diff --git a/api/resolvers/item.js b/api/resolvers/item.js
index 54673d7c..a34fc822 100644
--- a/api/resolvers/item.js
+++ b/api/resolvers/item.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { ensureProtocol, removeTracking, stripTrailingSlash } from '@/lib/url'
-import { decodeCursor, LIMIT, nextCursorEncoded } from '@/lib/cursor'
+import { decodeCursor, nextCursorEncoded } from '@/lib/cursor'
 import { getMetadata, metadataRuleSets } from 'page-metadata-parser'
 import { ruleSet as publicationDateRuleSet } from '@/lib/timedate-scraper'
 import domino from 'domino'
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ export default {
 
       return count
     },
-    items: async (parent, { sub, sort, type, cursor, name, when, from, to, by, limit = LIMIT }, { me, models }) => {
+    items: async (parent, { sub, sort, type, cursor, name, when, from, to, by, limit }, { me, models }) => {
       const decodedCursor = decodeCursor(cursor)
       let items, user, pins, subFull, table, ad
 
diff --git a/api/resolvers/search.js b/api/resolvers/search.js
index a042a9f6..99dcd07f 100644
--- a/api/resolvers/search.js
+++ b/api/resolvers/search.js
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ function queryParts (q) {
 
 export default {
   Query: {
-    related: async (parent, { title, id, cursor, limit = LIMIT, minMatch }, { me, models, search }) => {
+    related: async (parent, { title, id, cursor, limit, minMatch }, { me, models, search }) => {
       const decodedCursor = decodeCursor(cursor)
 
       if (!id && (!title || title.trim().split(/\s+/).length < 1)) {
diff --git a/api/resolvers/sub.js b/api/resolvers/sub.js
index 25aede5a..0f0e38d6 100644
--- a/api/resolvers/sub.js
+++ b/api/resolvers/sub.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export async function getSub (parent, { name }, { models, me }) {
 export default {
   Query: {
     sub: getSub,
-    subSuggestions: async (parent, { q, limit = 5 }, { models }) => {
+    subSuggestions: async (parent, { q, limit }, { models }) => {
       let subs = []
       subs = await models.$queryRaw`
           SELECT name
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ export default {
 
       return latest?.createdAt
     },
-    topSubs: async (parent, { cursor, when, by, from, to, limit = LIMIT }, { models, me }) => {
+    topSubs: async (parent, { cursor, when, by, from, to, limit }, { models, me }) => {
       const decodedCursor = decodeCursor(cursor)
       const range = whenRange(when, from, to || decodeCursor.time)
 
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ export default {
         subs
       }
     },
-    userSubs: async (_parent, { name, cursor, when, by, from, to, limit = LIMIT }, { models, me }) => {
+    userSubs: async (_parent, { name, cursor, when, by, from, to, limit }, { models, me }) => {
       if (!name) {
         throw new GqlInputError('must supply user name')
       }
diff --git a/api/resolvers/user.js b/api/resolvers/user.js
index 9c5bb75b..25e6a113 100644
--- a/api/resolvers/user.js
+++ b/api/resolvers/user.js
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ async function authMethods (user, args, { models, me }) {
   }
 }
 
-export async function topUsers (parent, { cursor, when, by, from, to, limit = LIMIT }, { models, me }) {
+export async function topUsers (parent, { cursor, when, by, from, to, limit }, { models, me }) {
   const decodedCursor = decodeCursor(cursor)
   const range = whenRange(when, from, to || decodeCursor.time)
 
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ export default {
         users
       }
     },
-    userSuggestions: async (parent, { q, limit = 5 }, { models }) => {
+    userSuggestions: async (parent, { q, limit }, { models }) => {
       let users = []
       if (q) {
         users = await models.$queryRaw`
@@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ export default {
         SELECT *
         FROM users
         WHERE (id > ${RESERVED_MAX_USER_ID} OR id IN (${USER_ID.anon}, ${USER_ID.delete}))
-        AND SIMILARITY(name, ${q}) > ${Number(similarity) || 0.1} ORDER BY SIMILARITY(name, ${q}) DESC LIMIT ${Number(limit) || 5}`
+        AND SIMILARITY(name, ${q}) > ${Number(similarity) || 0.1} ORDER BY SIMILARITY(name, ${q}) DESC LIMIT ${Number(limit)}`
     },
     userStatsActions: async (parent, { when, from, to }, { me, models }) => {
       const range = whenRange(when, from, to)
diff --git a/api/typeDefs/item.js b/api/typeDefs/item.js
index 9fde3fa3..a4e0a988 100644
--- a/api/typeDefs/item.js
+++ b/api/typeDefs/item.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 import { gql } from 'graphql-tag'
+import { LIMIT } from '@/lib/cursor'
 
 export default gql`
   extend type Query {
-    items(sub: String, sort: String, type: String, cursor: String, name: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit): Items
+    items(sub: String, sort: String, type: String, cursor: String, name: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit! = ${LIMIT}): Items
     item(id: ID!): Item
     pageTitleAndUnshorted(url: String!): TitleUnshorted
     dupes(url: String!): [Item!]
-    related(cursor: String, title: String, id: ID, minMatch: String, limit: Limit): Items
+    related(cursor: String, title: String, id: ID, minMatch: String, limit: Limit! = ${LIMIT}): Items
     search(q: String, sub: String, cursor: String, what: String, sort: String, when: String, from: String, to: String): Items
     auctionPosition(sub: String, id: ID, boost: Int): Int!
     boostPosition(sub: String, id: ID, boost: Int): BoostPositions!
diff --git a/api/typeDefs/sub.js b/api/typeDefs/sub.js
index 679db42e..8bf8bd2a 100644
--- a/api/typeDefs/sub.js
+++ b/api/typeDefs/sub.js
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 import { gql } from 'graphql-tag'
+import { LIMIT } from '@/lib/cursor'
 
 export default gql`
   extend type Query {
     sub(name: String): Sub
     subLatestPost(name: String!): String
     subs: [Sub!]!
-    topSubs(cursor: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit): Subs
-    userSubs(name: String!, cursor: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit): Subs
+    topSubs(cursor: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit! = ${LIMIT}): Subs
+    userSubs(name: String!, cursor: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit! = ${LIMIT}): Subs
     mySubscribedSubs(cursor: String): Subs
-    subSuggestions(q: String!, limit: Limit): [Sub!]!
+    subSuggestions(q: String!, limit: Limit! = 5): [Sub!]!
   }
 
   type Subs {
diff --git a/api/typeDefs/user.js b/api/typeDefs/user.js
index f4a8c4d8..c41bb267 100644
--- a/api/typeDefs/user.js
+++ b/api/typeDefs/user.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { gql } from 'graphql-tag'
+import { LIMIT } from '@/lib/cursor'
 
 export default gql`
   extend type Query {
@@ -7,10 +8,10 @@ export default gql`
     user(id: ID, name: String): User
     users: [User!]
     nameAvailable(name: String!): Boolean!
-    topUsers(cursor: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit): UsersNullable!
+    topUsers(cursor: String, when: String, from: String, to: String, by: String, limit: Limit! = ${LIMIT}): UsersNullable!
     topCowboys(cursor: String): UsersNullable!
-    searchUsers(q: String!, limit: Limit, similarity: Float): [User!]!
-    userSuggestions(q: String, limit: Limit): [User!]!
+    searchUsers(q: String!, limit: Limit! = 5, similarity: Float): [User!]!
+    userSuggestions(q: String, limit: Limit! = 5): [User!]!
     hasNewNotes: Boolean!
     mySubscribedUsers(cursor: String): Users!
     myMutedUsers(cursor: String): Users!