diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
index 4bf1bf926..6c88f22c9 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ import Data.Monoid ((<>))
 #endif
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import Data.Time.Calendar
-import Safe (readDef, maximumByDef, maximumDef, minimumDef)
+import Safe (readDef, maximumByMay, maximumMay, minimumMay)
 import Text.Megaparsec
 import Text.Megaparsec.Char
 
@@ -488,33 +488,33 @@ queryDateSpan' _            = nulldatespan
 
 -- | What is the earliest of these dates, where Nothing is earliest ?
 earliestMaybeDate :: [Maybe Day] -> Maybe Day
-earliestMaybeDate = minimumDef Nothing
+earliestMaybeDate = fromMaybe Nothing . minimumMay
 
 -- | What is the latest of these dates, where Nothing is earliest ?
 latestMaybeDate :: [Maybe Day] -> Maybe Day
-latestMaybeDate = maximumDef Nothing
+latestMaybeDate = fromMaybe Nothing . maximumMay
 
 -- | What is the earliest of these dates, where Nothing is the latest ?
 earliestMaybeDate' :: [Maybe Day] -> Maybe Day
-earliestMaybeDate' = minimumDef Nothing . filter isJust
+earliestMaybeDate' = fromMaybe Nothing . minimumMay . filter isJust
 
 -- | What is the latest of these dates, where Nothing is the latest ?
 latestMaybeDate' :: [Maybe Day] -> Maybe Day
-latestMaybeDate' = maximumByDef Nothing compareNothingMax
+latestMaybeDate' = fromMaybe Nothing . maximumByMay compareNothingMax
   where
     compareNothingMax Nothing  Nothing  = EQ
     compareNothingMax (Just _) Nothing  = LT
     compareNothingMax Nothing  (Just _) = GT
     compareNothingMax (Just a) (Just b) = compare a b
 
--- | The depth limit this query specifies, or a large number if none.
-queryDepth :: Query -> Int
-queryDepth = minimumDef maxBound . queryDepth'
+-- | The depth limit this query specifies, if it has one
+queryDepth :: Query -> Maybe Int
+queryDepth = minimumMay . queryDepth'
   where
     queryDepth' (Depth d) = [d]
-    queryDepth' (Or qs) = concatMap queryDepth' qs
-    queryDepth' (And qs) = concatMap queryDepth' qs
-    queryDepth' _ = []
+    queryDepth' (Or qs)   = concatMap queryDepth' qs
+    queryDepth' (And qs)  = concatMap queryDepth' qs
+    queryDepth' _         = []
 
 -- | The account we are currently focussed on, if any, and whether subaccounts are included.
 -- Just looks at the first query option.
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs
index 644066824..1f6ed9d9b 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ acctChangesFromPostings ropts q ps = HM.fromList [(aname a, a) | a <- as]
     as = filterAccounts . drop 1 $ accountsFromPostings ps
     filterAccounts = case accountlistmode_ ropts of
         ALTree -> filter ((depthq `matchesAccount`) . aname)      -- exclude deeper balances
-        ALFlat -> clipAccountsAndAggregate (queryDepth depthq) .  -- aggregate deeper balances at the depth limit.
+        ALFlat -> maybe id clipAccountsAndAggregate (queryDepth depthq) .  -- aggregate deeper balances at the depth limit.
                       filter ((0<) . anumpostings)
     depthq = dbg "depthq" $ filterQuery queryIsDepth q
 
@@ -299,8 +299,8 @@ calculateAccountChanges :: ReportOpts -> Query -> [DateSpan]
                         -> Map DateSpan [Posting]
                         -> HashMap ClippedAccountName (Map DateSpan Account)
 calculateAccountChanges ropts q colspans colps
-    | queryDepth q == 0 = acctchanges <> elided
-    | otherwise         = acctchanges
+    | queryDepth q == Just 0 = acctchanges <> elided
+    | otherwise              = acctchanges
   where
     -- Transpose to get each account's balance changes across all columns.
     acctchanges = transposeMap colacctchanges
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ displayedAccounts ropts q valuedaccts
         tallies = subaccountTallies . HM.keys $ HM.filterWithKey isInteresting valuedaccts
 
     isZeroRow balance = all (mixedAmountLooksZero . balance)
-    depth = queryDepth q
+    depth = fromMaybe maxBound $ queryDepth q
 
 -- | Sort the rows by amount or by account declaration order.
 sortRows :: ReportOpts -> Journal -> [MultiBalanceReportRow] -> [MultiBalanceReportRow]
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs
index 4b39781df..974ec3a9b 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ postingsReport ropts@ReportOpts{..} q j =
     where
       reportspan  = adjustReportDates ropts q j
       whichdate   = whichDateFromOpts ropts
-      depth       = queryDepth q
+      depth       = fromMaybe maxBound $ queryDepth q
       styles      = journalCommodityStyles j
       priceoracle = journalPriceOracle infer_value_ j
       multiperiod = interval_ /= NoInterval
diff --git a/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Main.hs b/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Main.hs
index 2de17d69e..5491b39f0 100644
--- a/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Main.hs
+++ b/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Main.hs
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ runBrickUi uopts@UIOpts{cliopts_=copts@CliOpts{inputopts_=_iopts,reportopts_=rop
          reportopts_= ropts{
             -- incorporate any depth: query args into depth_,
             -- any date: query args into period_
-            depth_ =depthfromoptsandargs,
+            depth_ =queryDepth q,
             period_=periodfromoptsandargs,
             query_ =unwords -- as in ReportOptions, with same limitations
                     $ collectopts filteredQueryArg (rawopts_ copts),
@@ -107,8 +107,6 @@ runBrickUi uopts@UIOpts{cliopts_=copts@CliOpts{inputopts_=_iopts,reportopts_=rop
       }
       where
         q = queryFromOpts d ropts
-        depthfromoptsandargs = case queryDepth q of 99999 -> Nothing
-                                                    d     -> Just d
         datespanfromargs = queryDateSpan (date2_ ropts) $ fst $ parseQuery d (T.pack $ query_ ropts)
         periodfromoptsandargs =
           dateSpanAsPeriod $ spansIntersect [periodAsDateSpan $ period_ ropts, datespanfromargs]
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Accounts.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Accounts.hs
index 744b7afa8..b88483ae4 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Accounts.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Accounts.hs
@@ -74,10 +74,10 @@ accounts CliOpts{rawopts_=rawopts, reportopts_=ropts} j = do
   -- 3. if there's a depth limit, depth-clip and remove any no longer useful items
       clippedaccts =
         dbg1 "clippedaccts" $
-        filter (matchesAccount acctq) $  -- clipping can leave accounts that no longer match the query, remove such
-        nub $                          -- clipping can leave duplicates (adjacent, hopefully)
-        filter (not . T.null) $        -- depth:0 can leave nulls
-        map (clipAccountName depth) $  -- clip at depth if specified
+        filter (matchesAccount acctq) $           -- clipping can leave accounts that no longer match the query, remove such
+        nub $                                     -- clipping can leave duplicates (adjacent, hopefully)
+        filter (not . T.null) $                   -- depth:0 can leave nulls
+        maybe id (map . clipAccountName) depth $  -- clip at depth if specified
         sortedaccts
 
   -- 4. print what remains as a list or tree, maybe applying --drop in the former case