diff --git a/src/config/ConfigManager.cpp b/src/config/ConfigManager.cpp
index 0c1066291..5238f9dd1 100644
--- a/src/config/ConfigManager.cpp
+++ b/src/config/ConfigManager.cpp
@@ -36,12 +36,6 @@ bool Config::initConfigManager() {
             Log::logger->log(Log::CRIT, "Couldn't load config: {}", ec.message());
             return false;
         }
-
-        // generate default
-        if (const auto v = g_mgr->generateDefaultConfig(filePath); !v) {
-            Log::logger->log(Log::CRIT, "Couldn't generate default config: {}", v.error());
-            return false;
-        }
     }
 
     return true;
diff --git a/src/config/legacy/ConfigManager.cpp b/src/config/legacy/ConfigManager.cpp
index a1ab4e1cf..ffc5cea54 100644
--- a/src/config/legacy/ConfigManager.cpp
+++ b/src/config/legacy/ConfigManager.cpp
@@ -987,8 +987,19 @@ void CConfigManager::reloadRuleConfigs() {
 std::optional<std::string> CConfigManager::verifyConfigExists() {
     auto mainConfigPath = Supplementary::Jeremy::getMainConfigPath();
 
-    if (!mainConfigPath || !std::filesystem::exists(*mainConfigPath))
-        return "broken config dir?";
+    if (!mainConfigPath)
+        return "Broken config directory";
+
+    std::error_code ec;
+    const bool      VALID_CFG = std::filesystem::exists(*mainConfigPath, ec) && !ec;
+
+    if (!VALID_CFG && !g_pCompositor->m_explicitConfigPath.empty())
+        return "Invalid config file provided as explicit";
+
+    if (!VALID_CFG) {
+        if (const auto res = generateDefaultConfig(*mainConfigPath, g_pCompositor->m_safeMode); !res)
+            return res.error();
+    }
 
     return {};
 }