diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/user/messages-section.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/user/messages-section.js
index af421985fdd..5747b39d69b 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/user/messages-section.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/user/messages-section.js
@@ -38,10 +38,6 @@ export default class SidebarUserMessagesSection extends Component {
       this._refreshSectionLinksDisplayState
     );
 
-    this.pmTopicTrackingState
-      .startTracking()
-      .then(this._refreshSectionLinkCounts);
-
     this._pmTopicTrackingStateKey = "messages-section";
 
     this.pmTopicTrackingState.onStateChange(
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-user-messages-section-test.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-user-messages-section-test.js
index 6ae22561611..f9629d6c78c 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-user-messages-section-test.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-user-messages-section-test.js
@@ -376,6 +376,10 @@ acceptance(
         "service:pm-topic-tracking-state"
       );
 
+      await click(
+        ".sidebar-section-messages .sidebar-section-link-group-messages-inbox.group1"
+      );
+
       await publishToMessageBus(pmTopicTrackingState.groupChannel(1), {
         topic_id: 1,
         message_type: "unread",
@@ -398,10 +402,6 @@ acceptance(
         },
       });
 
-      await click(
-        ".sidebar-section-messages .sidebar-section-link-group-messages-inbox.group1"
-      );
-
       assert.strictEqual(
         query(
           ".sidebar-section-messages .sidebar-section-link-group-messages-unread.group1"
@@ -449,6 +449,10 @@ acceptance(
         "service:pm-topic-tracking-state"
       );
 
+      await click(
+        ".sidebar-section-messages .sidebar-section-link-personal-messages-inbox"
+      );
+
       await publishToMessageBus(pmTopicTrackingState.userChannel(), {
         topic_id: 1,
         message_type: "unread",
@@ -460,10 +464,6 @@ acceptance(
         },
       });
 
-      await click(
-        ".sidebar-section-messages .sidebar-section-link-personal-messages-inbox"
-      );
-
       assert.strictEqual(
         query(
           ".sidebar-section-messages .sidebar-section-link-personal-messages-unread"