diff --git a/.changeset/wet-bobcats-chew.md b/.changeset/wet-bobcats-chew.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fe836a2f799
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/wet-bobcats-chew.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'graphql-language-service-server': patch
+---
+
+a few bugfixes related to config handling impacting vim and potentially other LSP server users
diff --git a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/MessageProcessor.ts b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/MessageProcessor.ts
index 0b9059dcdf1..4ae2fb181d1 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/MessageProcessor.ts
+++ b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/MessageProcessor.ts
@@ -217,13 +217,13 @@ export class MessageProcessor {
     const rootDir = this._settings?.load?.rootDir || this._rootPath;
     this._rootPath = rootDir;
     this._loadConfigOptions = {
-      ...Object.keys(this._settings.load || []).reduce((agg, key) => {
-        const value = this._settings.load[key];
+      ...Object.keys(this._settings?.load ?? {}).reduce((agg, key) => {
+        const value = this._settings?.load[key];
         if (value === undefined || value === null) {
           delete agg[key];
         }
         return agg;
-      }, this._settings.load),
+      }, this._settings.load ?? {}),
       rootDir,
     };
     // reload the graphql cache
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ export class MessageProcessor {
         'graphql.config',
         'graphqlrc',
         'package.json',
-        this._settings.load.fileName,
+        this._settings.load?.fileName,
       ].filter(Boolean);
       if (configMatchers.some(v => uri.match(v)?.length)) {
         this._logger.info('updating graphql config');
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ export class MessageProcessor {
     return { uri, diagnostics };
   }
   async handleDidChangeConfiguration(
-    _params?: DidChangeConfigurationParams,
+    _params: DidChangeConfigurationParams,
   ): Promise<DidChangeConfigurationRegistrationOptions> {
     await this._updateGraphQLConfig();
     this._logger.log(
diff --git a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/__tests__/MessageProcessor-test.ts b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/__tests__/MessageProcessor-test.ts
index fac08acf863..08f67c56964 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/__tests__/MessageProcessor-test.ts
+++ b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/__tests__/MessageProcessor-test.ts
@@ -350,6 +350,28 @@ describe('MessageProcessor', () => {
 
       expect(messageProcessor._updateGraphQLConfig).toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
+
+    it('handles config requests with no config', async () => {
+      const customConfigName = 'custom-config-name.yml';
+      messageProcessor._settings = {};
+
+      await messageProcessor.handleDidChangeConfiguration({
+        settings: [],
+      });
+
+      expect(messageProcessor._updateGraphQLConfig).toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+      await messageProcessor.handleDidOpenOrSaveNotification({
+        textDocument: {
+          uri: `${pathToFileURL('.')}/.graphql.config.js`,
+          languageId: 'js',
+          version: 0,
+          text: '',
+        },
+      });
+
+      expect(messageProcessor._updateGraphQLConfig).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
   });
 
   it('parseDocument finds queries in tagged templates', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts
index 3b15003fdfe..58ef94b3e9f 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts
+++ b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import {
   DidOpenTextDocumentNotification,
   DidSaveTextDocumentNotification,
   DidChangeTextDocumentNotification,
+  DidChangeConfigurationNotification,
   DidCloseTextDocumentNotification,
   ExitNotification,
   HoverRequest,
@@ -366,7 +367,7 @@ async function addHandlers({
     messageProcessor.handleWorkspaceSymbolRequest(params),
   );
 
-  connection.onDidChangeConfiguration(
-    messageProcessor.handleDidChangeConfiguration,
+  connection.onNotification(DidChangeConfigurationNotification.type, params =>
+    messageProcessor.handleDidChangeConfiguration(params),
   );
 }