diff --git a/src/actions/ensureSettingsThought.ts b/src/actions/ensureSettingsThought.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 584efcdf474..00000000000
--- a/src/actions/ensureSettingsThought.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-import State from '../@types/State'
-import { EM_TOKEN, SETTINGS_TOKEN, SETTINGS_VALUE } from '../constants'
-import findDescendant from '../selectors/findDescendant'
-import getPrevRank from '../selectors/getPrevRank'
-import createThought from './createThought'
-
-/** Ensures the fixed /EM/Settings system thought exists before adding concrete setting values below it. */
-const ensureSettingsThought = (state: State): State =>
-  findDescendant(state, EM_TOKEN, SETTINGS_VALUE)
-    ? state
-    : createThought(state, {
-        id: SETTINGS_TOKEN,
-        path: [EM_TOKEN],
-        value: SETTINGS_VALUE,
-        rank: getPrevRank(state, EM_TOKEN),
-      })
-
-export default ensureSettingsThought
diff --git a/src/actions/settings.ts b/src/actions/settings.ts
index b25f31f0f58..b7d6316df4b 100644
--- a/src/actions/settings.ts
+++ b/src/actions/settings.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 import _ from 'lodash'
 import State from '../@types/State'
 import Thunk from '../@types/Thunk'
-import { EM_TOKEN, SETTINGS_VALUE } from '../constants'
+import { EM_TOKEN, SETTINGS_TOKEN, SETTINGS_VALUE } from '../constants'
 import findDescendant from '../selectors/findDescendant'
+import getPrevRank from '../selectors/getPrevRank'
 import { registerActionMetadata } from '../util/actionMetadata.registry'
-import ensureSettingsThought from './ensureSettingsThought'
+import createThought from './createThought'
 import toggleAttribute from './toggleAttribute'
 
 /** Sets a setting thought. */
@@ -13,7 +14,16 @@ const settings = (state: State, { key, value }: { key: string; value: string })
   const exists = !!findDescendant(state, EM_TOKEN, emContext)
   if (exists) return state
 
-  return toggleAttribute(ensureSettingsThought(state), { path: [EM_TOKEN], values: emContext })
+  const stateWithSettings = findDescendant(state, EM_TOKEN, SETTINGS_VALUE)
+    ? state
+    : createThought(state, {
+        id: SETTINGS_TOKEN,
+        path: [EM_TOKEN],
+        value: SETTINGS_VALUE,
+        rank: getPrevRank(state, EM_TOKEN),
+      })
+
+  return toggleAttribute(stateWithSettings, { path: [EM_TOKEN], values: emContext })
 }
 
 /** Action-creator for settings. */