diff --git a/lib/shared/reaction-utils.js b/lib/shared/reaction-utils.js
index 961680d12..bfdc5fb02 100644
--- a/lib/shared/reaction-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/reaction-utils.js
@@ -1,109 +1,111 @@
 // @flow
 
 import _sortBy from 'lodash/fp/sortBy.js';
 import * as React from 'react';
 
 import { relationshipBlockedInEitherDirection } from './relationship-utils.js';
-import { threadHasPermission } from './thread-utils.js';
+import { useThreadHasPermission } from './thread-utils.js';
 import { stringForUserExplicit } from './user-utils.js';
 import { useENSNames } from '../hooks/ens-cache.js';
 import type { ReactionInfo } from '../selectors/chat-selectors.js';
 import type {
   ComposableMessageInfo,
   RobotextMessageInfo,
 } 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 { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 
 function useViewerAlreadySelectedMessageReactions(
   reactions: ReactionInfo,
 ): $ReadOnlyArray<string> {
   return React.useMemo(() => {
     const alreadySelectedEmojis = [];
 
     for (const reaction in reactions) {
       const reactionInfo = reactions[reaction];
 
       if (reactionInfo.viewerReacted) {
         alreadySelectedEmojis.push(reaction);
       }
     }
 
     return alreadySelectedEmojis;
   }, [reactions]);
 }
 
 export type MessageReactionListInfo = {
   +id: string,
   +isViewer: boolean,
   +reaction: string,
   +username: string,
 };
 
 function useMessageReactionsList(
   reactions: ReactionInfo,
 ): $ReadOnlyArray<MessageReactionListInfo> {
   const withoutENSNames = React.useMemo(() => {
     const result = [];
 
     for (const reaction in reactions) {
       const reactionInfo = reactions[reaction];
 
       reactionInfo.users.forEach(user => {
         result.push({
           ...user,
           username: stringForUserExplicit(user),
           reaction,
         });
       });
     }
 
     const sortByNumReactions = (reactionInfo: MessageReactionListInfo) => {
       const numOfReactions = reactions[reactionInfo.reaction].users.length;
       return numOfReactions ? -numOfReactions : 0;
     };
 
     return _sortBy(
       ([sortByNumReactions, 'username']: $ReadOnlyArray<
         ((reactionInfo: MessageReactionListInfo) => mixed) | string,
       >),
     )(result);
   }, [reactions]);
   return useENSNames<MessageReactionListInfo>(withoutENSNames);
 }
 
 function useCanCreateReactionFromMessage(
   threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
   targetMessageInfo: ComposableMessageInfo | RobotextMessageInfo,
 ): boolean {
   const targetMessageCreatorRelationship = useSelector(
     state =>
       state.userStore.userInfos[targetMessageInfo.creator.id]
         ?.relationshipStatus,
   );
 
+  const userHasReactionPermission = useThreadHasPermission(
+    threadInfo,
+    threadPermissions.REACT_TO_MESSAGE,
+  );
+  if (!userHasReactionPermission) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
   if (
     !targetMessageInfo.id ||
     threadInfo.sourceMessageID === targetMessageInfo.id
   ) {
     return false;
   }
 
-  const creatorRelationshipHasBlock =
-    targetMessageCreatorRelationship &&
-    relationshipBlockedInEitherDirection(targetMessageCreatorRelationship);
-
-  const hasPermission = threadHasPermission(
-    threadInfo,
-    threadPermissions.REACT_TO_MESSAGE,
+  return (
+    !targetMessageCreatorRelationship ||
+    !relationshipBlockedInEitherDirection(targetMessageCreatorRelationship)
   );
-
-  return hasPermission && !creatorRelationshipHasBlock;
 }
 
 export {
   useViewerAlreadySelectedMessageReactions,
   useMessageReactionsList,
   useCanCreateReactionFromMessage,
 };