diff --git a/gerrit-common/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/common/data/GlobalCapability.java b/gerrit-common/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/common/data/GlobalCapability.java
index d9ad274374..f0551365c3 100644
--- a/gerrit-common/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/common/data/GlobalCapability.java
+++ b/gerrit-common/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/common/data/GlobalCapability.java
@@ -70,6 +70,9 @@ public class GlobalCapability {
   /** Maximum result limit per executed query. */
   public static final String QUERY_LIMIT = "queryLimit";
 
+  /** Default result limit per executed query. */
+  public static final int DEFAULT_MAX_QUERY_LIMIT = 500;
+
   /** Ability to impersonate another user. */
   public static final String RUN_AS = "runAs";
 
@@ -145,7 +148,7 @@ public class GlobalCapability {
       return new PermissionRange.WithDefaults(
           varName,
           0, Integer.MAX_VALUE,
-          0, 500);
+          0, DEFAULT_MAX_QUERY_LIMIT);
     }
     return null;
   }
diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteImpl.java b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteImpl.java
index 345f5b2a4d..e451f60a83 100644
--- a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteImpl.java
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteImpl.java
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@
 
 package com.google.gerrit.server.index;
 
-import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
+import static com.google.gerrit.common.data.GlobalCapability.DEFAULT_MAX_QUERY_LIMIT;
+
 import com.google.common.base.Objects;
 import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
 import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
@@ -61,9 +62,6 @@ public class IndexRewriteImpl implements ChangeQueryRewriter {
     CLOSED_STATUSES = Sets.immutableEnumSet(closed);
   }
 
-  @VisibleForTesting
-  static final int MAX_LIMIT = 1000;
-
   /**
    * Get the set of statuses that changes matching the given predicate may have.
    *
@@ -135,13 +133,12 @@ public class IndexRewriteImpl implements ChangeQueryRewriter {
       throws QueryParseException {
     ChangeIndex index = indexes.getSearchIndex();
     in = basicRewrites.rewrite(in);
-    int limit =
-        Objects.firstNonNull(ChangeQueryBuilder.getLimit(in), MAX_LIMIT);
+    int limit = Objects.firstNonNull(
+        ChangeQueryBuilder.getLimit(in), DEFAULT_MAX_QUERY_LIMIT);
     // Increase the limit rather than skipping, since we don't know how many
     // skipped results would have been filtered out by the enclosing AndSource.
     limit += start;
     limit = Math.max(limit, 1);
-    limit = Math.min(limit, MAX_LIMIT);
 
     Predicate<ChangeData> out = rewriteImpl(in, index, limit);
     if (in == out || out instanceof IndexPredicate) {
diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/test/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteTest.java b/gerrit-server/src/test/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteTest.java
index c8275e8bf8..fe66ca5638 100644
--- a/gerrit-server/src/test/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteTest.java
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/test/java/com/google/gerrit/server/index/IndexRewriteTest.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 package com.google.gerrit.server.index;
 
+import static com.google.gerrit.common.data.GlobalCapability.DEFAULT_MAX_QUERY_LIMIT;
 import static com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Change.Status.ABANDONED;
 import static com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Change.Status.DRAFT;
 import static com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Change.Status.MERGED;
@@ -179,13 +180,6 @@ public class IndexRewriteTest {
     assertEquals(and(query(f, 5), l), rewrite.rewrite(in, 2));
   }
 
-  @Test
-  public void testStartDoesNotExceedMaxLimit() throws Exception {
-    Predicate<ChangeData> in = parse("file:a");
-    assertEquals(query(in), rewrite.rewrite(in, 0));
-    assertEquals(query(in), rewrite.rewrite(in, 1));
-  }
-
   @Test
   public void testGetPossibleStatus() throws Exception {
     assertEquals(EnumSet.allOf(Change.Status.class), status("file:a"));
@@ -233,7 +227,7 @@ public class IndexRewriteTest {
 
   private IndexedChangeQuery query(Predicate<ChangeData> p)
       throws QueryParseException {
-    return query(p, IndexRewriteImpl.MAX_LIMIT);
+    return query(p, DEFAULT_MAX_QUERY_LIMIT);
   }
 
   private IndexedChangeQuery query(Predicate<ChangeData> p, int limit)