diff --git a/app/gabsocial/features/compose/components/compose_form.js b/app/gabsocial/features/compose/components/compose_form.js
index 6e145ecec..f8af8052b 100644
--- a/app/gabsocial/features/compose/components/compose_form.js
+++ b/app/gabsocial/features/compose/components/compose_form.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import React from 'react';
+import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 import CharacterCounter from './character_counter';
 import Button from '../../../components/button';
 import ImmutablePropTypes from 'react-immutable-proptypes';
@@ -21,7 +22,6 @@ import ImmutablePureComponent from 'react-immutable-pure-component';
 import { length } from 'stringz';
 import { countableText } from '../util/counter';
 import Icon from 'gabsocial/components/icon';
-import { maxTootChars } from '../../../initial_state';
 
 const allowedAroundShortCode = '><\u0085\u0020\u00a0\u1680\u2000\u2001\u2002\u2003\u2004\u2005\u2006\u2007\u2008\u2009\u200a\u202f\u205f\u3000\u2028\u2029\u0009\u000a\u000b\u000c\u000d';
 
@@ -32,7 +32,14 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
   publishLoud: { id: 'compose_form.publish_loud', defaultMessage: '{publish}!' },
 });
 
-export default @injectIntl
+const mapStateToProps = state => {
+  return {
+    maxTootChars: state.getIn(['instance', 'max_toot_chars']),
+  };
+};
+
+export default @connect(mapStateToProps)
+@injectIntl
 class ComposeForm extends ImmutablePureComponent {
 
   state = {
@@ -113,7 +120,7 @@ class ComposeForm extends ImmutablePureComponent {
     }
 
     // Submit disabled:
-    const { isSubmitting, isChangingUpload, isUploading, anyMedia } = this.props;
+    const { isSubmitting, isChangingUpload, isUploading, anyMedia, maxTootChars } = this.props;
     const fulltext = [this.props.spoilerText, countableText(this.props.text)].join('');
 
     if (isSubmitting || isUploading || isChangingUpload || length(fulltext) > maxTootChars || (fulltext.length !== 0 && fulltext.trim().length === 0 && !anyMedia)) {
@@ -199,7 +206,7 @@ class ComposeForm extends ImmutablePureComponent {
   }
 
   render () {
-    const { intl, onPaste, showSearch, anyMedia, shouldCondense, autoFocus, isModalOpen } = this.props;
+    const { intl, onPaste, showSearch, anyMedia, shouldCondense, autoFocus, isModalOpen, maxTootChars } = this.props;
     const condensed = shouldCondense && !this.props.text && !this.state.composeFocused;
     const disabled = this.props.isSubmitting;
     const text     = [this.props.spoilerText, countableText(this.props.text)].join('');
@@ -280,7 +287,7 @@ class ComposeForm extends ImmutablePureComponent {
               <PrivacyDropdownContainer />
               <SpoilerButtonContainer />
             </div>
-            <div className='character-counter__wrapper'><CharacterCounter max={maxTootChars} text={text} /></div>
+            {maxTootChars && <div className='character-counter__wrapper'><CharacterCounter max={maxTootChars} text={text} /></div>}
           </div>
         }