diff --git a/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api/types/events.rs b/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api/types/events.rs
index 73862631b..fb54688fb 100644
--- a/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api/types/events.rs
+++ b/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api/types/events.rs
@@ -192,8 +192,7 @@ pub enum EventType {
         msg_id: u32,
     },
 
-    /// A single message is read by the receiver. State changed from DC_STATE_OUT_DELIVERED to
-    /// DC_STATE_OUT_MDN_RCVD, see `Message.state`.
+    /// A single message is read by a receiver.
     #[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
     MsgRead {
         /// ID of the chat which the message belongs to.
@@ -201,6 +200,12 @@ pub enum EventType {
 
         /// ID of the message that was read.
         msg_id: u32,
+
+        /// Read for the first time (e.g. by just one group member
+        /// / channel subscriber).
+        /// State changed from DC_STATE_OUT_DELIVERED to
+        /// DC_STATE_OUT_MDN_RCVD, see dc_msg_get_state().
+        first_time: bool,
     },
 
     /// A single message was deleted.
@@ -540,9 +545,14 @@ impl From<CoreEventType> for EventType {
                 chat_id: chat_id.to_u32(),
                 msg_id: msg_id.to_u32(),
             },
-            CoreEventType::MsgRead { chat_id, msg_id } => MsgRead {
+            CoreEventType::MsgRead {
+                chat_id,
+                msg_id,
+                first_time,
+            } => MsgRead {
                 chat_id: chat_id.to_u32(),
                 msg_id: msg_id.to_u32(),
+                first_time,
             },
             CoreEventType::MsgDeleted { chat_id, msg_id } => MsgDeleted {
                 chat_id: chat_id.to_u32(),
diff --git a/src/events/payload.rs b/src/events/payload.rs
index 82bf70517..223ba45d0 100644
--- a/src/events/payload.rs
+++ b/src/events/payload.rs
@@ -171,14 +171,19 @@ pub enum EventType {
         msg_id: MsgId,
     },
 
-    /// A single message is read by the receiver. State changed from DC_STATE_OUT_DELIVERED to
-    /// DC_STATE_OUT_MDN_RCVD, see dc_msg_get_state().
+    /// A single message is read by a receiver.
     MsgRead {
         /// ID of the chat which the message belongs to.
         chat_id: ChatId,
 
         /// ID of the message that was read.
         msg_id: MsgId,
+
+        /// Read for the first time (e.g. by just one group member
+        /// / channel subscriber).
+        /// State changed from DC_STATE_OUT_DELIVERED to
+        /// DC_STATE_OUT_MDN_RCVD, see dc_msg_get_state().
+        first_time: bool,
     },
 
     /// A single message was deleted.
diff --git a/src/mimeparser.rs b/src/mimeparser.rs
index a2d07fa4d..bc2365004 100644
--- a/src/mimeparser.rs
+++ b/src/mimeparser.rs
@@ -2596,8 +2596,12 @@ async fn handle_mdn(
             (msg_id, from_id, timestamp_sent),
         )
         .await?;
+    context.emit_event(EventType::MsgRead {
+        chat_id,
+        msg_id,
+        first_time: !has_mdns,
+    });
     if !has_mdns {
-        context.emit_event(EventType::MsgRead { chat_id, msg_id });
         // note(treefit): only matters if it is the last message in chat (but probably too expensive to check, debounce also solves it)
         chatlist_events::emit_chatlist_item_changed(context, chat_id);
     }