diff --git a/mypy.ini b/mypy.ini
index 8b2d4388e6..062fa3ce89 100644
--- a/mypy.ini
+++ b/mypy.ini
@@ -14,19 +14,10 @@ disallow_any_generics = True
 warn_no_return = True
 no_implicit_optional = True
 
-# The mypy daemon requires using local_partial_types.
-local_partial_types = True
-
 # It's useful to try this occasionally, and keep it clean; but when
 # someone fixes a type error we don't want to add a burden for them.
 #warn_unused_ignores = True
 
-# Error on importing modules that are present but not part of the
-# build.  If the module can't reasonably be made to not error, errors
-# can be suppressed with ignore_errors.
-# (The mypy daemon only supports error and skip for follow_imports)
-follow_imports = error
-
 # We use a lot of third-party libraries we don't have stubs for, as
 # well as a handful of our own modules that we haven't told mypy how
 # to find.  Ignore them.  (For some details, see:
@@ -60,49 +51,6 @@ ignore_errors = True
 ignore_errors = True
 
 
-#
-#
-# SKIP IMPORTS
-#
-#
-
-[mypy-zulip]
-# mypy is finding this module in the virtualenv.  We should tell it
-# about it on the command line; until we do, everything imported from
-# it gets treated as Any, and we have to acknowledge it here.
-#
-# (The mypy daemon insists that everything it checks, it's told about
-# in advance, which means setting follow_imports to either `skip` or
-# `error`.  Our global setting of `error` gets us an error if there's
-# something it *could* check, because it can find the file, but we
-# haven't told it to.)
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulint]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulint.command]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulint.custom_rules]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulint.linters]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulint.lister]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulint.printer]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulip_bots.custom_exceptions]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-[mypy-zulip_bots.lib]
-follow_imports = skip
-
-
 #
 #
 # STRICT OPTIONAL
diff --git a/tools/ci/backend b/tools/ci/backend
index e180cf3343..91005d5e86 100755
--- a/tools/ci/backend
+++ b/tools/ci/backend
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ set -x
 # backend tests, which tend to uncover more serious problems, first.
 ./tools/run-mypy --version
 # We run mypy without daemon mode, since that's faster given that
-# we're only going to run it once.
+# we're only going to run it once, and catches more errors since
+# daemon mode doesn't follow package imports.
 ./tools/run-mypy --no-daemon
 
 ./tools/test-migrations
diff --git a/tools/run-mypy b/tools/run-mypy
index 062f7c157b..975ea6888b 100755
--- a/tools/run-mypy
+++ b/tools/run-mypy
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ mypy_args = extra_args + python_files + pyi_files
 if args.no_daemon:
     rc = subprocess.call([mypy_command] + mypy_args)
 else:
+    mypy_args += ["--follow-imports=skip"]
     rc = subprocess.call([mypy_command, "status"], stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
     if rc != 0:
         print("Starting mypy daemon, this will take a minute...")