diff --git a/lib/api/model/model.dart b/lib/api/model/model.dart
index 460adcfe1c6..8f8aab817cb 100644
--- a/lib/api/model/model.dart
+++ b/lib/api/model/model.dart
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ class Subscription extends ZulipStream {
   /// As an int that dart:ui's Color constructor will take:
   ///   <https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/dart-ui/Color/Color.html>
   @JsonKey(readValue: _readColor)
-  final int color; // TODO(#135) Clear out _swatch cache on changes to this
+  int color; // TODO(#135) Clear out _swatch cache on changes to this
   static Object? _readColor(Map json, String key) {
     final str = (json[key] as String);
     assert(RegExp(r'^#[0-9a-f]{6}$').hasMatch(str));
@@ -347,6 +347,10 @@ class Subscription extends ZulipStream {
   //   material [ColorScheme] class or something. But it works for now.
   StreamColorSwatch colorSwatch() => _swatch ??= StreamColorSwatch(color);
 
+  void clearSwatch() {
+    _swatch = null;
+  }
+
   @visibleForTesting
   @JsonKey(includeToJson: false)
   StreamColorSwatch? get debugCachedSwatchValue => _swatch;
diff --git a/lib/model/store.dart b/lib/model/store.dart
index fc8d1648085..09fca58407f 100644
--- a/lib/model/store.dart
+++ b/lib/model/store.dart
@@ -323,7 +323,8 @@ class PerAccountStore extends ChangeNotifier {
       if (subscription == null) return; // TODO(log)
       switch (event.property) {
         case SubscriptionProperty.color:
-          subscription.color                  = event.value as String;
+          subscription.color                  = event.value as int;
+          subscription.clearSwatch();
         case SubscriptionProperty.isMuted:
           subscription.isMuted                = event.value as bool;
         case SubscriptionProperty.inHomeView:
diff --git a/test/api/model/model_test.dart b/test/api/model/model_test.dart
index 562df0e13fe..a1a574e0ee7 100644
--- a/test/api/model/model_test.dart
+++ b/test/api/model/model_test.dart
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ void main() {
     test('converts color to int', () {
       Subscription subWithColor(String color) {
         return Subscription.fromJson(
-          deepToJson(eg.subscription(stream: eg.stream())) as Map<String, dynamic>
+          deepToJson(eg.subscription(eg.stream())) as Map<String, dynamic>
             ..['color'] = color,
         );
       }
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ void main() {
     });
 
     test('colorSwatch caching', () {
-      final sub = eg.subscription(stream: eg.stream(), color: 0xffffffff);
+      final sub = eg.subscription(eg.stream(), color: 0xffffffff);
       check(sub.debugCachedSwatchValue).isNull();
       sub.colorSwatch();
       check(sub.debugCachedSwatchValue).isNotNull().base.equals(const Color(0xffffffff));
diff --git a/test/model/store_test.dart b/test/model/store_test.dart
index f1f53714a8f..1cbce445e20 100644
--- a/test/model/store_test.dart
+++ b/test/model/store_test.dart
@@ -186,15 +186,15 @@ void main() {
     test('SubscriptionProperty.color updates with a string value', () {
       final store = eg.store(initialSnapshot: eg.initialSnapshot(
         streams: [stream],
-        subscriptions: [eg.subscription(stream, color: "#FF0000")],
+        subscriptions: [eg.subscription(stream, color: 0xffff0000)],
       ));
-      check(store.subscriptions[stream.streamId]!.color).equals('#FF0000');
+      check(store.subscriptions[stream.streamId]!.color).equals(0xffff0000);
 
       store.handleEvent(SubscriptionUpdateEvent(id: 1,
         streamId: stream.streamId,
         property: SubscriptionProperty.color,
-        value: "#FF00FF"));
-      check(store.subscriptions[stream.streamId]!.color).equals('#FF00FF');
+        value: 0xffff00ff));
+      check(store.subscriptions[stream.streamId]!.color).equals(0xffff00ff);
     });
 
     test('SubscriptionProperty.isMuted updates with a boolean value', () {