diff --git a/src/handlers/shared/start.ts b/src/handlers/shared/start.ts
index 5acccb65..318300c5 100644
--- a/src/handlers/shared/start.ts
+++ b/src/handlers/shared/start.ts
@@ -35,16 +35,7 @@ export async function start(context: Context, issue: Context["payload"]["issue"]
   } catch (e) {
     logger.error("Error while getting commit hash", { error: e as Error });
   }
-
-  const assignedIssues = await getAssignedIssues(context, sender.login);
-  logger.info("Max issues allowed is", { limit: maxTask.limit, assigned: assignedIssues.length });
-
-  // check for max and enforce max
-
-  if (assignedIssues.length  >= maxTask.limit) {
-    throw new Error(`Too many assigned issues, you have reached your max limit of ${maxTask.limit} issues.`);
-  }
-
+  
   // is it assignable?
 
   if (issue.state === ISSUE_TYPE.CLOSED) {
diff --git a/tests/main.test.ts b/tests/main.test.ts
index d8c4c54c..babf8d30 100644
--- a/tests/main.test.ts
+++ b/tests/main.test.ts
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ describe("User start/stop", () => {
     const context = createContext(issue, sender) as unknown as Context;
 
     context.adapters = createAdapters(getSupabase(), context as unknown as Context);
-    await expect(userStartStop(context)).rejects.toThrow(`Too many assigned issues, you have reached your max limit of ${memberLimit} issues.`);
+    await expect(userStartStop(context)).rejects.toThrow("You have reached your max task limit. Please close out some tasks before assigning new ones.");
 
     expect(memberLimit).toEqual(4);
   });
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ test("should set maxLimits to 6 if the user is an admin", async () => {
     const context = createContext(issue, sender) as unknown as Context;
 
     context.adapters = createAdapters(getSupabase(), context as unknown as Context);
-    await expect(userStartStop(context)).rejects.toThrow(`Too many assigned issues, you have reached your max limit of ${adminLimit} issues.`);
+    await expect(userStartStop(context)).rejects.toThrow("You have reached your max task limit. Please close out some tasks before assigning new ones.");
 
     expect(adminLimit).toEqual(6);
   });