diff --git a/lib/Api/Sharees.php b/lib/Api/Sharees.php
index 2755f93ce..7c80409de 100644
--- a/lib/Api/Sharees.php
+++ b/lib/Api/Sharees.php
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 use OCA\Circles\Model\Circle;
 use OCA\Circles\Model\Member;
 use OCA\Circles\Service\CirclesService;
+use OCA\Circles\Service\ConfigService;
 use OCA\Circles\Service\MiscService;
 use OCP\Share;
 
@@ -61,12 +62,20 @@ protected static function getContainer() {
 //	public static function search($search, $limit, $offset) {
 	public static function search($search) {
 		$c = self::getContainer();
+
+		$type = Circle::CIRCLES_ALL;
+		$circlesAreVisible = $c->query(ConfigService::class)
+						 		->isListedCirclesAllowed();
+		if (!$circlesAreVisible) {
+			$type = $type - Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED - Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC;
+		}
+
 		$userId = \OC::$server->getUserSession()
 							  ->getUser()
 							  ->getUID();
 
 		$data = $c->query(CirclesService::class)
-				  ->listCircles($userId, Circle::CIRCLES_ALL, $search, Member::LEVEL_MEMBER);
+				  ->listCircles($userId, $type, $search, Member::LEVEL_MEMBER);
 		$result = array(
 			'exact'   => ['circles'],
 			'circles' => []
@@ -111,4 +120,4 @@ private static function addResultEntry(&$result, $entry, $exact = false) {
 
 	}
 
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/lib/Api/v1/Circles.php b/lib/Api/v1/Circles.php
index 294e9433e..03f494a9f 100644
--- a/lib/Api/v1/Circles.php
+++ b/lib/Api/v1/Circles.php
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 use OCA\Circles\Model\Member;
 use OCA\Circles\Model\SharingFrame;
 use OCA\Circles\Service\CirclesService;
+use OCA\Circles\Service\ConfigService;
 use OCA\Circles\Service\FederatedLinkService;
 use OCA\Circles\Service\MembersService;
 use OCA\Circles\Service\MiscService;
@@ -181,6 +182,43 @@ public static function leaveCircle($circleUniqueId) {
 	public static function listCircles($type, $name = '', $level = 0, $userId = '', $forceAll = false) {
 		$c = self::getContainer();
 
+		$configService = $c->query(ConfigService::class);
+		$circlesAreVisible = $configService->isListedCirclesAllowed();
+		$circlesAllowed = (int)$configService->getAppValue(ConfigService::CIRCLES_ALLOW_CIRCLES);
+
+		if (!$circlesAreVisible) {
+			switch (true) {
+				case ($type === Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED):
+				case ($type === Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC):
+				case (Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED + Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC === $circlesAllowed):
+					return [];
+					break;
+				case ($type === Circle::CIRCLES_ALL &&
+						$circlesAllowed === Circle::CIRCLES_ALL
+				):
+					$type = $type - Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED - Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC;
+					break;
+				case ($type > Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED &&
+						$type < Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC &&
+						$circlesAllowed === Circle::CIRCLES_ALL
+				):
+					$type = $type - Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED;
+					break;
+				case ($type > Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC &&
+						$type < (Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC + Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED) &&
+						$circlesAllowed === Circle::CIRCLES_ALL
+				):
+					$type = $type - Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC;
+					break;
+				case ($type > (Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC + Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED) &&
+						$type < Circle::CIRCLES_ALL &&
+						$circlesAllowed === Circle::CIRCLES_ALL
+				):
+					$type = $type - Circle::CIRCLES_PUBLIC - Circle::CIRCLES_CLOSED;
+					break;
+			}
+		}
+
 		if ($userId === '') {
 			$userId = \OC::$server->getUserSession()
 								  ->getUser()
diff --git a/lib/Service/ConfigService.php b/lib/Service/ConfigService.php
index c1497c7ac..79bca1917 100644
--- a/lib/Service/ConfigService.php
+++ b/lib/Service/ConfigService.php
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ class ConfigService {
 	const CIRCLES_ALLOW_FEDERATED_CIRCLES = 'allow_federated';
 	const CIRCLES_MEMBERS_LIMIT = 'members_limit';
 	const CIRCLES_ACCOUNTS_ONLY = 'accounts_only';
+	const CIRCLES_ALLOW_LISTED_CIRCLES = 'allow_listed_circles';
 	const CIRCLES_ALLOW_LINKED_GROUPS = 'allow_linked_groups';
 	const CIRCLES_ALLOW_NON_SSL_LINKS = 'allow_non_ssl_links';
 	const CIRCLES_NON_SSL_LOCAL = 'local_is_non_ssl';
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ class ConfigService {
 		self::CIRCLES_NON_SSL_LOCAL           => '0',
 		self::CIRCLES_ACTIVITY_ON_CREATION    => '1',
 		self::CIRCLES_SKIP_INVITATION_STEP    => '0'
+		self::CIRCLES_ALLOW_LISTED_CIRCLES       => '1',
 	];
 
 	/** @var string */
@@ -86,6 +88,9 @@ class ConfigService {
 	/** @var int */
 	private $allowedCircle = -1;
 
+	/** @var int */
+	private $allowedListedCircles = -1;
+
 	/** @var int */
 	private $allowedLinkedGroups = -1;
 
@@ -139,6 +144,20 @@ public function isCircleAllowed($type) {
 		return ((int)$type & (int)$this->allowedCircle);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * returns if the circles are allowed to be listed outside the Circles application.
+	 *
+	 * @return bool
+	 */
+	public function isListedCirclesAllowed() {
+		if ($this->allowedListedCircles === -1) {
+			$this->allowedListedCircles =
+				(int)$this->getAppValue(self::CIRCLES_ALLOW_LISTED_CIRCLES);
+		}
+
+		return ($this->allowedListedCircles === 1);
+	}
+
 
 	/**
 	 * @return bool