diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/empty_state.vue b/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/empty_state.vue
index 13ce5437532859efe0d0e1be97d131e8b0ed49ae..1ece7863d8cca0d4cf07b42cc3854767e54d0e6a 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/empty_state.vue
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/empty_state.vue
@@ -30,9 +30,18 @@ export default {
       required: false,
       default: true,
     },
+    searchTimeout: {
+      type: Boolean,
+      required: false,
+      default: false,
+    },
   },
   computed: {
     title() {
+      if (this.searchTimeout) {
+        return __('Too many results to display');
+      }
+
       if (this.hasSearch) {
         return __('No results found');
       }
@@ -48,6 +57,10 @@ export default {
       return __('There are no closed merge requests');
     },
     description() {
+      if (this.searchTimeout) {
+        return __('Edit your search or add a filter.');
+      }
+
       if (this.hasSearch) {
         return __('To widen your search, change or remove filters above.');
       }
@@ -77,7 +90,7 @@ export default {
   >
     <template #actions>
       <gl-button
-        v-if="newMergeRequestPath"
+        v-if="newMergeRequestPath && !searchTimeout"
         :href="newMergeRequestPath"
         variant="confirm"
         data-event-tracking="click_new_merge_request_empty_list"
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/merge_requests_list_app.vue b/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/merge_requests_list_app.vue
index 87ff15673c89856124e25327cf744892b7a5747a..497f91a722f3d27cb40501ab548553fdb1679cf4 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/merge_requests_list_app.vue
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/merge_requests/list/components/merge_requests_list_app.vue
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { fetchPolicies } from '~/lib/graphql';
 import { isPositiveInteger } from '~/lib/utils/number_utils';
 import { scrollUp } from '~/lib/utils/scroll_utils';
 import { getParameterByName, mergeUrlParams } from '~/lib/utils/url_utility';
+import { HTTP_STATUS_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE } from '~/lib/utils/http_status';
 import { TYPENAME_USER } from '~/graphql_shared/constants';
 import { convertToGraphQLId } from '~/graphql_shared/utils';
 import IssuableList from '~/vue_shared/issuable/list/components/issuable_list_root.vue';
@@ -162,6 +163,7 @@ export default {
       state: STATUS_OPEN,
       pageSize: DEFAULT_PAGE_SIZE,
       showBulkEditSidebar: false,
+      searchTimeout: false,
     };
   },
   apollo: {
@@ -187,6 +189,9 @@ export default {
       error(error) {
         this.mergeRequestsError = this.$options.i18n.errorFetchingMergeRequests;
         Sentry.captureException(error);
+
+        this.mergeRequests = [];
+        this.searchTimeout = error.networkError?.statusCode === HTTP_STATUS_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE;
       },
       skip() {
         return !this.hasAnyMergeRequests || isEmpty(this.pageParams) || !this.getMergeRequestsQuery;
@@ -811,6 +816,7 @@ export default {
       :has-previous-page="pageInfo.hasPreviousPage"
       issuable-item-class="merge-request"
       :show-bulk-edit-sidebar="showBulkEditSidebar"
+      :search-timeout="searchTimeout"
       @click-tab="handleClickTab"
       @next-page="handleNextPage"
       @previous-page="handlePreviousPage"
@@ -948,6 +954,10 @@ export default {
       <template #empty-state>
         <empty-state :has-search="hasSearch" :is-open-tab="isOpenTab" />
       </template>
+
+      <template #search-timeout>
+        <empty-state :search-timeout="searchTimeout" />
+      </template>
     </issuable-list>
     <empty-state v-else :has-merge-requests="false" />
   </div>
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/vue_shared/issuable/list/components/issuable_list_root.vue b/app/assets/javascripts/vue_shared/issuable/list/components/issuable_list_root.vue
index 361b1fef538bcbbb97b5e04ae8eb5ff157f364fe..66d685f34a6a765d0c17d0311039a2a586ffca23 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/vue_shared/issuable/list/components/issuable_list_root.vue
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/vue_shared/issuable/list/components/issuable_list_root.vue
@@ -230,6 +230,11 @@ export default {
       required: false,
       default: () => [],
     },
+    searchTimeout: {
+      type: Boolean,
+      required: false,
+      default: false,
+    },
   },
   data() {
     return {
@@ -359,7 +364,7 @@ export default {
       </template>
     </filtered-search-bar>
     <gl-alert
-      v-if="error"
+      v-if="error && !searchTimeout"
       variant="danger"
       :class="{ 'gl-mt-5': !hasItems && !issuablesLoading }"
       :dismissible="hasItems"
@@ -454,6 +459,7 @@ export default {
         </issuable-item>
       </component>
       <empty-result v-else-if="initialFilterValue.length > 0" />
+      <slot v-else-if="searchTimeout" name="search-timeout"></slot>
       <slot v-else-if="!error" name="empty-state"></slot>
     </template>
 
diff --git a/locale/gitlab.pot b/locale/gitlab.pot
index 3a813b2503e25b4a1b45c9e503f6ec4d28d6db71..d2242250c2f01c39708978c03dd17241d92d54dc 100644
--- a/locale/gitlab.pot
+++ b/locale/gitlab.pot
@@ -25699,6 +25699,9 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "Edit your search filter and try again."
 msgstr ""
 
+msgid "Edit your search or add a filter."
+msgstr ""
+
 msgid "Edit, lint, and visualize your pipeline."
 msgstr ""
 
@@ -68875,6 +68878,9 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "Too many references. Quick actions are limited to at most %{max_count} user references"
 msgstr ""
 
+msgid "Too many results to display"
+msgstr ""
+
 msgid "Too many results to display. Edit your search or add a filter."
 msgstr ""