diff --git a/src/socket.io/topics.js b/src/socket.io/topics.js
index ddde471aa4..71798a3311 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/topics.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/topics.js
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const api = require('../api');
 const topics = require('../topics');
 const user = require('../user');
 const meta = require('../meta');
 const privileges = require('../privileges');
-const sockets = require('.');
 
 const SocketTopics = module.exports;
 
@@ -46,32 +44,6 @@ SocketTopics.createTopicFromPosts = async function (socket, data) {
 	return await topics.createTopicFromPosts(socket.uid, data.title, data.pids, data.fromTid);
 };
 
-SocketTopics.changeWatching = async function (socket, data) {
-	if (!data || !data.tid || !data.type) {
-		throw new Error('[[error:invalid-data]]');
-	}
-	const commands = ['follow', 'unfollow', 'ignore'];
-	if (!commands.includes(data.type)) {
-		throw new Error('[[error:invalid-command]]');
-	}
-
-	sockets.warnDeprecated(socket, 'PUT/DELETE /api/v3/topics/:tid/(follow|ignore)');
-	await followCommand(data.type, socket, data.tid);
-};
-
-SocketTopics.follow = async function (socket, tid) {
-	sockets.warnDeprecated(socket, 'PUT /api/v3/topics/:tid/follow');
-	await followCommand('follow', socket, tid);
-};
-
-async function followCommand(method, socket, tid) {
-	if (!socket.uid) {
-		throw new Error('[[error:not-logged-in]]');
-	}
-
-	await api.topics[method](socket, { tid });
-}
-
 SocketTopics.isFollowed = async function (socket, tid) {
 	const isFollowing = await topics.isFollowing([tid], socket.uid);
 	return isFollowing[0];
diff --git a/src/topics/create.js b/src/topics/create.js
index 1308827789..cdb304cad7 100644
--- a/src/topics/create.js
+++ b/src/topics/create.js
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ module.exports = function (Topics) {
 			throw new Error('[[error:no-topic]]');
 		}
 
-		if (settings.followTopicsOnCreate) {
+		if (uid > 0 && settings.followTopicsOnCreate) {
 			await Topics.follow(postData.tid, uid);
 		}
 		const topicData = topics[0];
diff --git a/src/topics/follow.js b/src/topics/follow.js
index e9d895fc31..2cd856134c 100644
--- a/src/topics/follow.js
+++ b/src/topics/follow.js
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ module.exports = function (Topics) {
 	};
 
 	async function setWatching(method1, method2, hook, tid, uid) {
-		if (parseInt(uid, 10) <= 0) {
-			return;
+		if (!(parseInt(uid, 10) > 0)) {
+			throw new Error('[[error:not-logged-in]]');
 		}
 		const exists = await Topics.exists(tid);
 		if (!exists) {
diff --git a/test/topics.js b/test/topics.js
index 9fe79b80b6..851ac3fd44 100644
--- a/test/topics.js
+++ b/test/topics.js
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ const nconf = require('nconf');
 const request = require('request');
 const util = require('util');
 
+const sleep = util.promisify(setTimeout);
+
 const db = require('./mocks/databasemock');
 const file = require('../src/file');
 const topics = require('../src/topics');
@@ -1498,35 +1500,15 @@ describe('Topic\'s', () => {
 			});
 		});
 
-		it('should mark topic notifications read', (done) => {
-			async.waterfall([
-				function (next) {
-					socketTopics.follow({ uid: adminUid }, tid, next);
-				},
-				function (next) {
-					topics.reply({ uid: uid, timestamp: Date.now(), content: 'some content', tid: tid }, next);
-				},
-				function (data, next) {
-					setTimeout(next, 2500);
-				},
-				function (next) {
-					User.notifications.getUnreadCount(adminUid, next);
-				},
-				function (count, next) {
-					assert.equal(count, 1);
-					socketTopics.markTopicNotificationsRead({ uid: adminUid }, [tid], next);
-				},
-				function (next) {
-					User.notifications.getUnreadCount(adminUid, next);
-				},
-				function (count, next) {
-					assert.equal(count, 0);
-					next();
-				},
-			], (err) => {
-				assert.ifError(err);
-				done();
-			});
+		it('should mark topic notifications read', async () => {
+			await apiTopics.follow({ uid: adminUid }, { tid: tid });
+			const data = await topics.reply({ uid: uid, timestamp: Date.now(), content: 'some content', tid: tid });
+			await sleep(2500);
+			let count = await User.notifications.getUnreadCount(adminUid);
+			assert.strictEqual(count, 1);
+			await socketTopics.markTopicNotificationsRead({ uid: adminUid }, [tid]);
+			count = await User.notifications.getUnreadCount(adminUid);
+			assert.strictEqual(count, 0);
 		});
 
 		it('should fail with invalid data', (done) => {
@@ -2161,37 +2143,29 @@ describe('Topic\'s', () => {
 			});
 		});
 
-		it('should error if not logged in', (done) => {
-			socketTopics.changeWatching({ uid: 0 }, { tid: tid, type: 'ignore' }, (err) => {
+		it('should error if not logged in', async () => {
+			try {
+				await apiTopics.ignore({ uid: 0 }, { tid: tid });
+				assert(false);
+			} catch (err) {
 				assert.equal(err.message, '[[error:not-logged-in]]');
-				done();
-			});
+			}
 		});
 
-		it('should filter ignoring uids', (done) => {
-			socketTopics.changeWatching({ uid: followerUid }, { tid: tid, type: 'ignore' }, (err) => {
-				assert.ifError(err);
-				topics.filterIgnoringUids(tid, [adminUid, followerUid], (err, uids) => {
-					assert.ifError(err);
-					assert.equal(uids.length, 1);
-					assert.equal(uids[0], adminUid);
-					done();
-				});
-			});
+		it('should filter ignoring uids', async () => {
+			await apiTopics.ignore({ uid: followerUid }, { tid: tid });
+			const uids = await topics.filterIgnoringUids(tid, [adminUid, followerUid]);
+			assert.equal(uids.length, 1);
+			assert.equal(uids[0], adminUid);
 		});
 
-		it('should error with invalid data', (done) => {
-			socketTopics.changeWatching({ uid: followerUid }, {}, (err) => {
-				assert.equal(err.message, '[[error:invalid-data]]');
-				done();
-			});
-		});
-
-		it('should error with invalid type', (done) => {
-			socketTopics.changeWatching({ uid: followerUid }, { tid: tid, type: 'derp' }, (err) => {
-				assert.equal(err.message, '[[error:invalid-command]]');
-				done();
-			});
+		it('should error with topic that does not exist', async () => {
+			try {
+				await apiTopics.follow({ uid: followerUid }, { tid: -1 });
+				assert(false);
+			} catch (err) {
+				assert.equal(err.message, '[[error:no-topic]]');
+			}
 		});
 
 		it('should follow topic', (done) => {