diff --git a/src/js/background.js b/src/js/background.js
index 0e8e5e8075748..abf774532975a 100644
--- a/src/js/background.js
+++ b/src/js/background.js
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ const µBlock = (function() { // jshint ignore:line
         requestJournalProcessPeriod: 1000,
         selfieAfter: 11,
         strictBlockingBypassDuration: 120,
-        suspendTabsUntilReady: false,
+        suspendTabsUntilReady: 'unset',
         userResourcesLocation: 'unset'
     };
 
@@ -104,6 +104,11 @@ const µBlock = (function() { // jshint ignore:line
                         if ( out.hasOwnProperty(k) ) { out[k] = o[k]; }
                     }
                     self.log.verbosity = out.consoleLogLevel;
+                    if ( typeof out.suspendTabsUntilReady === 'boolean' ) {
+                        out.suspendTabsUntilReady = out.suspendTabsUntilReady
+                            ? 'yes'
+                            : 'unset';
+                    }
                 }
             }
             catch(ex) {
diff --git a/src/js/storage.js b/src/js/storage.js
index 71b5c0c09445c..a536f90ebc093 100644
--- a/src/js/storage.js
+++ b/src/js/storage.js
@@ -110,6 +110,12 @@
                     this.hiddenSettings[key] = hs[key];
                 }
             }
+            if ( typeof this.hiddenSettings.suspendTabsUntilReady === 'boolean' ) {
+                this.hiddenSettings.suspendTabsUntilReady =
+                    this.hiddenSettings.suspendTabsUntilReady
+                        ? 'yes'
+                        : 'unset';
+            }
         }
         if ( vAPI.localStorage.getItem('immediateHiddenSettings') === null ) {
             this.saveImmediateHiddenSettings();
diff --git a/src/js/traffic.js b/src/js/traffic.js
index 372e5bd7a8662..0ddd3dfc9fb94 100644
--- a/src/js/traffic.js
+++ b/src/js/traffic.js
@@ -1002,8 +1002,10 @@ return {
         if (
             vAPI.net.onBeforeReady instanceof Object &&
             (
-                vAPI.net.onBeforeReady.experimental !== true ||
-                µBlock.hiddenSettings.suspendTabsUntilReady
+                vAPI.net.onBeforeReady.experimental !== true &&
+                µBlock.hiddenSettings.suspendTabsUntilReady !== 'no' ||
+                vAPI.net.onBeforeReady.experimental &&
+                µBlock.hiddenSettings.suspendTabsUntilReady === 'yes'
             )
         ) {
             vAPI.net.onBeforeReady.start();