diff --git a/lib/hooks/child-threads.js b/lib/hooks/child-threads.js
--- a/lib/hooks/child-threads.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/child-threads.js
@@ -102,14 +102,15 @@
     );
   }, [allSubchannelsList, searchResultIDs, searchTextExists]);
 
+  const messageStore = useSelector(state => state.messageStore);
   const threadIDsWithNoMessages = React.useMemo(
     () =>
       new Set(
         filteredSubchannelsChatList
-          .filter(item => !item.mostRecentMessageInfo)
-          .map(item => item.threadInfo.id),
+          .map(item => item.threadInfo.id)
+          .filter(id => messageStore.threads[id]?.messageIDs.length === 0),
       ),
-    [filteredSubchannelsChatList],
+    [filteredSubchannelsChatList, messageStore],
   );
   const dispatchActionPromise = useDispatchActionPromise();
   const fetchSingleMostRecentMessages =
diff --git a/lib/hooks/message-hooks.js b/lib/hooks/message-hooks.js
--- a/lib/hooks/message-hooks.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/message-hooks.js
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 // @flow
 
+import * as React from 'react';
+
+import { messageInfoSelector } from '../selectors/chat-selectors.js';
 import { getOldestNonLocalMessageID } from '../shared/message-utils.js';
+import type { MessageInfo } from '../types/message-types.js';
+import type { ThreadInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 
 function useOldestMessageServerID(threadID: string): ?string {
@@ -9,4 +14,42 @@
   );
 }
 
-export { useOldestMessageServerID };
+function useGetMessageInfoForPreview(): (
+  threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
+) => Promise<?MessageInfo> {
+  const messageInfos = useSelector(messageInfoSelector);
+  const messageStore = useSelector(state => state.messageStore);
+  return React.useCallback(
+    async threadInfo => {
+      const thread = messageStore.threads[threadInfo.id];
+      if (!thread) {
+        return null;
+      }
+      for (const messageID of thread.messageIDs) {
+        const messageInfo = messageInfos[messageID];
+        if (messageInfo) {
+          return messageInfo;
+        }
+      }
+      return null;
+    },
+    [messageInfos, messageStore],
+  );
+}
+
+function useMessageInfoForPreview(threadInfo: ThreadInfo): ?MessageInfo {
+  const [messageInfo, setMessageInfo] = React.useState<?MessageInfo>();
+
+  const getMessageInfoForPreview = useGetMessageInfoForPreview();
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    void (async () => {
+      const newMessageInfoForPreview =
+        await getMessageInfoForPreview(threadInfo);
+      setMessageInfo(newMessageInfoForPreview);
+    })();
+  }, [threadInfo, getMessageInfoForPreview]);
+
+  return messageInfo;
+}
+
+export { useOldestMessageServerID, useMessageInfoForPreview };
diff --git a/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js b/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
--- a/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
+++ b/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@
 export type ChatThreadItem = {
   +type: 'chatThreadItem',
   +threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
-  +mostRecentMessageInfo: ?MessageInfo,
   +mostRecentNonLocalMessage: ?string,
   +lastUpdatedTime: number,
   +lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars: number,
@@ -196,7 +195,6 @@
       return {
         type: 'chatThreadItem',
         threadInfo,
-        mostRecentMessageInfo,
         mostRecentNonLocalMessage,
         lastUpdatedTime,
         lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars,
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
@@ -654,7 +654,6 @@
   return {
     type: 'chatThreadItem',
     threadInfo,
-    mostRecentMessageInfo: null,
     mostRecentNonLocalMessage: null,
     lastUpdatedTime: threadInfo.creationTime,
     lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars: threadInfo.creationTime,
diff --git a/native/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js b/native/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js
--- a/native/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js
@@ -155,10 +155,7 @@
           </SingleLine>
         </View>
         <View style={styles.row}>
-          <MessagePreview
-            messageInfo={data.mostRecentMessageInfo}
-            threadInfo={data.threadInfo}
-          />
+          <MessagePreview threadInfo={data.threadInfo} />
           <Text style={lastActivityStyle}>{lastActivity}</Text>
         </View>
       </View>
@@ -175,7 +172,6 @@
       styles.row,
       styles.threadDetails,
       threadNameStyle,
-      data.mostRecentMessageInfo,
     ],
   );
 
diff --git a/native/chat/message-preview.react.js b/native/chat/message-preview.react.js
--- a/native/chat/message-preview.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/message-preview.react.js
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 import { Text } from 'react-native';
 
 import { useThreadChatMentionCandidates } from 'lib/hooks/chat-mention-hooks.js';
+import { useMessageInfoForPreview } from 'lib/hooks/message-hooks.js';
 import { useMessagePreview } from 'lib/shared/message-utils.js';
-import { type MessageInfo } from 'lib/types/message-types.js';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from 'lib/types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 
 import SingleLine from '../components/single-line.react.js';
@@ -14,15 +14,15 @@
 import { useStyles } from '../themes/colors.js';
 
 type Props = {
-  +messageInfo: ?MessageInfo,
   +threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
 };
 function MessagePreview(props: Props): React.Node {
-  const { messageInfo, threadInfo } = props;
+  const { threadInfo } = props;
 
   const chatMentionCandidates = useThreadChatMentionCandidates(threadInfo);
+  const messageInfoForPreview = useMessageInfoForPreview(threadInfo);
   const messagePreviewResult = useMessagePreview(
-    messageInfo,
+    messageInfoForPreview,
     threadInfo,
     getDefaultTextMessageRules(chatMentionCandidates).simpleMarkdownRules,
   );
diff --git a/native/chat/subchannel-item.react.js b/native/chat/subchannel-item.react.js
--- a/native/chat/subchannel-item.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/subchannel-item.react.js
@@ -16,8 +16,7 @@
   +subchannelInfo: ChatThreadItem,
 };
 function SubchannelItem(props: Props): React.Node {
-  const { lastUpdatedTime, threadInfo, mostRecentMessageInfo } =
-    props.subchannelInfo;
+  const { lastUpdatedTime, threadInfo } = props.subchannelInfo;
   const { uiName } = useResolvedThreadInfo(threadInfo);
 
   const lastActivity = shortAbsoluteDate(lastUpdatedTime);
@@ -37,10 +36,7 @@
         <SingleLine style={[styles.name, unreadStyle]}>{uiName}</SingleLine>
       </View>
       <View style={styles.itemRowContainer}>
-        <MessagePreview
-          messageInfo={mostRecentMessageInfo}
-          threadInfo={threadInfo}
-        />
+        <MessagePreview threadInfo={threadInfo} />
         <Text style={[styles.lastActivity, unreadStyle]}>{lastActivity}</Text>
       </View>
     </View>
diff --git a/web/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js b/web/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js
--- a/web/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/chat-thread-list-item.react.js
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@
     threadInfo,
     lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars,
     mostRecentNonLocalMessage,
-    mostRecentMessageInfo,
   } = item;
   const { id: threadID, currentUser } = threadInfo;
 
@@ -156,10 +155,7 @@
             <div className={titleClassName}>{uiName}</div>
           </div>
           <div className={css.threadRow}>
-            <MessagePreview
-              messageInfo={mostRecentMessageInfo}
-              threadInfo={threadInfo}
-            />
+            <MessagePreview threadInfo={threadInfo} />
           </div>
         </div>
         <div>
diff --git a/web/chat/message-preview.react.js b/web/chat/message-preview.react.js
--- a/web/chat/message-preview.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/message-preview.react.js
@@ -5,37 +5,33 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 
 import { useThreadChatMentionCandidates } from 'lib/hooks/chat-mention-hooks.js';
+import { useMessageInfoForPreview } from 'lib/hooks/message-hooks.js';
 import { useMessagePreview } from 'lib/shared/message-utils.js';
-import { type MessageInfo } from 'lib/types/message-types.js';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from 'lib/types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 
 import css from './chat-thread-list.css';
 import { getDefaultTextMessageRules } from '../markdown/rules.react.js';
 
 type Props = {
-  +messageInfo: ?MessageInfo,
   +threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
 };
 function MessagePreview(props: Props): React.Node {
-  const { messageInfo, threadInfo } = props;
+  const { threadInfo } = props;
   const chatMentionCandidates = useThreadChatMentionCandidates(threadInfo);
+  const messageInfoForPreview = useMessageInfoForPreview(threadInfo);
   const messagePreviewResult = useMessagePreview(
-    messageInfo,
+    messageInfoForPreview,
     threadInfo,
     getDefaultTextMessageRules(chatMentionCandidates).simpleMarkdownRules,
   );
 
-  if (!messageInfo) {
+  if (!messagePreviewResult) {
     return (
       <div className={classNames(css.lastMessage, css.dark, css.italic)}>
         No messages
       </div>
     );
   }
-  invariant(
-    messagePreviewResult,
-    'useMessagePreview should only return falsey if pass null or undefined',
-  );
   const { message, username } = messagePreviewResult;
 
   let usernameText = null;
diff --git a/web/modals/threads/sidebars/sidebar.react.js b/web/modals/threads/sidebars/sidebar.react.js
--- a/web/modals/threads/sidebars/sidebar.react.js
+++ b/web/modals/threads/sidebars/sidebar.react.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import { useModalContext } from 'lib/components/modal-provider.react.js';
 import { useThreadChatMentionCandidates } from 'lib/hooks/chat-mention-hooks.js';
+import { useMessageInfoForPreview } from 'lib/hooks/message-hooks.js';
 import type { ChatThreadItem } from 'lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js';
 import { useMessagePreview } from 'lib/shared/message-utils.js';
 import { shortAbsoluteDate } from 'lib/utils/date-utils.js';
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@
 
 function Sidebar(props: Props): React.Node {
   const { sidebar, isLastItem } = props;
-  const { threadInfo, lastUpdatedTime, mostRecentMessageInfo } = sidebar;
+  const { threadInfo, lastUpdatedTime } = sidebar;
   const { unread } = threadInfo.currentUser;
 
   const { popModal } = useModalContext();
@@ -54,8 +55,9 @@
   );
 
   const chatMentionCandidates = useThreadChatMentionCandidates(threadInfo);
+  const messageInfoForPreview = useMessageInfoForPreview(threadInfo);
   const messagePreviewResult = useMessagePreview(
-    mostRecentMessageInfo,
+    messageInfoForPreview,
     threadInfo,
     getDefaultTextMessageRules(chatMentionCandidates).simpleMarkdownRules,
   );
diff --git a/web/modals/threads/subchannels/subchannel.react.js b/web/modals/threads/subchannels/subchannel.react.js
--- a/web/modals/threads/subchannels/subchannel.react.js
+++ b/web/modals/threads/subchannels/subchannel.react.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import { useModalContext } from 'lib/components/modal-provider.react.js';
 import { useThreadChatMentionCandidates } from 'lib/hooks/chat-mention-hooks.js';
+import { useMessageInfoForPreview } from 'lib/hooks/message-hooks.js';
 import { type ChatThreadItem } from 'lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js';
 import { useMessagePreview } from 'lib/shared/message-utils.js';
 import { shortAbsoluteDate } from 'lib/utils/date-utils.js';
@@ -22,11 +23,7 @@
 
 function Subchannel(props: Props): React.Node {
   const { chatThreadItem } = props;
-  const {
-    threadInfo,
-    mostRecentMessageInfo,
-    lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars,
-  } = chatThreadItem;
+  const { threadInfo, lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars } = chatThreadItem;
 
   const { unread } = threadInfo.currentUser;
 
@@ -52,8 +49,9 @@
     [lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars],
   );
   const chatMentionCandidates = useThreadChatMentionCandidates(threadInfo);
+  const messageInfoForPreview = useMessageInfoForPreview(threadInfo);
   const messagePreviewResult = useMessagePreview(
-    mostRecentMessageInfo,
+    messageInfoForPreview,
     threadInfo,
     getDefaultTextMessageRules(chatMentionCandidates).simpleMarkdownRules,
   );