur))
          (backend-number (nnir-artlist-artitem-number nnir-artlist cur))
-	 server backend-group)
-    (setq server (nnir-group-server group))
-    (setq backend-group (gnus-group-real-name group))
-    (gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
-     backend-group
-     (gnus-server-to-method server)
-     t                                  ; activate
-     (cons (current-buffer)
-           'summary)                    ; window config
-     nil
-     (list backend-number))
-    (gnus-summary-limit (list backend-number))
-    (gnus-summary-refer-thread)))
+	 (id (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header)))
+	 (refs (split-string
+		(mail-header-references (gnus-summary-article-header)))))
+    (if (string= (car (gnus-group-method group)) "nnimap")
+	(with-current-buffer (nnimap-buffer)
+	  (let* ((cmd (let ((value
+			     (format
+			      "(OR HEADER REFERENCES %s HEADER Message-Id %s)"
+			      id id)))
+			(dolist (refid refs value)
+			  (setq value (format
+				       "(OR (OR HEADER Message-Id %s HEADER REFERENCES %s) %s)"
+				       refid refid value)))))
+		 (result (nnimap-command
+			  "UID SEARCH %s" cmd)))
+	    (gnus-summary-read-group-1 group t t gnus-summary-buffer nil
+				       (and (car result)
+					    (delete 0 (mapcar #'string-to-number
+							      (cdr (assoc "SEARCH" (cdr result)))))))))
+      (gnus-summary-read-group-1 group t t gnus-summary-buffer
+				 nil (list backend-number))
+      (gnus-summary-limit (list backend-number))
+      (gnus-summary-refer-thread))))
+
 
 (if (fboundp 'eval-after-load)
     (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
@@ -937,22 +953,9 @@ pairs (also vectors, actually)."
 
 ;; IMAP interface.
 ;; todo:
-;; nnir invokes this two (2) times???!
-;; we should not use nnimap at all but open our own server connection
-;; we should not LIST * but use nnimap-list-pattern from defs
 ;; send queries as literals
 ;; handle errors
 
-(autoload 'nnimap-open-server "nnimap")
-(defvar nnimap-server-buffer) ;; nnimap.el
-(autoload 'imap-mailbox-select "imap")
-(autoload 'imap-search "imap")
-(autoload 'imap-quote-specials "imap")
-
-(eval-when-compile
-  (autoload 'nnimap-buffer "nnimap")
-  (autoload 'nnimap-command "nnimap")
-  (autoload 'nnimap-possibly-change-group "nnimap"))
 
 (defun nnir-run-imap (query srv &optional group-option)
   "Run a search against an IMAP back-end server.
@@ -1045,7 +1048,7 @@ In future the following will be added to the language:
   (cond
    ;; Simple string term
    ((stringp expr)
-    (format "%s \"%s\"" criteria (imap-quote-specials expr)))
+    (format "%s \"%s\"" criteria (nnir-imap-quote-specials expr)))
    ;; Trivial term: and
    ((eq expr 'and) nil)
    ;; Composite term: or expression
@@ -1579,7 +1582,7 @@ Tested with Namazu 2.0.6 on a GNU/Linux system."
   (let ((sym (car parmspec))
         (prompt (cdr parmspec)))
     (if (listp prompt)
-	(let* ((result (gnus-completing-read prompt nil))
+	(let* ((result (apply 'gnus-completing-read prompt))
 	       (mapping (or (assoc result nnir-imap-search-arguments)
 			    (assoc nil nnir-imap-search-arguments))))
 	  (cons sym (format (cdr mapping) result)))
@@ -1693,6 +1696,16 @@ The Gnus backend/server information is added."
             with-dups)
     res))
 
+(defun nnir-imap-quote-specials (string)
+  (with-temp-buffer
+    (insert string)
+    (goto-char (point-min))
+    (while (re-search-forward "[\\\"]" nil t)
+      (forward-char -1)
+      (insert "\\")
+      (forward-char 1))
+    (buffer-string)))
+
 
 ;; The end.
 (provide 'nnir)