diff --git a/desk/app/activity.hoon b/desk/app/activity.hoon
index 24c7c566b3..89976d69d3 100644
--- a/desk/app/activity.hoon
+++ b/desk/app/activity.hoon
@@ -846,7 +846,8 @@
     index
   ?~  channel=(~(get by unreads) nest.source)  index
   ?.  &(=(count.u.channel 0) =(~ unread.u.channel))  index
-  index(floor.reads recency.u.channel)
+  ?~  last=(ram:on-event:a stream.index)  index
+  index(floor.reads -.u.last)
 ++  fix-dm-init-unreads
   |=  [=indices:a =unreads:ch]
   ^-  indices:a
@@ -858,14 +859,10 @@
           ?=([[* [[%dm-invite *] *]] ~ ~] stream.index)
       ==
     index
-  =/  whom
-    ?-  -.whom.source
-      %ship  whom.source
-      %club  whom.source
-    ==
   ?~  dm=(~(get by unreads) whom.source)  index
   ?.  &(=(count.u.dm 0) =(~ unread.u.dm))  index
-  index(floor.reads recency.u.dm)
+  ?~  last=(ram:on-event:a stream.index)  index
+  index(floor.reads -.u.last)
 ::  previously we used items as a way to track individual reads because
 ::  floors were not local, but we have reverted to local floors and not
 ::  tracking individual reads
diff --git a/desk/tests/app/activity.hoon b/desk/tests/app/activity.hoon
index 5c51a26262..d851c12d83 100644
--- a/desk/tests/app/activity.hoon
+++ b/desk/tests/app/activity.hoon
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@
       :~  :-  (get-nest source.chnl)
           [d5 0 ~ ~]
           :-  (get-nest source.bad-chnl-migration)
-          [d1 0 ~ ~]
+          [d0 0 ~ ~]
       ==
     ++  chat-scry
       ^-  unreads:ch
@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@
           :-  (get-whom source.unread-dm)
           [d3 2 `[[[~rus d2] d2] 2] ~]
           :-  (get-whom source.bad-dm-migration)
-          [d1 0 ~ ~]
+          [d0 0 ~ ~]
       ==
     ++  get-nest
       |=  =source:a