diff --git a/evennia/server/portal/portalsessionhandler.py b/evennia/server/portal/portalsessionhandler.py
index efe80a0cc..9d8293ffb 100644
--- a/evennia/server/portal/portalsessionhandler.py
+++ b/evennia/server/portal/portalsessionhandler.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ _MOD_IMPORT = None
 # throttles
 _MAX_CONNECTION_RATE = float(settings.MAX_CONNECTION_RATE)
 _MAX_COMMAND_RATE = float(settings.MAX_COMMAND_RATE)
-_MAX_CHAR_LIMIT = settings.MAX_CHAR_LIMIT
+_MAX_CHAR_LIMIT = int(settings.MAX_CHAR_LIMIT)
 
 _MIN_TIME_BETWEEN_CONNECTS = 1.0 / float(settings.MAX_CONNECTION_RATE)
 _ERROR_COMMAND_OVERFLOW = settings.COMMAND_RATE_WARNING
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ class PortalSessionHandler(SessionHandler):
         #text = timetrace(text, "portalsessionhandler.data_in")
         try:
             text = kwargs['text']
-            if _MAX_CHAR_LIMIT and len(text) > _MAX_CHAR_LIMIT:
+            if (_MAX_CHAR_LIMIT > 0) and len(text) > _MAX_CHAR_LIMIT:
                 if session:
                     self.data_out(session, text=[[_ERROR_MAX_CHAR], {}])
                 return
diff --git a/evennia/settings_default.py b/evennia/settings_default.py
index 7b94643cc..3973352b1 100644
--- a/evennia/settings_default.py
+++ b/evennia/settings_default.py
@@ -203,10 +203,9 @@ MAX_COMMAND_RATE = 80
 COMMAND_RATE_WARNING ="You entered commands too fast. Wait a moment and try again."
 # Determine how large of a string can be sent to the server in number
 # of characters. If they attempt to enter a string over this character
-# limit, we stop them and send a message. Set to None by default. To
-# change it, just set it to a number of characters - ie, 6000 to be
-# roughly two pages of text.
-MAX_CHAR_LIMIT = None
+# limit, we stop them and send a message. To make unlimited, set to
+# 0 or less.
+MAX_CHAR_LIMIT = 6000
 # The warning to echo back to users if they enter a very large string
 MAX_CHAR_LIMIT_WARNING="You entered a string that was too large. Please break it up into separate commands."
 # If this is true, errors and tracebacks from the engine will be