diff --git a/web/src/sent_messages.js b/web/src/sent_messages.js
index be4f714fec..6bd08b654a 100644
--- a/web/src/sent_messages.js
+++ b/web/src/sent_messages.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import * as Sentry from "@sentry/browser";
 
 import * as blueslip from "./blueslip";
-import * as server_events from "./server_events";
 
 export let next_local_id;
 export const messages = new Map();
@@ -49,30 +48,9 @@ export class MessageState {
         this.rendered_changed = true;
     }
 
-    maybe_restart_event_loop() {
-        if (this.saw_event) {
-            // We got our event, no need to do anything
-            return;
-        }
-
-        blueslip.log(
-            `Restarting get_events due to delayed receipt of sent message ${this.local_id}`,
-        );
-
-        server_events.restart_get_events();
-    }
-
     report_server_ack() {
         this.server_acked = true;
         this.maybe_finish_txn();
-        // We only start our timer for events coming in here,
-        // since it's plausible the server rejected our message,
-        // or took a while to process it, but there is nothing
-        // wrong with our event loop.
-
-        if (!this.saw_event) {
-            setTimeout(() => this.maybe_restart_event_loop(), 5000);
-        }
     }
 
     report_event_received() {
@@ -137,15 +115,6 @@ export function start_send(local_id) {
     return state.start_send();
 }
 
-export function report_server_ack(local_id) {
-    const state = get_message_state(local_id);
-    if (!state) {
-        return;
-    }
-
-    state.report_server_ack();
-}
-
 export function mark_disparity(local_id) {
     const state = get_message_state(local_id);
     if (!state) {
diff --git a/web/src/transmit.js b/web/src/transmit.js
index eb628e6774..29658fccfe 100644
--- a/web/src/transmit.js
+++ b/web/src/transmit.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import * as people from "./people";
 import * as reload from "./reload";
 import * as reload_state from "./reload_state";
 import * as sent_messages from "./sent_messages";
+import * as server_events from "./server_events";
 import * as stream_data from "./stream_data";
 
 export function send_message(request, on_success, error) {
@@ -28,7 +29,32 @@ export function send_message(request, on_success, error) {
                 // box and turning off spinners and reifying locally echoed messages.
                 on_success(data);
                 // Once everything is done, get ready to report times to the server.
-                sent_messages.report_server_ack(request.local_id);
+                const state = sent_messages.get_message_state(request.local_id);
+                /* istanbul ignore if */
+                if (!state) {
+                    return;
+                }
+                state.report_server_ack();
+
+                // We only start our timer for events coming in here,
+                // since it's plausible the server rejected our message,
+                // or took a while to process it, but there is nothing
+                // wrong with our event loop.
+                /* istanbul ignore if */
+                if (!state.saw_event) {
+                    setTimeout(() => {
+                        if (state.saw_event) {
+                            // We got our event, no need to do anything
+                            return;
+                        }
+
+                        blueslip.log(
+                            `Restarting get_events due to delayed receipt of sent message ${request.local_id}`,
+                        );
+
+                        server_events.restart_get_events();
+                    }, 5000);
+                }
             },
             error(xhr, error_type) {
                 if (error_type !== "timeout" && reload_state.is_pending()) {
diff --git a/web/tests/transmit.test.js b/web/tests/transmit.test.js
index bd30b2d9e7..9c951fe38d 100644
--- a/web/tests/transmit.test.js
+++ b/web/tests/transmit.test.js
@@ -14,7 +14,10 @@ const reload = mock_esm("../src/reload");
 const reload_state = mock_esm("../src/reload_state");
 const sent_messages = mock_esm("../src/sent_messages", {
     start_tracking_message: noop,
-    report_server_ack: noop,
+    get_message_state: () => ({
+        report_server_ack: noop,
+        saw_event: true,
+    }),
     start_send: noop,
 });