diff --git a/app/controllers/api/v0/users_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api/v0/users_controller.rb
index 5aaea0eec..760a579c3 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api/v0/users_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api/v0/users_controller.rb
@@ -9,15 +9,12 @@ module Api
         end
         if params[:state] == "follow_suggestions"
           @users = UserFollowSuggester.new(current_user).suggestions
+        elsif params[:state] == "sidebar_suggestions"
+          given_tag = params[:tag]
+          @users = UserFollowSuggester.new(current_user).sidebar_suggestions(given_tag)
         end
       end
 
-      def sidebar_suggestions
-        given_tag = params[:tag]
-        @users = UserFollowSuggester.new(nil).sidebar_suggestions(given_tag)
-        render "index.json.jbuilder"
-      end
-
       def less_than_one_day_old?(user)
         range = (Time.now.beginning_of_day - 1.day)..(Time.now)
         user_identity_age = user.github_created_at ||
diff --git a/app/javascript/sidebar-widget/SidebarWidget.jsx b/app/javascript/sidebar-widget/SidebarWidget.jsx
index 03614797d..79a568a1c 100644
--- a/app/javascript/sidebar-widget/SidebarWidget.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/sidebar-widget/SidebarWidget.jsx
@@ -28,13 +28,16 @@ class SidebarWidget extends Component {
   }
 
   getSuggestedUsers() {
-    fetch(`/api/users/sidebar_suggestions?tag=${this.state.tagInfo.name}`, {
-      headers: {
-        Accept: 'application/json',
-        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+    fetch(
+      `/api/users?state=sidebar_suggestions&tag=${this.state.tagInfo.name}`,
+      {
+        headers: {
+          Accept: 'application/json',
+          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+        },
+        credentials: 'same-origin',
       },
-      credentials: 'same-origin',
-    })
+    )
       .then(response => response.json())
       .then(json => {
         this.setState({ suggestedUsers: json });
diff --git a/app/views/api/v0/users/index.json.jbuilder b/app/views/api/v0/users/index.json.jbuilder
index 717212f4b..451824719 100644
--- a/app/views/api/v0/users/index.json.jbuilder
+++ b/app/views/api/v0/users/index.json.jbuilder
@@ -3,5 +3,5 @@ json.array! @users.each do |user|
   json.name                   user.name
   json.username               user.username
   json.profile_image_url      ProfileImage.new(user).get(90)
-  json.following              current_user ? current_user.following?(user) : false
+  json.following              false
 end