diff --git a/core/modules/widgets/button.js b/core/modules/widgets/button.js
index 633514f45..603520fe0 100644
--- a/core/modules/widgets/button.js
+++ b/core/modules/widgets/button.js
@@ -18,10 +18,6 @@ var Popup = require("$:/core/modules/utils/dom/popup.js");
 
 var ButtonWidget = function(parseTreeNode,options) {
 	this.initialise(parseTreeNode,options);
-	// Check if any parent is a button. Custom recursion detection for buttons in buttons
-	if(!this.hasVariable("tv-is-button","yes")) {
-		this.setVariable("tv-is-button", "yes");
-	}
 };
 
 /*
@@ -29,6 +25,20 @@ Inherit from the base widget class
 */
 ButtonWidget.prototype = new Widget();
 
+/*
+Detect nested buttons
+*/
+ButtonWidget.prototype.isNestedButton = function() {
+	var pointer = this.parentWidget;
+	while(pointer) {
+		if(pointer instanceof ButtonWidget) {
+			return true;
+		}
+		pointer = pointer.parentWidget;
+	}
+	return false;
+}
+
 /*
 Render this widget into the DOM
 */
@@ -43,14 +53,14 @@ ButtonWidget.prototype.render = function(parent,nextSibling) {
 	this.execute();
 	// Check "button in button". Return early with an error message
 	// This check also prevents fatal recursion errors using the transclusion widget
-	if(this.parentWidget && this.parentWidget.hasVariable("tv-is-button","yes")) {
+	if(this.isNestedButton()) {
 		var domNode = this.document.createElement("span");
 		var textNode = this.document.createTextNode($tw.language.getString("Error/RecursiveButton"));
 		domNode.appendChild(textNode);
 		domNode.className = "tc-error";
 		parent.insertBefore(domNode,nextSibling);
 		this.domNodes.push(domNode);
-		return;
+		return;  // an error message
 	}
 	// Create element
 	if(this.buttonTag && $tw.config.htmlUnsafeElements.indexOf(this.buttonTag) === -1) {