diff --git a/src/components/Bookmarks.tsx b/src/components/Bookmarks.tsx
index 3db7ba0b..80280db2 100644
--- a/src/components/Bookmarks.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Bookmarks.tsx
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ const Bookmarks: React.FC<BookmarksProps> = ({ relayPool, onLogout }) => {
       onCreateHighlight={handleCreateHighlight}
       hasActiveAccount={!!(activeAccount && relayPool)}
       explore={showExplore ? (
-        relayPool ? <Explore relayPool={relayPool} activeTab={exploreTab} /> : null
+        relayPool ? <Explore relayPool={relayPool} eventStore={eventStore} settings={settings} activeTab={exploreTab} /> : null
       ) : undefined}
       me={showMe ? (
         relayPool ? <Me relayPool={relayPool} activeTab={meTab} /> : null
diff --git a/src/components/Explore.tsx b/src/components/Explore.tsx
index 5a7d91c3..68db0bc6 100644
--- a/src/components/Explore.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Explore.tsx
@@ -3,12 +3,15 @@ import { FontAwesomeIcon } from '@fortawesome/react-fontawesome'
 import { faSpinner, faExclamationCircle, faNewspaper, faPenToSquare, faHighlighter } from '@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons'
 import { Hooks } from 'applesauce-react'
 import { RelayPool } from 'applesauce-relay'
+import { IEventStore } from 'applesauce-core'
 import { nip19 } from 'nostr-tools'
 import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
 import { fetchContacts } from '../services/contactService'
 import { fetchBlogPostsFromAuthors, BlogPostPreview } from '../services/exploreService'
 import { fetchHighlightsFromAuthors } from '../services/highlightService'
+import { fetchProfiles } from '../services/profileService'
 import { Highlight } from '../types/highlights'
+import { UserSettings } from '../services/settingsService'
 import BlogPostCard from './BlogPostCard'
 import { HighlightItem } from './HighlightItem'
 import { getCachedPosts, upsertCachedPost, setCachedPosts, getCachedHighlights, upsertCachedHighlight, setCachedHighlights } from '../services/exploreCache'
@@ -18,12 +21,14 @@ import { classifyHighlights } from '../utils/highlightClassification'
 
 interface ExploreProps {
   relayPool: RelayPool
+  eventStore: IEventStore
+  settings?: UserSettings
   activeTab?: TabType
 }
 
 type TabType = 'writings' | 'highlights'
 
-const Explore: React.FC<ExploreProps> = ({ relayPool, activeTab: propActiveTab }) => {
+const Explore: React.FC<ExploreProps> = ({ relayPool, eventStore, settings, activeTab: propActiveTab }) => {
   const activeAccount = Hooks.useActiveAccount()
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState<TabType>(propActiveTab || 'highlights')
@@ -152,6 +157,14 @@ const Explore: React.FC<ExploreProps> = ({ relayPool, activeTab: propActiveTab }
           fetchHighlightsFromAuthors(relayPool, contactsArray)
         ])
 
+        // Fetch profiles for all blog post authors to cache them
+        if (posts.length > 0) {
+          const authorPubkeys = Array.from(new Set(posts.map(p => p.author)))
+          fetchProfiles(relayPool, eventStore, authorPubkeys, settings).catch(err => {
+            console.error('Failed to fetch author profiles:', err)
+          })
+        }
+
         if (posts.length === 0 && userHighlights.length === 0) {
           setError('No content found from your friends yet')
         }
diff --git a/src/services/profileService.ts b/src/services/profileService.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c09e9b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/profileService.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import { RelayPool, completeOnEose, onlyEvents, mapEventsToStore } from 'applesauce-relay'
+import { lastValueFrom, merge, Observable, takeUntil, timer, toArray } from 'rxjs'
+import { NostrEvent } from 'nostr-tools'
+import { IEventStore } from 'applesauce-core'
+import { prioritizeLocalRelays, partitionRelays } from '../utils/helpers'
+import { rebroadcastEvents } from './rebroadcastService'
+import { UserSettings } from './settingsService'
+
+/**
+ * Fetches profile metadata (kind:0) for a list of pubkeys
+ * Stores profiles in the event store and optionally to local relays
+ */
+export const fetchProfiles = async (
+  relayPool: RelayPool,
+  eventStore: IEventStore,
+  pubkeys: string[],
+  settings?: UserSettings
+): Promise<NostrEvent[]> => {
+  try {
+    if (pubkeys.length === 0) {
+      return []
+    }
+
+    const uniquePubkeys = Array.from(new Set(pubkeys))
+    console.log('👤 Fetching profiles (kind:0) for', uniquePubkeys.length, 'authors')
+
+    const relayUrls = Array.from(relayPool.relays.values()).map(relay => relay.url)
+    const prioritized = prioritizeLocalRelays(relayUrls)
+    const { local: localRelays, remote: remoteRelays } = partitionRelays(prioritized)
+
+    // Keep only the most recent profile for each pubkey
+    const profilesByPubkey = new Map<string, NostrEvent>()
+
+    const processEvent = (event: NostrEvent) => {
+      const existing = profilesByPubkey.get(event.pubkey)
+      if (!existing || event.created_at > existing.created_at) {
+        profilesByPubkey.set(event.pubkey, event)
+      }
+    }
+
+    const local$ = localRelays.length > 0
+      ? relayPool
+          .req(localRelays, { kinds: [0], authors: uniquePubkeys })
+          .pipe(
+            onlyEvents(),
+            completeOnEose(),
+            takeUntil(timer(1200)),
+            mapEventsToStore(eventStore)
+          )
+      : new Observable<NostrEvent>((sub) => sub.complete())
+
+    const remote$ = remoteRelays.length > 0
+      ? relayPool
+          .req(remoteRelays, { kinds: [0], authors: uniquePubkeys })
+          .pipe(
+            onlyEvents(),
+            completeOnEose(),
+            takeUntil(timer(6000)),
+            mapEventsToStore(eventStore)
+          )
+      : new Observable<NostrEvent>((sub) => sub.complete())
+
+    const events = await lastValueFrom(merge(local$, remote$).pipe(toArray()))
+    
+    events.forEach(processEvent)
+
+    const profiles = Array.from(profilesByPubkey.values())
+    console.log('✅ Fetched', profiles.length, 'unique profiles')
+
+    // Rebroadcast profiles to local/all relays based on settings
+    if (profiles.length > 0) {
+      await rebroadcastEvents(profiles, relayPool, settings)
+    }
+
+    return profiles
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error('Failed to fetch profiles:', error)
+    return []
+  }
+}
+