diff --git a/web/src/filter.ts b/web/src/filter.ts
index f196975ae0..22d02c51b9 100644
--- a/web/src/filter.ts
+++ b/web/src/filter.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import type {UserPillItem} from "./search_suggestion";
 import {current_user, realm} from "./state_data";
 import type {NarrowTerm} from "./state_data";
 import * as stream_data from "./stream_data";
-import * as unread from "./unread";
 import * as user_topics from "./user_topics";
 import * as util from "./util";
 
@@ -177,7 +176,7 @@ function message_matches_search_term(message: Message, operator: string, operand
                 case "alerted":
                     return message.alerted;
                 case "unread":
-                    return unread.message_unread(message);
+                    return message.unread;
                 case "resolved":
                     return message.type === "stream" && resolved_topic.is_resolved(message.topic);
                 case "followed":
diff --git a/web/src/message_list_data.ts b/web/src/message_list_data.ts
index c0e7f0fe8a..d0f0220ac3 100644
--- a/web/src/message_list_data.ts
+++ b/web/src/message_list_data.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import type {Filter} from "./filter";
 import type {Message} from "./message_store";
 import * as muted_users from "./muted_users";
 import {current_user} from "./state_data";
-import * as unread from "./unread";
 import * as user_topics from "./user_topics";
 import * as util from "./util";
 
@@ -268,7 +267,7 @@ export class MessageListData {
         // See https://github.com/zulip/zulip/pull/30008#discussion_r1597279862 for how
         // ideas on how to possibly improve this.
         // before `first_unread` calculated below that we haven't fetched yet.
-        const first_unread = this._items.find((message) => unread.message_unread(message));
+        const first_unread = this._items.find((message) => message.unread);
 
         if (first_unread) {
             return first_unread.id;
@@ -281,7 +280,7 @@ export class MessageListData {
     }
 
     has_unread_messages(): boolean {
-        return this._items.some((message) => unread.message_unread(message));
+        return this._items.some((message) => message.unread);
     }
 
     add_messages(messages: Message[]): {
diff --git a/web/src/message_notifications.js b/web/src/message_notifications.js
index bc6b8e49db..3cff30ee68 100644
--- a/web/src/message_notifications.js
+++ b/web/src/message_notifications.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import * as people from "./people";
 import * as spoilers from "./spoilers";
 import * as stream_data from "./stream_data";
 import * as ui_util from "./ui_util";
-import * as unread from "./unread";
 import {user_settings} from "./user_settings";
 import * as user_topics from "./user_topics";
 import * as util from "./util";
@@ -380,7 +379,7 @@ export function received_messages(messages) {
         if (!message_is_notifiable(message)) {
             continue;
         }
-        if (!unread.message_unread(message)) {
+        if (!message.unread) {
             // The message is already read; Zulip is currently in focus.
             continue;
         }
diff --git a/web/src/unread.ts b/web/src/unread.ts
index bc863a1346..9a69f5e82b 100644
--- a/web/src/unread.ts
+++ b/web/src/unread.ts
@@ -664,13 +664,6 @@ export function clear_and_populate_unread_mention_topics(): void {
     }
 }
 
-export function message_unread(message: Message): boolean {
-    if (message === undefined) {
-        return false;
-    }
-    return message.unread;
-}
-
 export function get_read_message_ids(message_ids: number[]): number[] {
     return message_ids.filter((message_id) => !unread_messages.has(message_id));
 }
diff --git a/web/src/unread_ui.ts b/web/src/unread_ui.ts
index cdb60fb9fe..5aa98d9c56 100644
--- a/web/src/unread_ui.ts
+++ b/web/src/unread_ui.ts
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ export function initialize({
         // every message matching the current search as read.
         const unread_messages = message_lists.current.data
             .all_messages()
-            .filter((message) => unread.message_unread(message));
+            .filter((message) => message.unread);
         notify_server_messages_read(unread_messages);
         // New messages received may be marked as read based on narrow type.
         message_lists.current.resume_reading();
diff --git a/web/tests/unread.test.js b/web/tests/unread.test.js
index beabfb4d1d..9957b79291 100644
--- a/web/tests/unread.test.js
+++ b/web/tests/unread.test.js
@@ -742,13 +742,6 @@ test("declare_bankruptcy", () => {
     test_notifiable_count(counts.home_unread_messages, 0);
 });
 
-test("message_unread", () => {
-    // Test some code that might be overly defensive, for line coverage sake.
-    assert.ok(!unread.message_unread(undefined));
-    assert.ok(unread.message_unread({unread: true}));
-    assert.ok(!unread.message_unread({unread: false}));
-});
-
 test("server_counts", () => {
     // note that user_id 30 is "me"