diff --git a/Tusker/Screens/Timeline/TimelineViewController.swift b/Tusker/Screens/Timeline/TimelineViewController.swift
index e36142dc..3b80c6d5 100644
--- a/Tusker/Screens/Timeline/TimelineViewController.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Screens/Timeline/TimelineViewController.swift
@@ -947,8 +947,11 @@ extension TimelineViewController {
 extension TimelineViewController {
     typealias TimelineItem = String // status ID
     
+    // the maximum mastodon will provide in a single request
+    private static let pageSize = 40
+    
     func loadInitial() async throws -> [TimelineItem] {
-        let request = Client.getStatuses(timeline: timeline)
+        let request = Client.getStatuses(timeline: timeline, range: .count(TimelineViewController.pageSize))
         let (statuses, _) = try await mastodonController.run(request)
         
         await withCheckedContinuation { continuation in
@@ -965,7 +968,7 @@ extension TimelineViewController {
         guard case .status(id: let id, _, _) = dataSource.itemIdentifier(for: IndexPath(row: 0, section: statusesSection)) else {
             throw Error.noNewer
         }
-        let newer = RequestRange.after(id: id, count: nil)
+        let newer = RequestRange.after(id: id, count: TimelineViewController.pageSize)
         
         let request = Client.getStatuses(timeline: timeline, range: newer)
         let (statuses, _) = try await mastodonController.run(request)
@@ -989,7 +992,7 @@ extension TimelineViewController {
         guard case .status(id: let id, _, _) = dataSource.itemIdentifier(for: IndexPath(row: snapshot.numberOfItems(inSection: .statuses) - 1, section: statusesSection)) else {
             throw Error.noNewer
         }
-        let older = RequestRange.before(id: id, count: nil)
+        let older = RequestRange.before(id: id, count: TimelineViewController.pageSize)
         
         let request = Client.getStatuses(timeline: timeline, range: older)
         let (statuses, _) = try await mastodonController.run(request)
@@ -1020,13 +1023,13 @@ extension TimelineViewController {
                 // not really the right error but w/e
                 throw Error.noGap
             }
-            range = .before(id: id, count: nil)
+            range = .before(id: id, count: TimelineViewController.pageSize)
         case .below:
             guard gapIndexPath.row < statusItemsCount - 1,
                   case .status(id: let id, _, _) = dataSource.itemIdentifier(for: IndexPath(row: gapIndexPath.row + 1, section: gapIndexPath.section)) else {
                 throw Error.noGap
             }
-            range = .after(id: id, count: nil)
+            range = .after(id: id, count: TimelineViewController.pageSize)
         }
         
         let request = Client.getStatuses(timeline: timeline, range: range)