diff --git a/web/modals/search/message-search-modal.react.js b/web/modals/search/message-search-modal.react.js
--- a/web/modals/search/message-search-modal.react.js
+++ b/web/modals/search/message-search-modal.react.js
@@ -3,9 +3,6 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 
 import { useModalContext } from 'lib/components/modal-provider.react.js';
-import { type ChatMessageItem } from 'lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js';
-import { useSearchMessages } from 'lib/shared/search-utils.js';
-import type { RawMessageInfo } from 'lib/types/message-types.js';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from 'lib/types/thread-types.js';
 import { useResolvedThreadInfo } from 'lib/utils/entity-helpers.js';
 
@@ -26,39 +23,57 @@
 function MessageSearchModal(props: ContentProps): React.Node {
   const { threadInfo } = props;
 
-  const [lastID, setLastID] = React.useState();
-  const [searchResults, setSearchResults] = React.useState([]);
-  const [endReached, setEndReached] = React.useState(false);
+  const {
+    getQuery,
+    setQuery,
+    clearQuery,
+    searchMessages,
+    getSearchResults,
+    getEndReached,
+  } = useMessageSearchContext();
 
-  const { getQuery, setQuery, clearQuery } = useMessageSearchContext();
+  const [input, setInput] = React.useState(getQuery(threadInfo.id));
 
-  const query = React.useMemo(
-    () => getQuery(threadInfo.id),
-    [getQuery, threadInfo.id],
-  );
+  const onPressSearch = React.useCallback(() => {
+    setQuery(input, threadInfo.id);
+    searchMessages(threadInfo.id);
+  }, [setQuery, input, searchMessages, threadInfo.id]);
 
-  const appendSearchResults = React.useCallback(
-    (newMessages: $ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>, end: boolean) => {
-      setSearchResults(oldMessages => [...oldMessages, ...newMessages]);
-      setEndReached(end);
+  const onKeyDown = React.useCallback(
+    event => {
+      if (event.key === 'Enter') {
+        onPressSearch();
+      }
     },
-    [],
+    [onPressSearch],
   );
 
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    setSearchResults([]);
-    setLastID(undefined);
-    setEndReached(false);
-  }, [query]);
+  const modifiedItems = useParseSearchResults(
+    threadInfo,
+    getSearchResults(threadInfo.id),
+  );
 
-  const searchMessages = useSearchMessages();
+  const { clearTooltip } = useTooltipContext();
 
-  React.useEffect(
-    () => searchMessages(query, threadInfo.id, appendSearchResults, lastID),
-    [appendSearchResults, lastID, query, searchMessages, threadInfo.id],
-  );
+  const messageContainer = React.useRef(null);
+
+  const possiblyLoadMoreMessages = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (!messageContainer.current) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const loaderTopOffset = 32;
+    const { scrollTop, scrollHeight, clientHeight } = messageContainer.current;
+    if (Math.abs(scrollTop) + clientHeight + loaderTopOffset < scrollHeight) {
+      return;
+    }
+    searchMessages(threadInfo.id);
+  }, [searchMessages, threadInfo.id]);
 
-  const modifiedItems = useParseSearchResults(threadInfo, searchResults);
+  const onScroll = React.useCallback(() => {
+    clearTooltip();
+    possiblyLoadMoreMessages();
+  }, [clearTooltip, possiblyLoadMoreMessages]);
 
   const renderItem = React.useCallback(
     item => (
@@ -77,38 +92,8 @@
     [modifiedItems, renderItem],
   );
 
-  const messageContainer = React.useRef(null);
-
-  const messageContainerRef = (msgContainer: ?HTMLDivElement) => {
-    messageContainer.current = msgContainer;
-    messageContainer.current?.addEventListener('scroll', onScroll);
-  };
-
-  const { clearTooltip } = useTooltipContext();
-
-  const possiblyLoadMoreMessages = React.useCallback(() => {
-    if (!messageContainer.current) {
-      return;
-    }
-
-    const loaderTopOffset = 32;
-    const { scrollTop, scrollHeight, clientHeight } = messageContainer.current;
-    if (
-      endReached ||
-      Math.abs(scrollTop) + clientHeight + loaderTopOffset < scrollHeight
-    ) {
-      return;
-    }
-    setLastID(modifiedItems ? oldestMessageID(modifiedItems) : undefined);
-  }, [endReached, modifiedItems]);
-
-  const onScroll = React.useCallback(() => {
-    if (!messageContainer.current) {
-      return;
-    }
-    clearTooltip();
-    possiblyLoadMoreMessages();
-  }, [clearTooltip, possiblyLoadMoreMessages]);
+  const endReached = getEndReached(threadInfo.id);
+  const query = getQuery(threadInfo.id);
 
   const footer = React.useMemo(() => {
     if (query === '') {
@@ -133,31 +118,15 @@
     );
   }, [query, endReached, modifiedItems.length]);
 
-  const [input, setInput] = React.useState(query);
-
-  const onPressSearch = React.useCallback(
-    () => setQuery(input, threadInfo.id),
-    [setQuery, input, threadInfo.id],
-  );
+  const { uiName } = useResolvedThreadInfo(threadInfo);
+  const searchPlaceholder = `Searching in ${uiName}`;
+  const { popModal } = useModalContext();
 
   const clearQueryWrapper = React.useCallback(
     () => clearQuery(threadInfo.id),
     [clearQuery, threadInfo.id],
   );
 
-  const onKeyDown = React.useCallback(
-    event => {
-      if (event.key === 'Enter') {
-        onPressSearch();
-      }
-    },
-    [onPressSearch],
-  );
-
-  const { uiName } = useResolvedThreadInfo(threadInfo);
-  const searchPlaceholder = `Searching in ${uiName}`;
-  const { popModal } = useModalContext();
-
   return (
     <Modal name="Search Message" onClose={popModal} size="large">
       <div className={css.container}>
@@ -177,7 +146,7 @@
             Search
           </Button>
         </div>
-        <div className={css.content} ref={messageContainerRef}>
+        <div className={css.content} ref={messageContainer} onScroll={onScroll}>
           {messages}
           {footer}
         </div>
@@ -186,13 +155,4 @@
   );
 }
 
-function oldestMessageID(data: $ReadOnlyArray<ChatMessageItem>) {
-  for (let i = data.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-    if (data[i].itemType === 'message' && data[i].messageInfo.id) {
-      return data[i].messageInfo.id;
-    }
-  }
-  return undefined;
-}
-
 export default MessageSearchModal;