diff --git a/web/src/topic_list.js b/web/src/topic_list.js
index 960cd752dc..2ef2e209ce 100644
--- a/web/src/topic_list.js
+++ b/web/src/topic_list.js
@@ -125,7 +125,11 @@ export class TopicListWidget {
     }
 
     build_list(spinner) {
-        const list_info = topic_list_data.get_list_info(this.my_stream_id, zoomed);
+        const list_info = topic_list_data.get_list_info(
+            this.my_stream_id,
+            zoomed,
+            get_topic_search_term(),
+        );
 
         const num_possible_topics = list_info.num_possible_topics;
         const more_topics_unreads = list_info.more_topics_unreads;
diff --git a/web/src/topic_list_data.js b/web/src/topic_list_data.js
index 39579d56ea..9fd2f534cf 100644
--- a/web/src/topic_list_data.js
+++ b/web/src/topic_list_data.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import * as resolved_topic from "../shared/src/resolved_topic";
 import * as hash_util from "./hash_util";
 import * as narrow_state from "./narrow_state";
 import * as stream_topic_history from "./stream_topic_history";
-import * as topic_list from "./topic_list";
 import * as unread from "./unread";
 import * as user_topics from "./user_topics";
 import * as util from "./util";
@@ -11,7 +10,7 @@ import * as util from "./util";
 const max_topics = 8;
 const max_topics_with_unread = 12;
 
-export function get_list_info(stream_id, zoomed) {
+export function get_list_info(stream_id, zoomed, search_term) {
     let topics_selected = 0;
     let more_topics_unreads = 0;
     let more_topics_have_unread_mention_messages = false;
@@ -24,7 +23,6 @@ export function get_list_info(stream_id, zoomed) {
 
     let topic_names = stream_topic_history.get_recent_topic_names(stream_id);
     if (zoomed) {
-        const search_term = topic_list.get_topic_search_term();
         topic_names = util.filter_by_word_prefix_match(topic_names, search_term, (item) => item);
     }
 
diff --git a/web/tests/topic_list_data.test.js b/web/tests/topic_list_data.test.js
index 690c170b04..6f9e34c996 100644
--- a/web/tests/topic_list_data.test.js
+++ b/web/tests/topic_list_data.test.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ stream_data.add_sub(general);
 
 function get_list_info(zoomed) {
     const stream_id = general.stream_id;
-    return topic_list_data.get_list_info(stream_id, zoomed);
+    return topic_list_data.get_list_info(stream_id, zoomed, topic_list.get_topic_search_term());
 }
 
 function test(label, f) {