diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeService.java
index 487010a52..ed9818bdd 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeService.java
@@ -213,8 +213,18 @@ public ExtensionQueryResult extensionQuery(ExtensionQueryParam param, int defaul
         // see https://github.com/eclipse/openvsx/issues/1394
         var extensionsMap = extensionsList.stream()
                 .collect(Collectors.toMap(Extension::getId, Function.identity(), (a, b) -> a));
-        List<ExtensionVersion> allActiveExtensionVersions = repositories
-                .findActiveExtensionVersions(extensionsMap.keySet(), targetPlatform, maxPreReleaseVersions);
+
+        // The full active version list (all pre-releases included, unless capped) is only needed to populate
+        // the response's per-extension version list, which itself is only included for these flags. Skipping
+        // the fetch otherwise avoids pulling an extension's entire (potentially unbounded) version history
+        // just to compute "latest", which repositories.findLatestVersions below does directly in the database.
+        var needsVersionList = test(flags, FLAG_INCLUDE_LATEST_VERSION_ONLY)
+                || test(flags, FLAG_INCLUDE_VERSIONS)
+                || test(flags, FLAG_INCLUDE_VERSION_PROPERTIES);
+        List<ExtensionVersion> allActiveExtensionVersions = needsVersionList
+                ? repositories
+                        .findActiveExtensionVersions(extensionsMap.keySet(), targetPlatform, maxPreReleaseVersions)
+                : Collections.emptyList();
 
         List<ExtensionVersion> extensionVersions;
         if (test(flags, FLAG_INCLUDE_LATEST_VERSION_ONLY)) {
@@ -262,11 +272,7 @@ public ExtensionQueryResult extensionQuery(ExtensionQueryParam param, int defaul
             fileResources = Collections.emptyMap();
         }
 
-        var latestVersions = allActiveExtensionVersions.stream()
-                .collect(Collectors.groupingBy(ev -> ev.getExtension().getId()))
-                .values()
-                .stream()
-                .map(list -> versions.getLatest(list, false))
+        var latestVersions = repositories.findLatestVersions(extensionsMap.keySet(), targetPlatform).stream()
                 .collect(Collectors.toMap(ev -> ev.getExtension().getId(), ev -> ev));
 
         var extensionQueryResults = new ArrayList<ExtensionQueryResult.Extension>();
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/ExtensionVersionJooqRepository.java b/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/ExtensionVersionJooqRepository.java
index a6a1adc75..33b4717d8 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/ExtensionVersionJooqRepository.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/ExtensionVersionJooqRepository.java
@@ -1014,7 +1014,11 @@ public Map<Long, Boolean> findLatestIsPreview(Collection<Long> extensionIds) {
     }
 
     public List<ExtensionVersion> findLatest(Collection<Long> extensionIds) {
-        var latestQuery = findLatestQuery(null, false, true);
+        return findLatest(extensionIds, null);
+    }
+
+    public List<ExtensionVersion> findLatest(Collection<Long> extensionIds, String targetPlatform) {
+        var latestQuery = findLatestQuery(targetPlatform, false, true);
         latestQuery.addSelect(
                 EXTENSION_VERSION.ID,
                 EXTENSION_VERSION.VERSION,
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryService.java
index 933d1a776..a0a109e02 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryService.java
@@ -970,6 +970,10 @@ public List<ExtensionVersion> findLatestVersions(Collection<Long> extensionIds)
         return extensionVersionJooqRepo.findLatest(extensionIds);
     }
 
+    public List<ExtensionVersion> findLatestVersions(Collection<Long> extensionIds, String targetPlatform) {
+        return extensionVersionJooqRepo.findLatest(extensionIds, targetPlatform);
+    }
+
     public Map<Long, Boolean> findLatestVersionsIsPreview(Collection<Long> extensionIds) {
         return extensionVersionJooqRepo.findLatestIsPreview(extensionIds);
     }
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeServiceTest.java b/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeServiceTest.java
index 8ffe03717..529819770 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeServiceTest.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/LocalVSCodeServiceTest.java
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ void testDuplicateExtensionsInSearch() {
                 .thenReturn(List.of(extension, extension));
         Mockito.when(repositories.findActiveExtensionVersions(any(), any(), anyInt()))
                 .thenReturn(List.of(extensionVersion));
+        Mockito.when(repositories.findLatestVersions(any(), any())).thenReturn(List.of(extensionVersion));
         Mockito.when(versions.getLatest(anyList(), anyBoolean())).thenReturn(extensionVersion);
 
         var result = vsCodeService.extensionQuery(param, 10);
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/VSCodeAPITest.java b/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/VSCodeAPITest.java
index 448644a7a..0fa121926 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/VSCodeAPITest.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/adapter/VSCodeAPITest.java
@@ -1120,6 +1120,11 @@ private void mockExtensionVersions(
                                 anyInt()))
                 .thenReturn(extVersions);
 
+        var latest = extVersions.stream().min(ExtensionVersion.SORT_COMPARATOR).orElse(null);
+        Mockito
+                .when(repositories.findLatestVersions(eq(Set.of(extension.getId())), eq(queryTargetPlatform)))
+                .thenReturn(latest != null ? List.of(latest) : Collections.emptyList());
+
         mockFileResources(extVersions);
     }
 
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryServiceSmokeTest.java b/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryServiceSmokeTest.java
index 3ac51042a..e9fadd89a 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryServiceSmokeTest.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/eclipse/openvsx/repositories/RepositoryServiceSmokeTest.java
@@ -339,6 +339,7 @@ void testExecuteQueries() {
                 () -> repositories.findActivePersonalAccessTokensAndType(userData, PersonalAccessTokenType.LLT),
                 () -> repositories.findAllPersonalAccessTokensByVersion(0),
                 () -> repositories.findLatestVersions(List.of(1L)),
+                () -> repositories.findLatestVersions(List.of(1L), "targetPlatform"),
                 () -> repositories.hasSameVersion(extVersion),
                 () -> repositories.hasActiveReview(extension, userData),
                 () -> repositories.findLatestVersionsIsPreview(List.of(1L)),