diff --git a/SignalServiceKit/src/Messages/OWSReceiptManager.swift b/SignalServiceKit/src/Messages/OWSReceiptManager.swift
index 3a58b6cc34..ff98743d83 100644
--- a/SignalServiceKit/src/Messages/OWSReceiptManager.swift
+++ b/SignalServiceKit/src/Messages/OWSReceiptManager.swift
@@ -280,16 +280,13 @@ public extension OWSReceiptManager {
         DispatchQueue.global().async {
             let interactionFinder = InteractionFinder(threadUniqueId: thread.uniqueId)
 
-            let (unreadCount, messagesWithUnreadReactionsCount) = self.databaseStorage.read { transaction in
-                (
-                    interactionFinder.countUnreadMessages(beforeSortId: sortId,
-                                                          transaction: transaction.unwrapGrdbRead),
-                    interactionFinder.countMessagesWithUnreadReactions(beforeSortId: sortId,
-                                                                       transaction: transaction.unwrapGrdbRead)
+            let hasMessagesToMarkRead = self.databaseStorage.read { transaction in
+                return interactionFinder.hasMessagesToMarkRead(
+                    beforeSortId: sortId,
+                    transaction: transaction.unwrapGrdbRead
                 )
             }
-
-            if unreadCount == 0 && messagesWithUnreadReactionsCount == 0 {
+            guard hasMessagesToMarkRead else {
                 // Avoid unnecessary writes.
                 DispatchQueue.main.async(execute: completion)
                 return
@@ -308,7 +305,7 @@ public extension OWSReceiptManager {
                 circumstance = .onThisDevice
                 logSuffix = ""
             }
-            Logger.info("Marking \(unreadCount) received messages and \(messagesWithUnreadReactionsCount) sent messages with reactions as read locally\(logSuffix) (in batches of \(maxBatchSize))")
+            Logger.info("Marking received messages and sent messages with reactions as read locally\(logSuffix) (in batches of \(maxBatchSize))")
 
             var batchQuotaRemaining: Int
             repeat {
diff --git a/SignalServiceKit/src/Storage/Database/Records/InteractionFinder.swift b/SignalServiceKit/src/Storage/Database/Records/InteractionFinder.swift
index 5eaee16e6d..673c628b0b 100644
--- a/SignalServiceKit/src/Storage/Database/Records/InteractionFinder.swift
+++ b/SignalServiceKit/src/Storage/Database/Records/InteractionFinder.swift
@@ -459,32 +459,53 @@ public class InteractionFinder: NSObject, InteractionFinderAdapter {
         }
     }
 
-    @objc
-    public func countUnreadMessages(beforeSortId: UInt64, transaction: GRDBReadTransaction) -> UInt {
-        do {
-            let sql = """
-                SELECT COUNT(*)
+    /// Do we have any messages to mark read in this thread before a given sort ID?
+    ///
+    /// See also: ``fetchUnreadMessages`` and ``fetchMessagesWithUnreadReactions``.
+    public func hasMessagesToMarkRead(
+        beforeSortId: UInt64,
+        transaction: GRDBReadTransaction
+    ) -> Bool {
+        let hasUnreadMessages = (try? Bool.fetchOne(
+            transaction.database,
+            sql: """
+            SELECT EXISTS (
+                SELECT 1
                 FROM \(InteractionRecord.databaseTableName)
                 WHERE \(interactionColumn: .threadUniqueId) = ?
                 AND \(interactionColumn: .id) <= ?
                 AND \(sqlClauseForAllUnreadInteractions())
-            """
+                LIMIT 1
+            )
+            """,
+            arguments: [threadUniqueId, beforeSortId]
+        )) ?? false
 
-            guard let count = try UInt.fetchOne(transaction.database,
-                                                sql: sql,
-                                                arguments: [threadUniqueId, beforeSortId]) else {
-                    owsFailDebug("count was unexpectedly nil")
-                    return 0
-            }
-            return count
-        } catch {
-            owsFailDebug("error: \(error)")
-            return 0
-        }
+        lazy var hasOutgoingMessagesWithUnreadReactions = (try? Bool.fetchOne(
+            transaction.database,
+            sql: """
+            SELECT EXISTS (
+                SELECT 1
+                FROM \(InteractionRecord.databaseTableName) AS interaction
+                INNER JOIN \(OWSReaction.databaseTableName) AS reaction
+                    ON interaction.\(interactionColumn: .uniqueId) = reaction.\(OWSReaction.columnName(.uniqueMessageId))
+                    AND reaction.\(OWSReaction.columnName(.read)) IS 0
+                WHERE interaction.\(interactionColumn: .recordType) IS \(SDSRecordType.outgoingMessage.rawValue)
+                AND interaction.\(interactionColumn: .threadUniqueId) = ?
+                AND interaction.\(interactionColumn: .id) <= ?
+                LIMIT 1
+            )
+            """,
+            arguments: [threadUniqueId, beforeSortId]
+        )) ?? false
+
+        return hasUnreadMessages || hasOutgoingMessagesWithUnreadReactions
     }
 
     /// Enumerates all the unread interactions in this thread before a given sort id,
     /// sorted by sort id.
+    ///
+    /// See also: ``hasMessagesToMarkRead``.
     public func fetchUnreadMessages(
         beforeSortId: UInt64,
         transaction: GRDBReadTransaction
@@ -512,35 +533,10 @@ public class InteractionFinder: NSObject, InteractionFinderAdapter {
         }
     }
 
-    @objc
-    public func countMessagesWithUnreadReactions(beforeSortId: UInt64, transaction: GRDBReadTransaction) -> UInt {
-        do {
-            let sql = """
-                SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT interaction.\(interactionColumn: .id))
-                FROM \(InteractionRecord.databaseTableName) AS interaction
-                INNER JOIN \(OWSReaction.databaseTableName) AS reaction
-                    ON interaction.\(interactionColumn: .uniqueId) = reaction.\(OWSReaction.columnName(.uniqueMessageId))
-                    AND reaction.\(OWSReaction.columnName(.read)) IS 0
-                WHERE interaction.\(interactionColumn: .recordType) IS \(SDSRecordType.outgoingMessage.rawValue)
-                AND interaction.\(interactionColumn: .threadUniqueId) = ?
-                AND interaction.\(interactionColumn: .id) <= ?
-            """
-
-            guard let count = try UInt.fetchOne(transaction.database,
-                                                sql: sql,
-                                                arguments: [threadUniqueId, beforeSortId]) else {
-                    owsFailDebug("count was unexpectedly nil")
-                    return 0
-            }
-            return count
-        } catch {
-            owsFailDebug("error: \(error)")
-            return 0
-        }
-    }
-
     /// Returns all the messages with unread reactions in this thread before a given sort id,
     /// sorted by sort id.
+    ///
+    /// See also: ``hasMessagesToMarkRead``.
     public func fetchMessagesWithUnreadReactions(
         beforeSortId: UInt64,
         transaction: GRDBReadTransaction