diff --git a/src/components/views/dialogs/spotlight/SpotlightDialog.tsx b/src/components/views/dialogs/spotlight/SpotlightDialog.tsx
index 758ff32092..d6ca4faaff 100644
--- a/src/components/views/dialogs/spotlight/SpotlightDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/dialogs/spotlight/SpotlightDialog.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
     RoomType,
     Room,
     HierarchyRoom,
+    JoinRule,
 } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/matrix";
 import { normalize } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/utils";
 import React, { ChangeEvent, RefObject, useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
@@ -276,6 +277,10 @@ const roomAriaUnreadLabel = (room: Room, notification: RoomNotificationState): s
     }
 };
 
+const canAskToJoin = (joinRule?: JoinRule): boolean => {
+    return SettingsStore.getValue("feature_ask_to_join") && JoinRule.Knock === joinRule;
+};
+
 interface IDirectoryOpts {
     limit: number;
     query: string;
@@ -514,7 +519,14 @@ const SpotlightDialog: React.FC<IProps> = ({ initialText = "", initialFilter = n
     }, [results, filter]);
 
     const viewRoom = (
-        room: { roomId: string; roomAlias?: string; autoJoin?: boolean; shouldPeek?: boolean; viaServers?: string[] },
+        room: {
+            roomId: string;
+            roomAlias?: string;
+            autoJoin?: boolean;
+            shouldPeek?: boolean;
+            viaServers?: string[];
+            joinRule?: IPublicRoomsChunkRoom["join_rule"];
+        },
         persist = false,
         viaKeyboard = false,
     ): void => {
@@ -538,10 +550,15 @@ const SpotlightDialog: React.FC<IProps> = ({ initialText = "", initialFilter = n
             metricsViaKeyboard: viaKeyboard,
             room_id: room.roomId,
             room_alias: room.roomAlias,
-            auto_join: room.autoJoin,
+            auto_join: room.autoJoin && !canAskToJoin(room.joinRule),
             should_peek: room.shouldPeek,
             via_servers: room.viaServers,
         });
+
+        if (canAskToJoin(room.joinRule)) {
+            defaultDispatcher.dispatch({ action: Action.PromptAskToJoin });
+        }
+
         onFinished();
     };
 
@@ -647,12 +664,15 @@ const SpotlightDialog: React.FC<IProps> = ({ initialText = "", initialFilter = n
             }
             if (isPublicRoomResult(result)) {
                 const clientRoom = cli.getRoom(result.publicRoom.room_id);
+                const joinRule = result.publicRoom.join_rule;
                 // Element Web currently does not allow guests to join rooms, so we
                 // instead show them view buttons for all rooms. If the room is not
                 // world readable, a modal will appear asking you to register first. If
                 // it is readable, the preview appears as normal.
                 const showViewButton =
-                    clientRoom?.getMyMembership() === "join" || result.publicRoom.world_readable || cli.isGuest();
+                    clientRoom?.getMyMembership() === "join" ||
+                    (result.publicRoom.world_readable && !canAskToJoin(joinRule)) ||
+                    cli.isGuest();
 
                 const listener = (ev: ButtonEvent): void => {
                     ev.stopPropagation();
@@ -665,12 +685,20 @@ const SpotlightDialog: React.FC<IProps> = ({ initialText = "", initialFilter = n
                             autoJoin: !result.publicRoom.world_readable && !cli.isGuest(),
                             shouldPeek: result.publicRoom.world_readable || cli.isGuest(),
                             viaServers: config ? [config.roomServer] : undefined,
+                            joinRule,
                         },
                         true,
                         ev.type !== "click",
                     );
                 };
 
+                let buttonLabel;
+                if (showViewButton) {
+                    buttonLabel = _t("action|view");
+                } else {
+                    buttonLabel = canAskToJoin(joinRule) ? _t("action|ask_to_join") : _t("action|join");
+                }
+
                 return (
                     <Option
                         id={`mx_SpotlightDialog_button_result_${result.publicRoom.room_id}`}
@@ -683,7 +711,7 @@ const SpotlightDialog: React.FC<IProps> = ({ initialText = "", initialFilter = n
                                 onClick={listener}
                                 tabIndex={-1}
                             >
-                                {showViewButton ? _t("action|view") : _t("action|join")}
+                                {buttonLabel}
                             </AccessibleButton>
                         }
                         aria-labelledby={`mx_SpotlightDialog_button_result_${result.publicRoom.room_id}_name`}
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index fd4deadc94..a4ecb6d551 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@
         "resend": "Resend",
         "next": "Next",
         "view": "View",
+        "ask_to_join": "Ask to join",
         "forward": "Forward",
         "copy_link": "Copy link",
         "logout": "Logout",
diff --git a/test/components/views/dialogs/SpotlightDialog-test.tsx b/test/components/views/dialogs/SpotlightDialog-test.tsx
index 44fd98c9f6..5ec1108bc4 100644
--- a/test/components/views/dialogs/SpotlightDialog-test.tsx
+++ b/test/components/views/dialogs/SpotlightDialog-test.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
     ConnectionError,
     IProtocol,
     IPublicRoomsChunkRoom,
+    JoinRule,
     MatrixClient,
     Room,
     RoomMember,
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ import SettingsStore from "../../../../src/settings/SettingsStore";
 import { SettingLevel } from "../../../../src/settings/SettingLevel";
 import defaultDispatcher from "../../../../src/dispatcher/dispatcher";
 import SdkConfig from "../../../../src/SdkConfig";
+import { Action } from "../../../../src/dispatcher/actions";
 
 jest.useFakeTimers();
 
@@ -574,4 +576,75 @@ describe("Spotlight Dialog", () => {
 
         expect(screen.getByText("Failed to query public rooms")).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
+
+    describe("knock rooms", () => {
+        const knockRoom: IPublicRoomsChunkRoom = {
+            guest_can_join: false,
+            join_rule: JoinRule.Knock,
+            num_joined_members: 0,
+            room_id: "some-room-id",
+            world_readable: false,
+        };
+
+        const viewRoomParams = {
+            action: Action.ViewRoom,
+            metricsTrigger: "WebUnifiedSearch",
+            metricsViaKeyboard: false,
+            room_alias: undefined,
+            room_id: knockRoom.room_id,
+            should_peek: false,
+            via_servers: ["example.tld"],
+        };
+
+        beforeEach(() => (mockedClient = mockClient({ rooms: [knockRoom] })));
+
+        describe("when disabling feature", () => {
+            beforeEach(async () => {
+                jest.spyOn(SettingsStore, "getValue").mockImplementation((setting) =>
+                    setting === "feature_ask_to_join" ? false : [],
+                );
+
+                render(<SpotlightDialog initialFilter={Filter.PublicRooms} onFinished={() => {}} />);
+
+                // search is debounced
+                jest.advanceTimersByTime(200);
+                await flushPromisesWithFakeTimers();
+
+                fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "View" }));
+            });
+
+            it("should not skip to auto join", async () => {
+                expect(defaultDispatcher.dispatch).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ ...viewRoomParams, auto_join: true });
+            });
+
+            it("should not prompt ask to join", async () => {
+                expect(defaultDispatcher.dispatch).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith({ action: Action.PromptAskToJoin });
+            });
+        });
+
+        describe("when enabling feature", () => {
+            beforeEach(async () => {
+                jest.spyOn(SettingsStore, "getValue").mockImplementation((setting) =>
+                    setting === "feature_ask_to_join" ? true : [],
+                );
+                jest.spyOn(mockedClient, "getRoom").mockReturnValue(null);
+
+                render(<SpotlightDialog initialFilter={Filter.PublicRooms} onFinished={() => {}} />);
+
+                // search is debounced
+                jest.advanceTimersByTime(200);
+                await flushPromisesWithFakeTimers();
+
+                fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Ask to join" }));
+            });
+
+            it("should skip to auto join", async () => {
+                expect(defaultDispatcher.dispatch).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ ...viewRoomParams, auto_join: false });
+            });
+
+            it("should prompt ask to join", async () => {
+                expect(defaultDispatcher.dispatch).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ action: Action.PromptAskToJoin });
+            });
+        });
+    });
 });