diff --git a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
@@ -14,11 +14,6 @@
 import { getMessageTitle, isInvalidSidebarSource } from './message-utils.js';
 import { relationshipBlockedInEitherDirection } from './relationship-utils.js';
 import { useForwardLookupSearchText, useSearchUsers } from './search-utils.js';
-import threadWatcher from './thread-watcher.js';
-import {
-  fetchMostRecentMessagesActionTypes,
-  useFetchMostRecentMessages,
-} from '../actions/message-actions.js';
 import type { RemoveUsersFromThreadInput } from '../actions/thread-actions';
 import {
   newThreadActionTypes,
@@ -126,10 +121,7 @@
 } from '../utils/entity-text.js';
 import type { GetFCNames } from '../utils/farcaster-helpers.js';
 import { entries, values } from '../utils/objects.js';
-import {
-  useDispatchActionPromise,
-  type DispatchActionPromise,
-} from '../utils/redux-promise-utils.js';
+import type { DispatchActionPromise } from '../utils/redux-promise-utils.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 import { usingCommServicesAccessToken } from '../utils/services-utils.js';
 import { firstLine } from '../utils/string-utils.js';
@@ -1289,33 +1281,6 @@
   }
 }
 
-function useWatchThread(threadInfo: ?ThreadInfo) {
-  const dispatchActionPromise = useDispatchActionPromise();
-  const callFetchMostRecentMessages = useFetchMostRecentMessages();
-
-  const threadID = threadInfo?.id;
-  const threadIsInChatList = useIsThreadInChatList(threadInfo);
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    if (threadID && !threadIsInChatList) {
-      threadWatcher.watchID(threadID);
-      void dispatchActionPromise(
-        fetchMostRecentMessagesActionTypes,
-        callFetchMostRecentMessages({ threadID }),
-      );
-    }
-    return () => {
-      if (threadID && !threadIsInChatList) {
-        threadWatcher.removeID(threadID);
-      }
-    };
-  }, [
-    callFetchMostRecentMessages,
-    dispatchActionPromise,
-    threadIsInChatList,
-    threadID,
-  ]);
-}
-
 type ExistingThreadInfoFinderParams = {
   +searching: boolean,
   +userInfoInputArray: $ReadOnlyArray<AccountUserInfo>,
@@ -1991,7 +1956,6 @@
   emptyItemText,
   threadNoun,
   threadLabel,
-  useWatchThread,
   useExistingThreadInfoFinder,
   getThreadTypeParentRequirement,
   threadMemberHasPermission,
diff --git a/lib/shared/watch-thread-utils.js b/lib/shared/watch-thread-utils.js
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/shared/watch-thread-utils.js
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+// @flow
+
+import * as React from 'react';
+
+import { useIsThreadInChatList } from './thread-utils.js';
+import threadWatcher from './thread-watcher.js';
+import {
+  fetchMostRecentMessagesActionTypes,
+  useFetchMostRecentMessages,
+} from '../actions/message-actions.js';
+import type { ThreadInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
+import { useDispatchActionPromise } from '../utils/redux-promise-utils.js';
+
+function useWatchThread(threadInfo: ?ThreadInfo) {
+  const dispatchActionPromise = useDispatchActionPromise();
+  const callFetchMostRecentMessages = useFetchMostRecentMessages();
+
+  const threadID = threadInfo?.id;
+  const threadIsInChatList = useIsThreadInChatList(threadInfo);
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (threadID && !threadIsInChatList) {
+      threadWatcher.watchID(threadID);
+      void dispatchActionPromise(
+        fetchMostRecentMessagesActionTypes,
+        callFetchMostRecentMessages({ threadID }),
+      );
+    }
+    return () => {
+      if (threadID && !threadIsInChatList) {
+        threadWatcher.removeID(threadID);
+      }
+    };
+  }, [
+    callFetchMostRecentMessages,
+    dispatchActionPromise,
+    threadIsInChatList,
+    threadID,
+  ]);
+}
+
+export { useWatchThread };
diff --git a/native/chat/message-list.react.js b/native/chat/message-list.react.js
--- a/native/chat/message-list.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/message-list.react.js
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 import { useOldestMessageServerID } from 'lib/hooks/message-hooks.js';
 import { registerFetchKey } from 'lib/reducers/loading-reducer.js';
 import { messageKey } from 'lib/shared/message-utils.js';
-import { useWatchThread } from 'lib/shared/thread-utils.js';
+import { useWatchThread } from 'lib/shared/watch-thread-utils.js';
 import type { FetchMessageInfosPayload } from 'lib/types/message-types.js';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from 'lib/types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 import { threadTypes } from 'lib/types/thread-types-enum.js';
diff --git a/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js b/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
--- a/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@
 import { useDrop } from 'react-dnd';
 import { NativeTypes } from 'react-dnd-html5-backend';
 
-import { useWatchThread, threadIsPending } from 'lib/shared/thread-utils.js';
+import { threadIsPending } from 'lib/shared/thread-utils.js';
+import { useWatchThread } from 'lib/shared/watch-thread-utils.js';
 import { useDispatch } from 'lib/utils/redux-utils.js';
 
 import ChatInputBar from './chat-input-bar.react.js';