diff --git a/app/channel.go b/app/channel.go
index 53cfd3d8ec..d4f67ab3d3 100644
--- a/app/channel.go
+++ b/app/channel.go
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ func (s *channelsWrapper) AddChannelMember(channelID, userID string) (*model.Cha
 	})
 }
 
+func (s *channelsWrapper) GetDirectChannelOrCreate(userID1, userID2 string) (*model.Channel, *model.AppError) {
+	return s.app.GetOrCreateDirectChannel(request.EmptyContext(s.srv.Log()), userID1, userID2)
+}
+
 // Ensure the wrapper implements the product service.
 var _ product.ChannelService = (*channelsWrapper)(nil)
 
diff --git a/app/channels.go b/app/channels.go
index 53a2e74000..b22bfda2d0 100644
--- a/app/channels.go
+++ b/app/channels.go
@@ -213,6 +213,11 @@ func NewChannels(services map[product.ServiceKey]any) (*Channels, error) {
 	pluginsRoute.HandleFunc("/public/{public_file:.*}", ch.ServePluginPublicRequest)
 	pluginsRoute.HandleFunc("/{anything:.*}", ch.ServePluginRequest)
 
+	services[product.ChannelKey] = &channelsWrapper{
+		srv: s,
+		app: &App{ch: ch},
+	}
+
 	services[product.PostKey] = &postServiceWrapper{
 		app: &App{ch: ch},
 	}
diff --git a/app/server.go b/app/server.go
index 7893e1aea4..2d20462539 100644
--- a/app/server.go
+++ b/app/server.go
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ func NewServer(options ...Option) (*Server, error) {
 		product.FilestoreKey:     s.platform.FileBackend(),
 		product.FileInfoStoreKey: &fileInfoWrapper{srv: s},
 		product.ClusterKey:       s.platform,
-		product.UserKey:          New(ServerConnector(s.Channels())),
+		product.UserKey:          app,
 		product.LogKey:           s.platform.Log(),
 		product.CloudKey:         &cloudWrapper{cloud: s.Cloud},
 		product.KVStoreKey:       s.platform,
diff --git a/product/api.go b/product/api.go
index 272fcd85c0..2d65be8f45 100644
--- a/product/api.go
+++ b/product/api.go
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ type ClusterService interface {
 // The service shall be registered via app.ChannelKey service key.
 type ChannelService interface {
 	GetDirectChannel(userID1, userID2 string) (*model.Channel, *model.AppError)
+	GetDirectChannelOrCreate(userID1, userID2 string) (*model.Channel, *model.AppError)
 	GetChannelByID(channelID string) (*model.Channel, *model.AppError)
 	GetChannelMember(channelID string, userID string) (*model.ChannelMember, *model.AppError)
 	GetChannelsForTeamForUser(teamID string, userID string, opts *model.ChannelSearchOpts) (model.ChannelList, *model.AppError)