diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/constants.ts b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/constants.ts
index 932f2cbb870..3a450bfaef1 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/constants.ts
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/constants.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export interface PickerContext {
   hiddenGroups: string[];
   recentlyUsed: string[];
   favourites: string[];
+  setFavourite: (emojiCode: string) => void;
 }
 
 const pickerContext = createContext<PickerContext>({
@@ -17,6 +18,9 @@ const pickerContext = createContext<PickerContext>({
   hiddenGroups: [],
   recentlyUsed: [],
   favourites: [],
+  setFavourite: () => {
+    throw new Error('setFavourite not implemented');
+  },
 });
 
 export const PickerContextProvider = pickerContext.Provider;
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/index.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/index.tsx
index 0ad0af7daca..3b59b18e8fe 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/index.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/index.tsx
@@ -70,13 +70,30 @@ export const MockEmojiPicker: FC<MockEmojiPickerProps> = ({
     );
   }, []);
 
-  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars -- TODO: Set up favourites management
   const [favourites, setFavourites] = useState<string[]>(['🖤']);
+  const handleSetFavourite = useCallback((emojiCode: string) => {
+    const emojiKey = emojiCode;
+    setFavourites((prev) => {
+      const prevCodes = new Set(prev);
+      if (prevCodes.has(emojiKey)) {
+        prevCodes.delete(emojiKey);
+      } else {
+        prevCodes.add(emojiKey);
+      }
+      return Array.from(prevCodes);
+    });
+  }, []);
 
   return (
     <CustomEmojiProvider emojis={mockCustomEmojis}>
       <PickerContextProvider
-        value={{ skinTone, hiddenGroups, favourites, recentlyUsed }}
+        value={{
+          skinTone,
+          hiddenGroups,
+          favourites,
+          recentlyUsed,
+          setFavourite: handleSetFavourite,
+        }}
       >
         <div className={classes.wrapper}>
           {showSettings ? (
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/list.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/list.tsx
index f85962e9e2c..48f19461af2 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/list.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/emoji/picker/list.tsx
@@ -15,7 +15,11 @@ import ArrowIcon from '@/material-icons/400-24px/arrow_drop_down.svg?react';
 
 import { Emoji } from '..';
 
-import { groupKeysToNumber, mockCustomEmojis } from './constants';
+import {
+  groupKeysToNumber,
+  mockCustomEmojis,
+  usePickerContext,
+} from './constants';
 import classes from './styles.module.css';
 
 interface PickerGroupListProps {
@@ -57,7 +61,7 @@ export const PickerGroupCustomList: FC<
 
   // Determine which missing keys are Unicode and which are custom.
   const [missingUnicodeKeys, missingCustomKeys] = useMemo(() => {
-    const emojisToKeys = emojis?.map(emojiToKey) ?? [];
+    const emojisToKeys = emojis?.map((e) => emojiToKey(e)) ?? [];
     const unicodeKeys = emojiKeys
       .filter((key) => !isCustomEmoji(key))
       .map((code) => emojiToUnicodeHex(code))
@@ -94,11 +98,23 @@ export const PickerGroupCustomList: FC<
     });
   }
 
+  // If there is an emoji but no key, remove it.
+  if (emojis !== null && emojis.length > emojiKeys.length) {
+    setEmojis(
+      (prevEmojis) =>
+        prevEmojis?.filter((emoji) => emojiKeys.includes(emojiToKey(emoji))) ??
+        [],
+    );
+  }
+
   return <PickerGroupListInner emojis={emojis} {...props} />;
 };
 
-function emojiToKey(emoji: AnyEmojiData): string {
-  return 'hexcode' in emoji ? emoji.hexcode : `:${emoji.shortcode}:`;
+function emojiToKey(emoji: AnyEmojiData, hexcode = true): string {
+  if ('shortcode' in emoji) {
+    return `:${emoji.shortcode}:`;
+  }
+  return hexcode ? emoji.hexcode : emoji.unicode;
 }
 
 function mergeNewEmojis(
@@ -106,6 +122,9 @@ function mergeNewEmojis(
   newEmojis: AnyEmojiData[],
   emojiKeys: string[],
 ): AnyEmojiData[] {
+  if (newEmojis.length === 0) {
+    return currentEmojis;
+  }
   const allEmojis = new Map([
     ...currentEmojis.map(
       (emoji) => [emojiToKey(emoji), emoji] satisfies [string, AnyEmojiData],
@@ -117,11 +136,7 @@ function mergeNewEmojis(
 
   return (
     emojiKeys
-      .map((key) =>
-        isCustomEmoji(key)
-          ? allEmojis.get(key)
-          : allEmojis.get(emojiToUnicodeHex(key)),
-      )
+      .map((key) => allEmojis.get(emojiToUnicodeHex(key)))
       // Discard any missing emojis.
       .filter((e) => !!e)
   );
@@ -177,12 +192,21 @@ const PickerListEmoji: FC<PickerListEmojiProps> = ({ emoji, onClick }) => {
   const handleClick: MouseEventHandler = useCallback(() => {
     onClick(emoji);
   }, [emoji, onClick]);
+  const { setFavourite } = usePickerContext();
+  const handleContextMenu: MouseEventHandler = useCallback(
+    (event) => {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      setFavourite(emojiToKey(emoji, false));
+    },
+    [emoji, setFavourite],
+  );
   return (
     <li>
       <button
         type='button'
         title={'unicode' in emoji ? emoji.label : `:${emoji.shortcode}:`}
         onClick={handleClick}
+        onContextMenu={handleContextMenu}
         className={classes.listButton}
       >
         <Emoji
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/emoji/normalize.ts b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/emoji/normalize.ts
index a09505e97fc..ff7d6725fea 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/emoji/normalize.ts
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/emoji/normalize.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   EMOJIS_WITH_LIGHT_BORDER,
 } from './constants';
 import type { CustomEmojiMapArg, ExtraCustomEmojiMap } from './types';
+import { isCustomEmoji } from './utils';
 
 // Misc codes that have special handling
 const SKIER_CODE = 0x26f7;
@@ -23,6 +24,9 @@ const SPEECH_BUBBLE_CODE = 0x1f5e8;
 const MS_CLAUS_CODE = 0x1f936;
 
 export function emojiToUnicodeHex(emoji: string): string {
+  if (isCustomEmoji(emoji)) {
+    return emoji;
+  }
   const codes: number[] = [];
   for (const char of emoji) {
     const code = char.codePointAt(0);
@@ -30,6 +34,10 @@ export function emojiToUnicodeHex(emoji: string): string {
       codes.push(code);
     }
   }
+  // Strip trailing variation selector.
+  if (codes.at(-1) === VARIATION_SELECTOR_CODE) {
+    codes.pop();
+  }
   return hexNumbersToString(codes);
 }