diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e-compose.el b/mu4e/mu4e-compose.el
index e35d08fa..b04b52b6 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e-compose.el
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e-compose.el
@@ -228,11 +228,6 @@ needed, set the Fcc header, and register the handler function."
 \\{message-mode-map}."
   (let ((message-hidden-headers mu4e~compose-hidden-headers))
     (use-local-map mu4e-compose-mode-map)
-    ;; we set this here explicitly, since (as it has happened) a wrong
-    ;; value for this (such as "") breaks address completion and other things
-    (set (make-local-variable 'mail-header-separator)
-      (purecopy "--text follows this line--"))
-
     (make-local-variable 'message-default-charset)
     ;; if the default charset is not set, use UTF-8
     (unless message-default-charset
diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e-draft.el b/mu4e/mu4e-draft.el
index 8d4af669..6eb7b82b 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e-draft.el
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e-draft.el
@@ -180,6 +180,11 @@ and the body starts. Note, in `mu4e-compose-mode, we use
 `before-save-hook' and `after-save-hook' to ensure that this
 separator is never written to the message file. Also see
 `mu4e-remove-mail-header-separator'."
+  ;; we set this here explicitly, since (as it has happened) a wrong
+  ;; value for this (such as "") breaks address completion and other things
+  (set (make-local-variable 'mail-header-separator)
+    (purecopy "--text follows this line--"))
+
   (save-excursion
     (let ((sepa (propertize mail-header-separator
 		  'intangible t