diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 605052d3d2007551ba31c50f48cc7c2bddbea88e..9acb5cfa8f551d7bd0584f8e91d395b2b5cf1ddd 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -77,6 +77,6 @@ jobs:
             flake8 ./opentech
             python manage.py collectstatic --noinput --verbosity=0
             python manage.py check
-            python manage.py makemigrations --check --noinput --verbosity=0
+            python manage.py makemigrations --check --noinput --verbosity=1
             coverage run --source='opentech' manage.py test
             codecov
diff --git a/opentech/apply/funds/migrations/0048_add_field_slack_channel.py b/opentech/apply/funds/migrations/0048_add_field_slack_channel.py
index 54a3a414793a02c521956b6b2cb469a7c361d722..328a04eed01698c515572b22e55866fec160d902 100644
--- a/opentech/apply/funds/migrations/0048_add_field_slack_channel.py
+++ b/opentech/apply/funds/migrations/0048_add_field_slack_channel.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Generated by Django 2.0.9 on 2018-11-30 09:24
+# Generated by Django 2.0.9 on 2019-01-14 12:26
 
 from django.db import migrations, models
 
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ class Migration(migrations.Migration):
         migrations.AddField(
             model_name='applicationbase',
             name='slack_channel',
-            field=models.TextField(blank=True, help_text='The slack #channel for notifications. Default channel is #webapp-test'),
+            field=models.CharField(blank=True, help_text='The slack #channel for notifications.', max_length=128),
         ),
         migrations.AddField(
             model_name='labbase',
             name='slack_channel',
-            field=models.TextField(blank=True, help_text='The slack #channel for notifications. Default channel is #webapp-test'),
+            field=models.CharField(blank=True, help_text='The slack #channel for notifications.', max_length=128),
         ),
     ]
diff --git a/opentech/apply/funds/models/applications.py b/opentech/apply/funds/models/applications.py
index ec43c9d70a2a19588b5ee2e5d4a64c95a795c0f7..0119e8c6503b93503336affddad338f2fd37ba3c 100644
--- a/opentech/apply/funds/models/applications.py
+++ b/opentech/apply/funds/models/applications.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class ApplicationBase(EmailForm, WorkflowStreamForm):  # type: ignore
         blank=True,
     )
 
-    slack_channel = models.TextField(blank=True, help_text=_('The slack #channel for notifications. Default channel is {slack_default}').format(slack_default=settings.SLACK_DESTINATION_ROOM))
+    slack_channel = models.CharField(blank=True, max_length=128, help_text=_('The slack #channel for notifications.'))
 
     objects = PageManager.from_queryset(ApplicationBaseManager)()
 
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ class LabBase(EmailForm, WorkflowStreamForm, SubmittableStreamForm):  # type: ig
         blank=True,
     )
 
-    slack_channel = models.TextField(blank=True, help_text=_('The slack #channel for notifications. Default channel is {slack_default}').format(slack_default=settings.SLACK_DESTINATION_ROOM))
+    slack_channel = models.CharField(blank=True, max_length=128, help_text=_('The slack #channel for notifications.'))
 
     parent_page_types = ['apply_home.ApplyHomePage']
     subpage_types = []  # type: ignore