diff --git a/include/ircd/m/relates.h b/include/ircd/m/relates.h
index 5ed0149dd..032f4a695 100644
--- a/include/ircd/m/relates.h
+++ b/include/ircd/m/relates.h
@@ -38,21 +38,27 @@ struct ircd::m::relates_to
 ///
 struct ircd::m::relates
 {
-	event::refs refs;
-	bool match_sender {false};
-	bool prefetch_depth {false};
-	bool prefetch_sender {false};
-
-  public:
 	using closure = util::closure_bool
 	<
 		std::function,
 		const event::idx &, const json::object &, const m::relates_to &
 	>;
 
+	event::refs refs;
+	bool match_sender {false};
+	bool prefetch_depth {false};
+	bool prefetch_sender {false};
+
+  private:
+	bool _each(const string_view &, const closure &, const event::idx &) const;
+
+  public:
 	bool for_each(const string_view &type, const closure &) const;
 	bool for_each(const closure &) const;
 
+	bool rfor_each(const string_view &type, const closure &) const;
+	bool rfor_each(const closure &) const;
+
 	event::idx get(const string_view &type, const uint at = 0) const;
 	event::idx latest(const string_view &type, uint *const at = nullptr) const;
 
@@ -63,3 +69,41 @@ struct ircd::m::relates
 	size_t count(const string_view &type = {}) const;
 	bool prefetch(const string_view &type = {}) const;
 };
+
+inline bool
+ircd::m::relates::rfor_each(const closure &closure)
+const
+{
+	return rfor_each(string_view{}, closure);
+}
+
+inline bool
+ircd::m::relates::rfor_each(const string_view &rel_type,
+                            const closure &closure)
+const
+{
+	return refs.rfor_each(dbs::ref::M_RELATES, [this, &rel_type, &closure]
+	(const auto &event_idx, const auto &type)
+	{
+		return _each(rel_type, closure, event_idx);
+	});
+}
+
+inline bool
+ircd::m::relates::for_each(const closure &closure)
+const
+{
+	return for_each(string_view{}, closure);
+}
+
+inline bool
+ircd::m::relates::for_each(const string_view &rel_type,
+                           const closure &closure)
+const
+{
+	return refs.for_each(dbs::ref::M_RELATES, [this, &rel_type, &closure]
+	(const auto &event_idx, const auto &type)
+	{
+		return _each(rel_type, closure, event_idx);
+	});
+}
diff --git a/matrix/relates.cc b/matrix/relates.cc
index 2fd1fdb14..38552a2bc 100644
--- a/matrix/relates.cc
+++ b/matrix/relates.cc
@@ -82,13 +82,6 @@ const
 	});
 }
 
-bool
-ircd::m::relates::for_each(const closure &closure)
-const
-{
-	return for_each(string_view{}, closure);
-}
-
 ircd::m::event::idx
 ircd::m::relates::latest(const string_view &type,
                          uint *const at)
@@ -143,47 +136,44 @@ const
 }
 
 bool
-ircd::m::relates::for_each(const string_view &rel_type,
-                           const closure &closure)
+ircd::m::relates::_each(const string_view &rel_type,
+                        const closure &closure,
+                        const event::idx &event_idx)
 const
 {
-	return refs.for_each(dbs::ref::M_RELATES, [this, &rel_type, &closure]
-	(const auto &event_idx, const auto &type)
+	thread_local char buf[event::MAX_SIZE];
+	const json::object content
 	{
-		thread_local char buf[event::MAX_SIZE];
-		const json::object content
-		{
-			m::get(std::nothrow, event_idx, "content", buf)
-		};
+		m::get(std::nothrow, event_idx, "content", buf)
+	};
 
-		if(!content)
+	if(!content)
+		return true;
+
+	m::relates_to relates
+	{
+		content["m.relates_to"]
+	};
+
+	if(!json::get<"rel_type"_>(relates))
+		if(json::get<"m.in_reply_to"_>(relates))
+			json::get<"rel_type"_>(relates) = "m.in_reply_to";
+
+	if(rel_type)
+		if(json::get<"rel_type"_>(relates) != rel_type)
 			return true;
 
-		m::relates_to relates
+	if(match_sender)
+	{
+		const pair<event::idx> idx
 		{
-			content["m.relates_to"]
+			refs.idx, event_idx
 		};
 
-		if(!json::get<"rel_type"_>(relates))
-			if(json::get<"m.in_reply_to"_>(relates))
-				json::get<"rel_type"_>(relates) = "m.in_reply_to";
+		const std::equal_to<string_view> equal_to;
+		if(!m::query(std::nothrow, idx, "sender", equal_to))
+			return true;
+	}
 
-		if(rel_type)
-			if(json::get<"rel_type"_>(relates) != rel_type)
-				return true;
-
-		if(this->match_sender)
-		{
-			const pair<event::idx> idx
-			{
-				refs.idx, event_idx
-			};
-
-			const std::equal_to<string_view> equal_to;
-			if(!m::query(std::nothrow, idx, "sender", equal_to))
-				return true;
-		}
-
-		return closure(event_idx, content, relates);
-	});
+	return closure(event_idx, content, relates);
 }