diff --git a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/searches.js b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/searches.js
index 1b64006a4a..1189801454 100644
--- a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/searches.js
+++ b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/searches.js
@@ -198,7 +198,9 @@ Zotero.Searches = function () {
 				search._conditions[id] = {
 					id,
 					condition: 'resultLevel',
-					mode: undefined,
+					// No mode -- parseCondition() uses false, and toJSON() only omits the
+					// "/mode" suffix for an exact false
+					mode: false,
 					operator: 'item',
 					value: ''
 				};
diff --git a/test/tests/searchTest.js b/test/tests/searchTest.js
index a079e8c19b..8bd81a2c0b 100644
--- a/test/tests/searchTest.js
+++ b/test/tests/searchTest.js
@@ -69,14 +69,15 @@ describe("Zotero.Search", function () {
 			var resultLevel = conds.find(c => c.condition == 'resultLevel');
 			assert.ok(resultLevel);
 			assert.equal(resultLevel.operator, 'item');
+			assert.sameMembers(s.toJSON().conditions.map(c => c.condition), ['note', 'resultLevel']);
 			assert.sameMembers(await s.search(), [item.id]);
 
 			await item.eraseTx();
 			await s.eraseTx();
 		});
 	});
-	
-	
+
+
 	describe("#save()", function () {
 		it("should fail without a name", async function () {
 			var s = new Zotero.Search;