diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index af9d36964..237a27bfc 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
       render_error_page(406, exception, message: "#{request.format} is not a supported format for this page")
     when PaginationExtension::PaginationError
       render_error_page(410, exception, template: "static/pagination_error", message: "You cannot go beyond page #{CurrentUser.user.page_limit}.")
-    when Post::SearchError
+    when PostQueryBuilder::TagLimitError
       render_error_page(422, exception, template: "static/tag_limit_error", message: "You cannot search for more than #{CurrentUser.tag_query_limit} tags at a time.")
     when RateLimiter::RateLimitError
       render_error_page(429, exception)
diff --git a/app/controllers/counts_controller.rb b/app/controllers/counts_controller.rb
index 4baf35f2d..a685b698d 100644
--- a/app/controllers/counts_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/counts_controller.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ class CountsController < ApplicationController
   def posts
     estimate_count = params.fetch(:estimate_count, "true").truthy?
     skip_cache = params.fetch(:skip_cache, "false").truthy?
-    @count = PostQueryBuilder.new(params[:tags], CurrentUser.user).normalized_query.fast_count(timeout: CurrentUser.statement_timeout, estimate_count: estimate_count, skip_cache: skip_cache)
+    @count = PostQueryBuilder.new(params[:tags], CurrentUser.user, tag_limit: CurrentUser.user.tag_query_limit).normalized_query.fast_count(timeout: CurrentUser.statement_timeout, estimate_count: estimate_count, skip_cache: skip_cache)
 
     if request.format.xml?
       respond_with({ posts: @count }, root: "counts")
diff --git a/app/logical/discord_slash_command/count_command.rb b/app/logical/discord_slash_command/count_command.rb
index 6211cdcb1..dce71ccf3 100644
--- a/app/logical/discord_slash_command/count_command.rb
+++ b/app/logical/discord_slash_command/count_command.rb
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class DiscordSlashCommand
 
     def call
       tags = params[:tags]
-      query = PostQueryBuilder.new(tags, User.anonymous).normalized_query
+      query = PostQueryBuilder.new(tags, User.anonymous, tag_limit: nil).normalized_query
       count = query.fast_count(estimate_count: true, skip_cache: true)
 
       respond_with("`#{tags}`: #{count} posts")
diff --git a/app/logical/discord_slash_command/posts_command.rb b/app/logical/discord_slash_command/posts_command.rb
index 0e59f2a89..68a8bd602 100644
--- a/app/logical/discord_slash_command/posts_command.rb
+++ b/app/logical/discord_slash_command/posts_command.rb
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ class DiscordSlashCommand
     def call
       tags = params[:tags]
       limit = params.fetch(:limit, 3).clamp(1, 10)
-      posts = Post.user_tag_match(tags, User.anonymous).limit(limit)
+      posts = Post.user_tag_match(tags, User.anonymous, tag_limit: nil).limit(limit)
 
       respond_with(posts: posts)
     end
diff --git a/app/logical/discord_slash_command/random_command.rb b/app/logical/discord_slash_command/random_command.rb
index 888e8ad15..ea8537a39 100644
--- a/app/logical/discord_slash_command/random_command.rb
+++ b/app/logical/discord_slash_command/random_command.rb
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class DiscordSlashCommand
     def call
       tags = params[:tags]
       limit = params.fetch(:limit, 1).clamp(1, 10)
-      posts = Post.user_tag_match(tags, User.anonymous).random(limit)
+      posts = Post.user_tag_match(tags, User.anonymous, tag_limit: nil).random(limit)
 
       respond_with(posts: posts)
     end
diff --git a/app/logical/post_query_builder.rb b/app/logical/post_query_builder.rb
index 33c37ff07..b6f750d7d 100644
--- a/app/logical/post_query_builder.rb
+++ b/app/logical/post_query_builder.rb
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ require "strscan"
 class PostQueryBuilder
   extend Memoist
 
+  class TagLimitError < StandardError; end
+
   # How many tags a `blah*` search should match.
   MAX_WILDCARD_TAGS = 100
 
@@ -58,13 +60,14 @@ class PostQueryBuilder
 
   UNLIMITED_METATAGS = %w[status rating limit]
 
-  attr_reader :query_string, :current_user, :safe_mode, :hide_deleted_posts
+  attr_reader :query_string, :current_user, :tag_limit, :safe_mode, :hide_deleted_posts
   alias_method :safe_mode?, :safe_mode
   alias_method :hide_deleted_posts?, :hide_deleted_posts
 
-  def initialize(query_string, current_user = User.anonymous, safe_mode: false, hide_deleted_posts: false)
+  def initialize(query_string, current_user = User.anonymous, tag_limit: nil, safe_mode: false, hide_deleted_posts: false)
     @query_string = query_string
     @current_user = current_user
+    @tag_limit = tag_limit
     @safe_mode = safe_mode
     @hide_deleted_posts = hide_deleted_posts
   end
@@ -468,15 +471,8 @@ class PostQueryBuilder
     relation
   end
 
-  def self.is_unlimited_tag?(term)
-    term.type == :metatag && term.name.in?(UNLIMITED_METATAGS)
-  end
-
   def build
-    tag_count = terms.count { |term| !PostQueryBuilder.is_unlimited_tag?(term) }
-    if tag_count > current_user.tag_query_limit
-      raise ::Post::SearchError
-    end
+    validate!
 
     relation = Post.all
     relation = add_joins(relation)
@@ -642,6 +638,18 @@ class PostQueryBuilder
     relation.find_ordered(ids)
   end
 
+  def validate!
+    tag_count = terms.count { |term| !is_unlimited_tag?(term) }
+
+    if tag_limit.present? && tag_count > tag_limit
+      raise TagLimitError
+    end
+  end
+
+  def is_unlimited_tag?(term)
+    term.type == :metatag && term.name.in?(UNLIMITED_METATAGS)
+  end
+
   concerning :ParseMethods do
     def scan_query
       terms = []
diff --git a/app/logical/post_sets/post.rb b/app/logical/post_sets/post.rb
index adf4eafb0..2515c400f 100644
--- a/app/logical/post_sets/post.rb
+++ b/app/logical/post_sets/post.rb
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ module PostSets
     attr_reader :page, :random, :post_count, :format, :tag_string, :query, :normalized_query
 
     def initialize(tags, page = 1, per_page = nil, user: CurrentUser.user, random: false, format: "html")
-      @query = PostQueryBuilder.new(tags, user, safe_mode: CurrentUser.safe_mode?, hide_deleted_posts: user.hide_deleted_posts?)
+      @query = PostQueryBuilder.new(tags, user, tag_limit: user.tag_query_limit, safe_mode: CurrentUser.safe_mode?, hide_deleted_posts: user.hide_deleted_posts?)
       @normalized_query = query.normalized_query
       @tag_string = tags
       @page = page
diff --git a/app/models/post.rb b/app/models/post.rb
index 21ed66ec3..cf47c9b0e 100644
--- a/app/models/post.rb
+++ b/app/models/post.rb
@@ -1265,11 +1265,11 @@ class Post < ApplicationRecord
     end
 
     def system_tag_match(query)
-      user_tag_match(query, User.system, safe_mode: false, hide_deleted_posts: false)
+      user_tag_match(query, User.system, tag_limit: nil, safe_mode: false, hide_deleted_posts: false)
     end
 
-    def user_tag_match(query, user = CurrentUser.user, safe_mode: CurrentUser.safe_mode?, hide_deleted_posts: user.hide_deleted_posts?)
-      post_query = PostQueryBuilder.new(query, user, safe_mode: safe_mode, hide_deleted_posts: hide_deleted_posts)
+    def user_tag_match(query, user = CurrentUser.user, tag_limit: user.tag_query_limit, safe_mode: CurrentUser.safe_mode?, hide_deleted_posts: user.hide_deleted_posts?)
+      post_query = PostQueryBuilder.new(query, user, tag_limit: tag_limit, safe_mode: safe_mode, hide_deleted_posts: hide_deleted_posts)
       post_query.normalized_query.build
     end
 
diff --git a/test/unit/post_query_builder_test.rb b/test/unit/post_query_builder_test.rb
index af523de69..be21a855c 100644
--- a/test/unit/post_query_builder_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/post_query_builder_test.rb
@@ -1045,7 +1045,7 @@ class PostQueryBuilderTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     should "fail for more than 6 tags" do
       post1 = create(:post, rating: "s")
 
-      assert_raise(::Post::SearchError) do
+      assert_raise(PostQueryBuilder::TagLimitError) do
         Post.user_tag_match("a b c rating:s width:10 height:10 user:bob")
       end
     end
diff --git a/test/unit/post_sets/post_test.rb b/test/unit/post_sets/post_test.rb
index 77f88800a..b1bb73a60 100644
--- a/test/unit/post_sets/post_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/post_sets/post_test.rb
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ module PostSets
           should "fail" do
             @set = PostSets::Post.new("a b c", user: create(:user))
 
-            assert_raises(::Post::SearchError) do
+            assert_raises(PostQueryBuilder::TagLimitError) do
               @set.posts
             end
           end