diff --git a/client/src/App.tsx b/client/src/App.tsx
index 653e17f..0d2c4ea 100644
--- a/client/src/App.tsx
+++ b/client/src/App.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import GroceryListCollection from './components/pages/GroceryListCollection';
 import { TokenType } from './util/types';
 import './sass/App.scss';
 import handleToken from './util/handleToken';
+import AddFriends from './components/pages/AddFriends';
 
 function App() {
   const { setUser, token, setToken } = useAuthContext();
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ function App() {
           <Route path="/profile"                element={<Profile />} />
           <Route path="/collections"            element={<CollectionBrowser />} />
           <Route path="/collections/:id"        element={<Collection />} />
+          <Route path="/add-friends"            element={<AddFriends />} />
           <Route path="/explore"                element={<Browser header="" searchFunction={() => {}} />} />
           <Route path="/recipe/:id"             element={<Recipe />} />
           <Route path="/subscriptions"          element={<Subscriptions />} />
diff --git a/client/src/components/pages/AddFriends.tsx b/client/src/components/pages/AddFriends.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c2fe86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/components/pages/AddFriends.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import Protect from "../../util/Protect"
+import { Divider, Panel } from "../ui"
+import FriendSearchWidget from "../ui/Widgets/NewFriendWidget"
+
+const AddFriends = () => {
+    return (
+        <Protect>
+            <h1>Search for New Friends</h1>
+
+            <Divider />
+
+            <Panel>
+                <h2>Use the widget below to search for new friends!</h2>
+                <Divider />
+                
+                <FriendSearchWidget />
+            </Panel>
+        </Protect>
+    )
+}
+
+export default AddFriends
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/client/src/components/ui/Navbar/variants.tsx b/client/src/components/ui/Navbar/variants.tsx
index 14b9fca..99afe4f 100644
--- a/client/src/components/ui/Navbar/variants.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/ui/Navbar/variants.tsx
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ const LoggedIn = () => {
                 dropdownActive && (
                     <Dropdown extraStyles="top-menu-bar actions-bar">
                         <Button onClick={() => handleOptionSelect('/add-recipe')}>Add a Recipe</Button>
+                        <Button onClick={() => handleOptionSelect("/add-friends")}>Add Friends</Button>
                         <Button onClick={() => handleOptionSelect('/collections')}>My Collections</Button>
                         <Button onClick={() => handleOptionSelect('/subscriptions')}>Subscriptions</Button>
                         <Button onClick={() => handleOptionSelect('/profile')}>Profile</Button>
diff --git a/client/src/components/ui/UserCard.tsx b/client/src/components/ui/UserCard.tsx
index 2fd703c..b30b0fa 100644
--- a/client/src/components/ui/UserCard.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/ui/UserCard.tsx
@@ -1,31 +1,38 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import { addFriend, getPendingFriendRequests } from "../../util/apiUtils";
+import { useAuthContext } from "../../context/AuthContext";
+import API from "../../util/API";
+// import { addFriend, getPendingFriendRequests } from "../../util/apiUtils";
 import { UserCardType } from "../../util/types";
 import Button from "./Button";
 import Card from "./Card";
 
-const UserCard: UserCardType = ({ extraStyles, user, canAdd = false, liftData }) => {
-    const [shouldDisable, setShouldDisable] = useState<boolean>(canAdd);
-    
+const UserCard: UserCardType = ({ extraStyles, user }) => {
+    const { token } = useAuthContext();
+
     useEffect(() => {
+        if (!token) return;
+
         (async function() {
-            const requestsOpen = await getPendingFriendRequests();
+            const friends = new API.Friendship(token);
+            const requestsOpen = await friends.getPendingFriendRequests();
+            console.log(requestsOpen);
             if (!requestsOpen) return;
 
             for (let req of requestsOpen) {
                 if (req.targetid == user.id) {
-                    setShouldDisable(true);
+                    console.log('should disable');
                     return;
                 }
             }
 
-            setShouldDisable(false);
-        })();
+            console.log('should not disable');
+        });
     }, [])
 
     const handleClick = async () => {
-        const { id } = user;
-        const request = await addFriend(id!.toString());
+        if (!token) return;
+        const friends = new API.Friendship(token);
+        const request = await friends.addFriend(user.id!.toString());
         if (request) console.log("Friend request sent to " + user.firstname);
     }
 
@@ -34,7 +41,7 @@ const UserCard: UserCardType = ({ extraStyles, user, canAdd = false, liftData })
             <div className="avatar"></div>
             <h3>{user.firstname} {user.lastname.substring(0,1)}.</h3>
             <h4>@{user.handle}</h4>
-            { canAdd && <Button disabledText={"Request Sent"} disabled={shouldDisable} onClick={handleClick}>Add Me</Button> }
+            <Button disabledText={"Request Sent"} onClick={handleClick}>Add Me</Button>
         </Card>
     )
 }
diff --git a/client/src/components/ui/Widgets/NewFriendWidget.tsx b/client/src/components/ui/Widgets/NewFriendWidget.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b2e89a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/components/ui/Widgets/NewFriendWidget.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import { ChangeEvent, FC, useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { IUser } from "../../../schemas";
+import { TextField, UserCard } from "..";
+import { v4 } from "uuid";
+import API from "../../../util/API";
+import { useAuthContext } from "../../../context/AuthContext";
+
+const FriendSearchWidget: FC<{}> = () => {
+    const { token } = useAuthContext();
+
+    const [searchTerm, setSearchTerm] = useState<string>();
+    const [userPool, setUserPool] = useState<IUser[]>([]);
+    const [pendingRequests, setPendingRequests] = useState();
+    const [friendResults, setFriendResults] = useState<IUser[]>([]);
+
+    // load available user pool on mount
+    useEffect(() => {
+        if (!token) return;
+        (async function() {
+            const users = new API.User(token);
+            const result = await users.getAll();
+            if (result) setUserPool(result);
+        })();
+
+        (async function() {
+            const friends = new API.Friendship(token);
+            const result = await friends.getAll();
+            setFriendResults(result);
+        })();
+    }, [])
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        console.log(searchTerm);
+        searchTerm && setUserPool((prev) => {
+            const newPool = prev.filter(person => {
+                if (person.firstname.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm) || person.lastname.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm) || person.handle.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm)) return person;
+            })
+
+            return newPool;
+        })
+    }, [searchTerm])
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        console.log(userPool);
+    }, [userPool])
+
+    return (
+        <div id="friend-search-widget">
+            <TextField onChange={(e: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => setSearchTerm(e.target.value.toLowerCase())} placeholder={'Search'} />
+
+            {
+                userPool.map((friend: IUser) => {
+                    return <UserCard key={v4()} user={friend} canAdd liftData={() => {}} />
+                })
+            }
+        </div>
+    )
+}
+
+export default FriendSearchWidget;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/client/src/util/API.ts b/client/src/util/API.ts
index 69b4ed2..1b5da16 100644
--- a/client/src/util/API.ts
+++ b/client/src/util/API.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { AxiosHeaders, AxiosRequestHeaders, AxiosResponse } from "axios";
+import { AxiosError, AxiosHeaders, AxiosRequestHeaders, AxiosResponse } from "axios";
 import { IUser, IUserAuth, IFriendship, IRecipe, IIngredient, ICollection, IGroceryList } from "../schemas";
 import { default as _instance } from "./axiosInstance";
 
@@ -138,13 +138,31 @@ module API {
 
     export class Friendship extends RestController<IFriendship> {
         constructor(token: string) {
-            super(Settings.getAPISTRING() + "/app/friends", token);
+            super(Settings.getAPISTRING() + "/app/friend", token);
+        }
+
+        override async getAll() {
+            try {
+                const response = await this.instance.get(this.endpoint, this.headers);
+                return Promise.resolve(response.data);
+            } catch(e) {
+                const error = e as AxiosError;
+                if (error.response?.status == 404) {
+                    console.log('no friends found');
+                    return [];
+                }
+            }
         }
 
         async getPendingFriendRequests() {
             const response = await this.instance.get(this.endpoint + "?pending=true", this.headers);
             return Promise.resolve(response.data);
         }
+
+        async addFriend(id: string | number) {
+            const response = await this.instance.post(this.endpoint + `/${id}`, this.headers);
+            return Promise.resolve(response.data);
+        }
     }
 
     export class Recipe extends RestController<IRecipe> {
diff --git a/server/routes/friend.ts b/server/routes/friend.ts
index 42037a0..08561b9 100644
--- a/server/routes/friend.ts
+++ b/server/routes/friend.ts
@@ -9,19 +9,8 @@ const router = Router();
 export const friendRouter = (app: Express) => {
     app.use('/app/friend', router);
 
-    router.use((req, res, next) => {
-        let test = req.session.user;
-
-        if (req.session.user == undefined) {
-            throw new Error("No session found");
-        } else {
-            const narrowed = req.session.user;
-            next();
-        }
-    })
-
     router.post('/:targetid', restrictAccess, async (req, res, next) => {
-        const user = req.session.user as IUser;
+        const user = req.user as IUser;
         const { targetid } = req.params;
 
         try {
@@ -34,7 +23,7 @@ export const friendRouter = (app: Express) => {
 
     // get all friendships for a user
     router.get('/', async (req, res, next) => {
-        const user = req.session.user as IUser;
+        const user = req.user as IUser;
         const { pending } = req.query;
 
         try {
@@ -53,7 +42,7 @@ export const friendRouter = (app: Express) => {
     // get one friendship by its id
     router.get('/:id', async (req, res, next) => {
         const { id } = req.params;
-        const user = req.session.user as IUser;
+        const user = req.user as IUser;
 
         try {
             const { code, data } = await UserInstance.getFriendshipByID(id, user.id as number);
@@ -76,7 +65,7 @@ export const friendRouter = (app: Express) => {
     router.put('/:id', async (req, res, next) => {
         const data = req.body;
         const { id } = req.params;
-        const user = req.session.user as IUser;
+        const user = req.user as IUser;
 
         try {
             const response = await UserInstance.updateFriendship(id, user.id as number, data);
@@ -85,4 +74,6 @@ export const friendRouter = (app: Express) => {
             next(e);
         }
     })
+
+    return router;
 }
\ No newline at end of file