diff --git a/db/config.hh b/db/config.hh
index 30679bbed6..e63866c2a2 100644
--- a/db/config.hh
+++ b/db/config.hh
@@ -489,7 +489,7 @@ public:
     val(read_request_timeout_in_ms, uint32_t, 5000, Used,     \
             "The time that the coordinator waits for read operations to complete"  \
     )   \
-    val(counter_write_request_timeout_in_ms, uint32_t, 5000, Unused,     \
+    val(counter_write_request_timeout_in_ms, uint32_t, 5000, Used,     \
             "The time that the coordinator waits for counter writes to complete."  \
     )   \
     val(cas_contention_timeout_in_ms, uint32_t, 5000, Unused,     \
diff --git a/service/storage_proxy.cc b/service/storage_proxy.cc
index 0f53a860fc..368e0b7eca 100644
--- a/service/storage_proxy.cc
+++ b/service/storage_proxy.cc
@@ -1208,7 +1208,7 @@ future<> storage_proxy::mutate_counters(Range&& mutations, db::consistency_level
     }
 
     // Forward mutations to the leaders chosen for them
-    auto timeout = clock_type::now() + std::chrono::milliseconds(_db.local().get_config().write_request_timeout_in_ms());
+    auto timeout = clock_type::now() + std::chrono::milliseconds(_db.local().get_config().counter_write_request_timeout_in_ms());
     auto my_address = utils::fb_utilities::get_broadcast_address();
     return parallel_for_each(leaders, [this, cl, timeout, tr_state = std::move(tr_state), my_address] (auto& endpoint_and_mutations) {
         auto endpoint = endpoint_and_mutations.first;