diff --git a/src/notifications.js b/src/notifications.js
index 93bc30cb3..833d0119d 100644
--- a/src/notifications.js
+++ b/src/notifications.js
@@ -15,7 +15,10 @@ exports = module.exports = {
     ALERT_MAIL_STATUS: 'mailStatus',
     ALERT_REBOOT: 'reboot',
 
-    alert: alert
+    alert: alert,
+
+    // exported for testing
+    _add: add
 };
 
 let assert = require('assert'),
diff --git a/src/test/database-test.js b/src/test/database-test.js
index ade95bfea..21c9376ca 100644
--- a/src/test/database-test.js
+++ b/src/test/database-test.js
@@ -144,7 +144,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
             eventId: EVENT_0.id,
             title: 'first one',
             message: 'some message there',
-            action: 'usually a url'
         };
 
         var NOTIFICATION_1 = {
@@ -152,7 +151,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
             eventId: EVENT_1.id,
             title: 'second one',
             message: 'some message there',
-            action: 'usually a url'
         };
 
         var NOTIFICATION_2 = {
@@ -160,7 +158,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
             eventId: EVENT_2.id,
             title: 'third one',
             message: 'some message there',
-            action: 'usually a url'
         };
 
         var NOTIFICATION_3 = {
@@ -168,7 +165,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
             eventId: null,
             title: 'third one',
             message: 'some message there',
-            action: 'usually a url'
         };
 
         before(function (done) {
@@ -218,7 +214,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
                 expect(result.id).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.id);
                 expect(result.title).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.title);
                 expect(result.message).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.message);
-                expect(result.action).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.action);
                 expect(result.acknowledged).to.equal(false);
                 done();
             });
@@ -241,7 +236,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
                 expect(result[0].id).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.id);
                 expect(result[0].title).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.title);
                 expect(result[0].message).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.message);
-                expect(result[0].action).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_0.action);
                 expect(result[0].acknowledged).to.equal(false);
                 done();
             });
@@ -264,7 +258,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
                     expect(result.id).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_1.id);
                     expect(result.title).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_1.title);
                     expect(result.message).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_1.message);
-                    expect(result.action).to.equal(NOTIFICATION_1.action);
                     expect(result.acknowledged).to.equal(true);
 
                     done();
@@ -1896,7 +1889,6 @@ describe('database', function () {
                         eventId: eventId,
                         title: 'first one',
                         message: 'some message there',
-                        action: 'usually a url'
                     };
 
                     notificationdb.add(notification, callback);
diff --git a/src/test/notifications-test.js b/src/test/notifications-test.js
index e01c87e26..249326302 100644
--- a/src/test/notifications-test.js
+++ b/src/test/notifications-test.js
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ describe('Notifications', function () {
     var notificationId;
 
     it('add succeeds', function (done) {
-        notifications.add(USER_0.id, EVENT_0.id, 'title', 'message text', '/actionurl', function (error, result) {
+        notifications._add(USER_0.id, EVENT_0.id, 'title', 'message text', function (error, result) {
             expect(error).to.eql(null);
             expect(result.id).to.be.ok();
 
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ describe('Notifications', function () {
             expect(result.id).to.equal(notificationId);
             expect(result.title).to.equal('title');
             expect(result.message).to.equal('message text');
-            expect(result.action).to.equal('/actionurl');
             expect(result.acknowledged).to.equal(false);
             expect(result.creationTime).to.be.a(Date);
 
@@ -145,7 +144,6 @@ describe('Notifications', function () {
             expect(results[0].id).to.be(notificationId);
             expect(results[0].title).to.equal('title');
             expect(results[0].message).to.equal('message text');
-            expect(results[0].action).to.equal('/actionurl');
             expect(results[0].acknowledged).to.equal(true);
             expect(results[0].creationTime).to.be.a(Date);
 
@@ -155,7 +153,7 @@ describe('Notifications', function () {
 
     it('getAllPaged succeeds for second page', function (done) {
         async.timesSeries(20, function (n, callback) {
-            notifications.add(USER_0.id, EVENT_0.id, 'title' + n, 'some message', 'some action', callback);
+            notifications._add(USER_0.id, EVENT_0.id, 'title' + n, 'some message', callback);
         }, function (error) {
             expect(error).to.eql(null);