diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/FriendsController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/FriendsController.php
index 40383979c97..d8046a3fb2d 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/FriendsController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/FriendsController.php
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 use App\Models\User;
 use App\Models\UserRelation;
 use App\Transformers\UserCompactTransformer;
+use App\Transformers\UserRelationTransformer;
 use Auth;
 use Exception;
 
@@ -35,23 +36,34 @@ public function index()
         $currentUser = auth()->user();
         $currentMode = default_mode();
 
-        $friends = $currentUser
-            ->friends()
-            ->with(UserCompactTransformer::listIncludesPreload($currentMode))
-            ->orderBy('username', 'asc')
-            ->get();
+        $relationFriends = $currentUser->relationFriends->sortBy('username');
+        $relationFriends->load(array_map(
+            fn ($userPreload) => "target.{$userPreload}",
+            UserCompactTransformer::listIncludesPreload($currentMode),
+        ));
+
+        $isApi = is_api_request();
+
+        if ($isApi && api_version() >= 20241022) {
+            return json_collection($relationFriends, new UserRelationTransformer(), [
+                "target:ruleset({$currentMode})",
+                ...array_map(
+                    fn ($userInclude) => "target.{$userInclude}",
+                    UserCompactTransformer::LIST_INCLUDES,
+                ),
+            ]);
+        }
 
+        $friends = $relationFriends->pluck('target');
         $usersJson = json_collection(
             $friends,
             (new UserCompactTransformer())->setMode($currentMode),
             UserCompactTransformer::LIST_INCLUDES
         );
 
-        if (is_api_request()) {
-            return $usersJson;
-        }
-
-        return ext_view('friends.index', compact('usersJson'));
+        return $isApi
+            ? $usersJson
+            : ext_view('friends.index', compact('usersJson'));
     }
 
     public function store()
diff --git a/app/Models/User.php b/app/Models/User.php
index da10756d17b..5a03d87eb1d 100644
--- a/app/Models/User.php
+++ b/app/Models/User.php
@@ -923,6 +923,7 @@ public function getAttribute($key)
             'rankHighests',
             'rankHistories',
             'receivedKudosu',
+            'relationFriends',
             'relations',
             'replaysWatchedCounts',
             'reportedIn',
@@ -1518,6 +1519,11 @@ public function usernameChangeHistoryPublic()
             ->orderBy('timestamp', 'ASC');
     }
 
+    public function relationFriends(): HasMany
+    {
+        return $this->relations()->friends()->withMutual();
+    }
+
     public function relations()
     {
         return $this->hasMany(UserRelation::class);
diff --git a/app/Transformers/UserCompactTransformer.php b/app/Transformers/UserCompactTransformer.php
index 461eba7f7af..c0f628e601d 100644
--- a/app/Transformers/UserCompactTransformer.php
+++ b/app/Transformers/UserCompactTransformer.php
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ public function includeFollowerCount(User $user)
     public function includeFriends(User $user)
     {
         return $this->collection(
-            $user->relations()->friends()->withMutual()->get(),
+            $user->relationFriends,
             new UserRelationTransformer()
         );
     }
diff --git a/app/Transformers/UserRelationTransformer.php b/app/Transformers/UserRelationTransformer.php
index 7e0819e17eb..291bec3cffa 100644
--- a/app/Transformers/UserRelationTransformer.php
+++ b/app/Transformers/UserRelationTransformer.php
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 namespace App\Transformers;
 
 use App\Models\UserRelation;
+use League\Fractal\ParamBag;
 
 class UserRelationTransformer extends TransformerAbstract
 {
@@ -23,8 +24,15 @@ public function transform(UserRelation $userRelation)
         ];
     }
 
-    public function includeTarget(UserRelation $userRelation)
+    public function includeTarget(UserRelation $userRelation, ?ParamBag $params = null)
     {
-        return $this->item($userRelation->target, new UserCompactTransformer());
+        $transformer = new UserCompactTransformer();
+
+        $rulesetName = $params?->get('ruleset')[0];
+        if ($rulesetName !== null) {
+            $transformer->setMode($rulesetName);
+        }
+
+        return $this->item($userRelation->target, $transformer);
     }
 }