diff --git a/source/jucePluginEditorLib/patchmanager/patchmanager.cpp b/source/jucePluginEditorLib/patchmanager/patchmanager.cpp
index 04b2c1f8a..18db0f1fd 100644
--- a/source/jucePluginEditorLib/patchmanager/patchmanager.cpp
+++ b/source/jucePluginEditorLib/patchmanager/patchmanager.cpp
@@ -644,7 +644,16 @@ namespace jucePluginEditorLib::patchManager
 			results.assign(_search.results.begin(), _search.results.end());
 
 			if(results.empty())
+			{
+				// the search found no match, but it must still be cancelled/removed from the DB's
+				// search list, otherwise it leaks forever and every subsequent bank load / patch
+				// update has to scan it in DB::updateSearches, causing CPU usage to grow unbounded
+				runOnUiThread([this, handle]
+				{
+					cancelSearch(handle);
+				});
 				return;
+			}
 
 			if(results.size() > 1)
 			{
diff --git a/source/jucePluginLib/patchdb/db.cpp b/source/jucePluginLib/patchdb/db.cpp
index 4d520df1a..1a5211fce 100644
--- a/source/jucePluginLib/patchdb/db.cpp
+++ b/source/jucePluginLib/patchdb/db.cpp
@@ -480,7 +480,14 @@ namespace pluginLib::patchDB
 			return;
 
 		std::unique_lock lock(m_searchesMutex);
-		m_cancelledSearches.insert(_handle);
+
+		// only remember the handle as cancelled if the search may still be picked up by executeSearch
+		// later (i.e. it's still queued/running). A search that has already completed will never be
+		// looked at again, so tracking it here would leak the handle in m_cancelledSearches forever.
+		const auto it = m_searches.find(_handle);
+		if(it != m_searches.end() && it->second->state != SearchState::Completed)
+			m_cancelledSearches.insert(_handle);
+
 		m_searches.erase(_handle);
 	}