diff --git a/.eslintrc.json b/.eslintrc.json
index 58bd7a2307..37ca2a5fd1 100644
--- a/.eslintrc.json
+++ b/.eslintrc.json
@@ -127,7 +127,6 @@
             "globals": {
                 "$": false,
                 "Filter": false,
-                "MessageListData": false,
                 "MessageListView": false,
                 "activity": false,
                 "admin": false,
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_fetch.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_fetch.js
index f7e1e6be36..37ebf17c3f 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_fetch.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_fetch.js
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ function MessageListView() {
 set_global("MessageListView", MessageListView);
 
 const Filter = zrequire("Filter", "js/filter");
-zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
 const message_list = zrequire("message_list");
 const people = zrequire("people");
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list.js
index 25c830381e..6d275103ad 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list.js
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ const narrow_state = set_global("narrow_state", {});
 const stream_data = set_global("stream_data", {});
 
 const muting = zrequire("muting");
-zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
 zrequire("MessageListView", "js/message_list_view");
 const {MessageList} = zrequire("message_list");
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_data.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_data.js
index a1580ff2de..1f9489989c 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_data.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_data.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const muting = zrequire("muting");
 zrequire("unread");
 
 zrequire("Filter", "js/filter");
-const MessageListData = zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
+const {MessageListData} = zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
 
 set_global("page_params", {});
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js
index d4d714efe8..3c69ddaa8e 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ const {run_test} = require("../zjsunit/test");
 set_global("document", "document-stub");
 
 const Filter = zrequire("Filter", "js/filter");
-zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
 const MessageListView = zrequire("MessageListView", "js/message_list_view");
 const message_list = zrequire("message_list");
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_activate.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_activate.js
index 019ece9f78..75c3f07000 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_activate.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_activate.js
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ set_global("resize", {
 });
 const stream_data = zrequire("stream_data");
 zrequire("Filter", "js/filter");
-zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
 zrequire("unread");
 const narrow = zrequire("narrow");
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_local.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_local.js
index 1d54c9adee..5e5940f322 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_local.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/narrow_local.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ const {set_global, zrequire} = require("../zjsunit/namespace");
 const {run_test} = require("../zjsunit/test");
 
 const Filter = zrequire("Filter", "js/filter");
-const MessageListData = zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
+const {MessageListData} = zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
 const narrow_state = zrequire("narrow_state");
 const narrow = zrequire("narrow");
 zrequire("stream_data");
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_data.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_data.js
index 2132570916..1874962c87 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_data.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_data.js
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ const people = zrequire("people");
 const stream_color = zrequire("stream_color");
 const stream_data = zrequire("stream_data");
 zrequire("Filter", "js/filter");
-zrequire("MessageListData", "js/message_list_data");
 zrequire("MessageListView", "js/message_list_view");
 const message_list = zrequire("message_list");
 const settings_config = zrequire("settings_config");
diff --git a/static/js/bundles/app.js b/static/js/bundles/app.js
index 133e0e4006..187e50439d 100644
--- a/static/js/bundles/app.js
+++ b/static/js/bundles/app.js
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ import "../filter";
 import "../poll_widget";
 import "../widgetize";
 import "../submessage";
-import "../message_list_data";
 import "../message_list_view";
 import "../message_list";
 import "../message_live_update";
diff --git a/static/js/global.d.ts b/static/js/global.d.ts
index 97b254100a..a80ae8bdac 100644
--- a/static/js/global.d.ts
+++ b/static/js/global.d.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 // to TS.
 
 declare let Filter: any;
-declare let MessageListData: any;
 declare let MessageListView: any;
 declare let activity: any;
 declare let admin: any;
diff --git a/static/js/message_list.js b/static/js/message_list.js
index d1902b3f30..6b6bb37ef1 100644
--- a/static/js/message_list.js
+++ b/static/js/message_list.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 const autosize = require("autosize");
 
+const {MessageListData} = require("./message_list_data");
+
 exports.narrowed = undefined;
 exports.set_narrowed = function (value) {
     exports.narrowed = value;
diff --git a/static/js/message_list_data.js b/static/js/message_list_data.js
index e11abe0c84..84195a755b 100644
--- a/static/js/message_list_data.js
+++ b/static/js/message_list_data.js
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
-"use strict";
+import _ from "lodash";
 
-const _ = require("lodash");
+import {FetchStatus} from "./fetch_status";
+import * as util from "./util";
 
-const {FetchStatus} = require("./fetch_status");
-const util = require("./util");
-
-class MessageListData {
+export class MessageListData {
     constructor(opts) {
         this.excludes_muted_topics = opts.excludes_muted_topics;
         if (this.excludes_muted_topics) {
@@ -521,7 +519,3 @@ class MessageListData {
         return msg;
     }
 }
-
-module.exports = MessageListData;
-
-window.MessageListData = MessageListData;
diff --git a/static/js/narrow.js b/static/js/narrow.js
index 67457807dc..dd550d7611 100644
--- a/static/js/narrow.js
+++ b/static/js/narrow.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 "use strict";
 
+const {MessageListData} = require("./message_list_data");
 const people = require("./people");
 const search_pill = require("./search_pill");
 const topic_generator = require("./topic_generator");