diff --git a/lib/shared/threads/protocols/dm-thread-protocol.js b/lib/shared/threads/protocols/dm-thread-protocol.js
--- a/lib/shared/threads/protocols/dm-thread-protocol.js
+++ b/lib/shared/threads/protocols/dm-thread-protocol.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
   DMDeleteEntryOperation,
   DMEditEntryOperation,
   DMLeaveThreadOperation,
+  DMSendDeleteMessageOperation,
   DMSendEditMessageOperation,
   DMSendReactionMessageOperation,
   DMThreadSettingsChanges,
@@ -90,6 +91,8 @@
   ProtocolFetchMessageInput,
   ProtocolCreatePendingThreadInput,
   CreateRealThreadParameters,
+  DeleteMessageUtils,
+  ProtocolDeleteMessageInput,
 } from '../thread-spec.js';
 
 const dmThreadProtocol: ThreadProtocol<MinimallyEncodedThickMemberInfo> =
@@ -802,6 +805,35 @@
       };
     },
 
+    deleteMessage: async (
+      input: ProtocolDeleteMessageInput,
+      utils: DeleteMessageUtils,
+    ) => {
+      const { messageID, threadInfo, viewerID } = input;
+      invariant(viewerID, 'viewerID should be set');
+      const op: DMSendDeleteMessageOperation = {
+        type: 'send_delete_message',
+        threadID: threadInfo.id,
+        creatorID: viewerID,
+        time: Date.now(),
+        messageID: uuid.v4(),
+        targetMessageID: messageID,
+      };
+      const opSpecification: OutboundDMOperationSpecification = {
+        type: dmOperationSpecificationTypes.OUTBOUND,
+        op,
+        recipients: {
+          type: 'all_thread_members',
+          threadID:
+            threadInfo.type === thickThreadTypes.THICK_SIDEBAR &&
+            threadInfo.parentThreadID
+              ? threadInfo.parentThreadID
+              : threadInfo.id,
+        },
+      };
+      await utils.processAndSendDMOperation(opSpecification);
+    },
+
     allowsDeletingSidebarSource: false,
 
     presentationDetails: {
diff --git a/lib/shared/threads/protocols/keyserver-thread-protocol.js b/lib/shared/threads/protocols/keyserver-thread-protocol.js
--- a/lib/shared/threads/protocols/keyserver-thread-protocol.js
+++ b/lib/shared/threads/protocols/keyserver-thread-protocol.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import {
   fetchMessagesBeforeCursorActionTypes,
   fetchMostRecentMessagesActionTypes,
+  sendDeleteMessageActionTypes,
   sendEditMessageActionTypes,
   sendReactionMessageActionTypes,
 } from '../../../actions/message-actions.js';
@@ -107,6 +108,8 @@
   ProtocolFetchMessageInput,
   ProtocolCreatePendingThreadInput,
   CreateRealThreadParameters,
+  DeleteMessageUtils,
+  ProtocolDeleteMessageInput,
 } from '../thread-spec.js';
 import { threadTypeIsSidebar } from '../thread-specs.js';
 
@@ -597,6 +600,17 @@
       return getThinThreadPermissionsBlobs(thinThreadType);
     },
 
+    deleteMessage: async (
+      input: ProtocolDeleteMessageInput,
+      utils: DeleteMessageUtils,
+    ) => {
+      const promise = utils.keyserverDeleteMessage({
+        targetMessageID: input.messageID,
+      });
+      void utils.dispatchActionPromise(sendDeleteMessageActionTypes, promise);
+      await promise;
+    },
+
     allowsDeletingSidebarSource: true,
 
     presentationDetails: {
diff --git a/lib/shared/threads/thread-spec.js b/lib/shared/threads/thread-spec.js
--- a/lib/shared/threads/thread-spec.js
+++ b/lib/shared/threads/thread-spec.js
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@
   SendEditMessageResult,
   SendReactionMessageRequest,
   FetchMessageInfosPayload,
+  DeleteMessageRequest,
+  DeleteMessageResponse,
 } from '../../types/message-types.js';
 import type { RawTextMessageInfo } from '../../types/messages/text.js';
 import type {
@@ -255,6 +257,17 @@
   +calendarQuery: CalendarQuery,
 };
 
+export type ProtocolDeleteMessageInput = {
+  +messageID: string,
+  +threadInfo: RawThreadInfo,
+  +viewerID: ?string,
+};
+export type DeleteMessageUtils = {
+  +processAndSendDMOperation: OutboundDMOperationSpecification => Promise<void>,
+  +keyserverDeleteMessage: DeleteMessageRequest => Promise<DeleteMessageResponse>,
+  +dispatchActionPromise: DispatchActionPromise,
+};
+
 export type ThreadProtocol<
   RawThreadMemberType:
     | MemberInfoSansPermissions
@@ -338,6 +351,10 @@
     +threadType: ThreadType,
   }>,
   +getRolePermissionBlobs: (threadType: ThreadType) => RolePermissionBlobs,
+  +deleteMessage: (
+    input: ProtocolDeleteMessageInput,
+    utils: DeleteMessageUtils,
+  ) => Promise<void>,
   +allowsDeletingSidebarSource: boolean,
   +presentationDetails: {
     +membershipChangesShownInThreadPreview: boolean,
diff --git a/lib/utils/delete-message-utils.js b/lib/utils/delete-message-utils.js
--- a/lib/utils/delete-message-utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils/delete-message-utils.js
@@ -2,25 +2,17 @@
 
 import invariant from 'invariant';
 import * as React from 'react';
-import uuid from 'uuid';
 
 import { useDispatchActionPromise } from './redux-promise-utils.js';
 import { useSelector } from './redux-utils.js';
-import { sendDeleteMessageActionTypes } from '../actions/message-actions.js';
 import { useSendDeleteMessage } from '../hooks/message-hooks.js';
-import {
-  dmOperationSpecificationTypes,
-  type OutboundDMOperationSpecification,
-} from '../shared/dm-ops/dm-op-types.js';
 import { useProcessAndSendDMOperation } from '../shared/dm-ops/process-dm-ops.js';
 import { useThreadHasPermission } from '../shared/thread-utils.js';
 import { threadSpecs } from '../shared/threads/thread-specs.js';
-import type { DMSendDeleteMessageOperation } from '../types/dm-ops.js';
 import type { MessageInfo } from '../types/message-types.js';
 import { isComposableMessageType } from '../types/message-types.js';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 import { threadPermissions } from '../types/thread-permission-types.js';
-import { thickThreadTypes } from '../types/thread-types-enum.js';
 
 const deletedMessageText = 'Deleted message';
 
@@ -38,36 +30,14 @@
       const messageID = message.id;
       invariant(messageID, 'Message ID should be set');
       const threadInfo = threadInfos[message.threadID];
-      if (threadInfo.thick) {
-        invariant(viewerID, 'viewerID should be set');
-        const op: DMSendDeleteMessageOperation = {
-          type: 'send_delete_message',
-          threadID: threadInfo.id,
-          creatorID: viewerID,
-          time: Date.now(),
-          messageID: uuid.v4(),
-          targetMessageID: messageID,
-        };
-        const opSpecification: OutboundDMOperationSpecification = {
-          type: dmOperationSpecificationTypes.OUTBOUND,
-          op,
-          recipients: {
-            type: 'all_thread_members',
-            threadID:
-              threadInfo.type === thickThreadTypes.THICK_SIDEBAR &&
-              threadInfo.parentThreadID
-                ? threadInfo.parentThreadID
-                : threadInfo.id,
-          },
-        };
-        await processAndSendDMOperation(opSpecification);
-      } else {
-        const promise = callDeleteMessage({
-          targetMessageID: messageID,
-        });
-        void dispatchActionPromise(sendDeleteMessageActionTypes, promise);
-        await promise;
-      }
+      await threadSpecs[threadInfo.type].protocol.deleteMessage(
+        { messageID, viewerID, threadInfo },
+        {
+          keyserverDeleteMessage: callDeleteMessage,
+          dispatchActionPromise,
+          processAndSendDMOperation,
+        },
+      );
     },
     [
       callDeleteMessage,